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A telegram and a college speech defined the tone of the Cold War

March 16, 2006 12:50 am

T HE COLD WAR, the 45-year-long standoff between the Soviet Union and the United States, didn't really have a beginning. There was no Pearl Harbor and certainly no declaration that history can point to that says the Cold War began on a specific day. But the question remains. Even without such historical niceties, when did it really begin? The answer, it seems, is not so much in finding a specific date or set of circumstances that establish its beginning, but rather in identifying the point when the Western nations, the United States in particular, began to realize the true nature of their adversary. This didn't happen all at once. But two events in 1946 were critical in helping the West develop a new appreciation about the real intentions of their onetime World War II ally.

The first is not that well-known, but it was a critical step in helping us understand just who we were dealing with. It was called the "Long Telegram." In February 1946, George Kennan-- the chief of mission at the American Embassy in Moscow--felt it was time that his superiors at the State Department understood just what made the Soviet Union tick. Kennan, a longtime observer of Russia and the rise of communism, believed that America was unaware of how dangerous an adversary they were facing. Kennan's telegram from Russia was a brilliant analysis of the history of the Soviet Union, the communist philosophy, and most importantly, their commitment to a prolonged struggle against the West.

He said that unlike the dictators the Allies had just defeated in World War II, the Soviet Union--motivated by its philosophy of world revolution--was ready for a long process of give-and-take, one where they would take advantage of weakness wherever they found it and retreat when faced with a determined resistance. This was a very different opponent than the grab-and-take philosophy of the Germans and Japanese during World War II.

The Long Telegram got immediate attention. It was read and discussed at the Pentagon, at the State Department, and at the White House. In 1947 it was published anonymously as an article in the journal of Foreign Affairs. It was disturbing news, and there were some who believed Kennan overstated his case. But it wouldn't be long until all of Kennan's analysis and predictions would be proven right.

A second defining moment, and one that gave the world the Cold War's most famous catchphrase, came just a month after Kennan wrote his famous telegram. Winston Churchill, with his Conservative Party rather unceremoniously tossed out of power after the war, had a lot of time on his hands and was visiting the United States. As a part of his tour, he accepted an invitation to be the keynote speaker, accompanied by President Truman, at Westminster College in Missouri. Churchill had been working on this speech for some time, but no one realized just how important it was going to be. He talked about the world and the responsibilities the victorious faced in the years ahead, but then in somber tones that only Churchill could offer, he said it was his duty to place before the audience certain facts about the present position in Europe. Invoking classic Churchillian imagery, he said that "from Stettin in the Baltic to Trieste in the Adriatic, an iron curtain has descended across the Continent. Behind that line lie all the capitals of the ancient states of Central and Eastern Europe." It was behind this newly defined line that the totalitarian power of the Soviet Union had brutally taken hold.

He warned the audience not only about the Soviet Union's desire to maintain absolute control over Eastern Europe, but also about their intention to expand their power through communist revolution. Like Kennan's Long Telegram, it was a highly accurate analysis of the world situation. Stalin, unintentionally giving the speech immediate credibility, denounced it as warmongering, while in the U.S. there were those who thought the speech too harsh. But this was the same man who had been among the first to realize the true nature of Nazism. While he might have been criticized, this time at least, he wasn't ignored.

Even today, as we face the War on Terror, we're still trying to understand just what our enemy is all about. In other words, just what are we dealing with, and what is their true intent? In 1946 we faced a similar quandary and two prophetic events--George Kennan's Long Telegram and the famous Iron Curtain speech--focused our attention on just what kind of adversary we were facing. Not everyone wanted to hear it, but this time, fortunately, we were paying attention.

DAVID KERR of Stafford is a congressional aide.