American Diplomacy was published by the University of Chicago Press in 1951, based on the Walgreen Lectures Kennan delivered at the University of Chicago, and it became one of the most widely assigned texts in American diplomatic history — a short, sharp critique of American foreign policy that has never lost its relevance.
Kennan’s thesis is that American diplomacy has been crippled by two related tendencies: legalism (the belief that international relations can be governed by legal agreements, treaties, and international organizations) and moralism (the belief that foreign policy should be guided by moral principles rather than national interests). These tendencies, Kennan argues, produce a diplomacy that is alternately passive and hysterical — passive when legal agreements seem to be working, hysterical when they break down and moral outrage demands action.
The lectures examine specific episodes — the Open Door notes, the First World War, the failed peace at Versailles, the Second World War — to demonstrate how legalism and moralism led America into policies that were unrealistic, ineffective, and sometimes catastrophic. Kennan’s alternative is the realist tradition: a foreign policy based on a clear-eyed assessment of national interests, a recognition that other nations act according to their own interests, and a willingness to use power deliberately and proportionally.
Collecting American Diplomacy
First edition (University of Chicago Press, 1951): Cloth binding, dust jacket.
Market values:
- First edition in dust jacket: $40–$120
- Without jacket: $10–$25
- Expanded edition (1984): $10–$20
Projected values (2026–2036): Moderate appreciation. Kennan’s most influential book.
The Containment Doctrine
American Diplomacy (1951) collects six lectures Kennan delivered at the University of Chicago, expanding on the arguments of his famous “X” article in Foreign Affairs (1947), which laid the intellectual foundation for the Cold War strategy of containment. Kennan argued that American foreign policy had been hobbled by moralism and legalism, and that a more realistic approach — understanding power, geography, and national interest — was essential. The book shaped a generation of policymakers and remains the single most influential work of American diplomatic theory.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who was George F. Kennan? Kennan (1904–2005) was an American diplomat and historian who served as U.S. Ambassador to the Soviet Union and Yugoslavia. His “Long Telegram” (1946) and “X” article (1947) provided the intellectual framework for America’s Cold War strategy. He later became a leading critic of nuclear weapons and military overreach. He won the Pulitzer Prize twice and lived to the age of 101.