George F Kennan

George F. Kennan, a leading authority on the Soviet Union who in the midst of the Cold War became a passionate crusader for the control and abolition of nuclear arms, has died. He was 101. The historian and diplomat, who was best known as the architect of "containment," which became the cornerstone of U.S. policy in dealing with the Soviet Union for more than 40 years, died at home in Princeton, N.J. Kennan was an elegant writer, the author of 26 books and numerous articles.

Re "Diplomat Was Architect of U.S. Cold War Policy," obituary, March 18: Since my college days three decades ago, George F. Kennan has been my hero. He enjoyed a long life marked by his insightful writings. If ever a man should have been secretary of State, it was Kennan, so how ironic it was that John Foster Dulles forced him out. Then came the nuclear brink, Vietnam and countless international abrasions. Had Kennan led us back then, our present world would be a better place. Jack Fenn Montecito Heights