The reality was that it all lasted for far too long. ... In Vietnam no matter how many thousands of tons of bombs they dropped, the enemy was too elusive. ... Détente was the easing of international tensions. Previously China and USSR who were inseparable had fallen out over the easing of pressure on America. ...
George Kennan, at the time the Ambassador to the Soviet Union, wrote what is called his "Long Telegram." ... His conclusion was that "the main element of any United States policy toward the Soviet Union must be that of a long-term patient but firm and vigilant containment of Russian expansive tendencies. ... The central theme in much of traditionalist historiography was an ideological one: the United States, confronted by an implacably hostile foe for which no amount of Western conciliation would satisfy its global ambitions, came to the defense of freedom and democracy, saving the world from ...
They felt that it was necessary to support our interests in the long run, they felt it necessary to have a balance of power throughout the world in order to ensure peace and prosperity. ... Nixon stated in an address to the Soviet Union "Speaking for the United States, I can say this: We covet no one else's territory; we seek no dominion over any other people; we seek the right to live in peace, not only for ourselves but for all the peoples of this earth. ... This gradual approach was a way to let the country ease into and get used to the idea of the policy. ... Morally I cannot argue wi...
There could be no selling out; or else there would be outrage. ... Roosevelt's stance at the Yalta Conference can be explained by what he said to Francis Spellman, archbishop of Boston, in September of 1943, "There is no point to oppose the desires of Stalin, because he has the power to get them anyhow. ... He eased his conscience by telling others, and himself, that the population of eastern Poland "wants to become Russified."" ... Roosevelt passed away not long after the February agreement. ...
