#6: George Kennan ’25
American diplomat and ambassador
to the Soviet Union, he was largely responsible for U.S. policy during
the Cold War. Kennan framed the “containment” policy intended
to check Soviet expansion in Europe and Asia. From that policy stemmed
the Truman Doctrine, which marked the beginning of Ameri-can intervention
to prevent countries from being drawn into the Soviet sphere, and the
Marshall Plan, which helped rebuild Europe after World War II. 
Read about others on the list. Click on the illustration below to read about each person. You can also select individuals by name in the index below.
By
Michael Witte ’66
Who’s who in the illustration: Numbers in parentheses
represent the rankings on the PAW panel’s list.
