Containment: Documents on American Policy and Strategy, 1945-1950

The world was fortunate that the early cold war years did not erupt some time around 1950 into World War III. The Korean War was terrible enough, but American policymakers were fearful of and preparing for something far worse - as this outstanding collection of documents, most of which have only recently been declassified, demonstrates. The editors include two fine essays on the organization of national security and the concept of containment.