Claiborne Pell: “I congratulate him, too, on his prescience in evaluating the long-term…”

On the recordFebruary 22, 1994

I congratulate him, too, on his prescience in evaluating the long-term viability of the Soviet system. He, and others, including George Kennan, saw that the Soviet system was so antinatural, so incapable of satisfying human needs that it eventually would rot away. Added to the system's internal rot were also the effects of the U.S. policy of containment, first promulgated by President Truman in the late 1940's. The combination of those two factors certainly was certainly a critical factor in the downfall of the Soviet system. Some of us believe one factor is more responsible for this, some believe the other. But it is certainly a combination of the two. And Senator Moynihan was one of those who early noticed and made public reference to the internal contradictions in the system.

Said by

Claiborne Pell

Democratic · Rhode Island

Source

govinfo.gov

Editor's note · Context

The speaker discusses the factors contributing to the downfall of the Soviet system.

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Claiborne Pell: “I congratulate him, too, on his prescience in evaluating the long-term viability of the Soviet system. He, and others…”

Editor's note · Context