This is a revealing dual biography of two key American figures of the Cold War era, George Kennan (who authored the 1946 "Long Telegram" advocating Soviet containment and then regretted the plans it set in motion) and Paul Nitze, who placed his faith in American bomb-making technology to keep our competitive edge.
"[Nicholas] Thompson, who is Nitze's grandson, brings a judicial impartiality to the fierce disputes that raged between the two men. Thompson has enjoyed full access to his grandfather's archival documents, but perhaps his most impressive accomplishment is to have mined Kennan's extensive diaries for new insights. In this important and astute new study, Nitze emerges as a driven patriot and Kennan as a darkly conflicted and prophetic one."—Washington Post
