Summary of George F. Kennan Excerpt

George F. Kennan advises the US to be firm and consistent with the containment of Russia, but don't be threatening or tough because the Russians will feel threatened. He also warns them not to be weak or show that they are not confident because it "is never a source of strength in political affairs." The Russians will pick up on it and will feed off the weakness. Kennan is smart to acknowledge reality: that there probably won't be any political intimacy between the Soviet regime and the US in the near future. He says that eventually the Soviet society will self- destruct and become weak enough for the US to enter with confidence and a mission, forcing the Soviets to surrender. Kennan knows that the US is not the most powerful force in the universe but he thinks that it is powerful enough to complete this task.

Was Truman Justified?

I don't think Truman was justified to drop the bombs on the two Japanese cities. He killed many innocent civilians and no one is justified to do that. The Japanese military was the one to not surrender, it was not the civilians choice or fault. I think that in order to get his point across to the Japanese Military, he should've done something to them, not to the citizens. Although it may have seemed like he didn't have any other option, I think bombing innocent people was the worst possible option. It is inhumane and I don't see how anyone could have the heart to do that.

Page 831 #6

My husband and I just recently relocated so he could take a job in military production. He is the supervisor of a factory that is now producing B-24 Liberator bombers. With all the extra cash he is making, we go to the movies or a baseball game almost every weekend. At noon, I go to the supermarket and receive my portion of food with my ration card. On the way home, I notice that my car is low on gas... I go to the station which is also rationed and get gas. When I get home, I tend to our Victory Garden and pick vegetables for tonight's dinner. While I'm waiting for dinner to cook, I knit a pair of socks to donate to the Red Cross. After dinner, we draw our shades for "blackouts" which help prepare us for a possible bomb raid.