“The Sources of Soviet Conduct” in 1947 by George F. Kennan, the article influenced and created a different perspective on the spread of communism and the Soviet Union. Kennan's philosophy for stopping the spread of communism was through containment, even though the telegraph did not contain the word containment. The Truman Doctrine and the number of presidents who saw war on foreign soil was established. Kennan continued to fight communism and had input and theories on other conflicts that included Vietnam and Korea. George Kennan was an observer of the aftermath of the Russian Civil War. Kennan served for two years on the Soviet front in Moscow as chief of mission and advisor to Ambassadoraverell Harriman. At the age of 44, Kennan decided to write one of the most influential statements in the early years of the Cold War “The Sources of Soviet Conduct”. "The article was signed by 'X' although everyone in the know knew that the authorship was Kennan's and the Cold War gave the United States the historic opportunity to assume leadership of what would eventually be described as the 'free world '" (Kreis, 2004 ). Kennan's 1946 article was actually sent as a telegram and influenced the Truman doctrine of how to contain the Soviet Union. “Kennan argued that the Soviets, motivated by a combination of Marxist-Leninist ideology and traditional Russian security concerns, were bent on expansion and were irrevocably opposed to the United States and the West, as well as capitalism and democracy” (Rector, 2011).Because Kennan lived in Moscow since 1933, he had a great understanding of the workings of the Soviet government and was influenced by it over the years. Kennan stated in The Sources of Soviet Conduct “the political personnel…… at the heart of the article……istoryguide.org: http://www.historyguide.org/europe/kennan.htmlPike, J. (2011, February 25) . Cold War. Retrieved March 19, 2011, from www.globalsecurity.org: http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/ops/cold_war.htmRector. (2011). Foreign Affairs. Retrieved March 19, 2011, from www.millercenter.org: http://millercenter.org/president/truman/essays/biography/5Simkin, J. (n.d.). Truman Doctrine. Retrieved March 19, 2011, from www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk: http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/USAtrumanD.htmThompson, N. (2006, July 1). Mirror image. Retrieved March 19, 2011, from www.commondreams.org: http://www.commondreams.org/views06/0701-29.htmX. (n.d.). The sources of Soviet conduct. Retrieved March 19, 2011, from www.web.ebschohost.com: http://web.ebschohost.com/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?hid=15&sid=8c5abe4d-6d08-4d08-bc5c-e1d931ed30dc%40sessionmgr13&vid=8