The policy, developed by diplomat George F. Kennan, that was dedicated to preventing the further spread of communism throughout the Cold War was the Containment Policy.
Containment was a policy adopted by the United States towards the Soviet Union during the early years of the Cold War. The purpose of this policy was to defeat the Soviet Union by preventing the expansion of the territory under the control of communist regimes and another type of expansion of its influence.
The policy of containment was first sketched out by George F. Kennan in his famous Long Telegram, published in 1947.
Kennan argued that the primary objective of the United States should be to prevent the spread of communism to non-communist nations; that is, to "contain" communism within its borders. The Truman doctrine pointed to this goal and contention was one of its key principles. A corollary of contention was the Domino Effect Theory, according to which allowing a regional state to initiate a revolutionary process toward socialism would threaten that entire region.
After the Vietnam War Kennan argued that his ideas had been misinterpreted and that he had never promoted military intervention but only economic support to the allies.
