FEATURE mEMOS TO THE FUTURE In the first years following the aftermath of World War II, a young and relatively unknown American diplomat named George Kennan wrote a series of memos that changed the post-war world. Assigned to the U.S. Embassy in Moscow, Kennan observed the expansionist interests of the then-Soviet Union and, seeing cause for concern, wrote to his superiors detailing ways to address the threat he saw emanating from Joseph Stalin and his Communist lieutenants. The approach that Kennan outlined became known as the “containment strategy” that was utilized by the United States throughout the Cold War era. Every president from Harry S. Truman to George H.W. Bush based their national security strategies on the cornerstone of Kennan’s memos, the most famous of which was published under the pseudonym “X” in Foreign Affairs in July 1947. The power of Kennan’s memos inspired NCF to ask its Scholars and new class of Fellows as well as a select group of guest contributors to each write a memo to the future detailing their insights in ten select areas. Detailed on the ensuing pages are “memos to the future” from these notable individuals who share their insights on where we need to go in the years ahead to be successful. Rich Cooper Editor-in-Chief
George F. Kennan