Young Kennan's Criticisms and Recommendations
After serving for more than a decade abroad as a US diplomat, George Kennan was recalled home for one year in 1937. During this period he considered ways of dealing with problems then afflicting American society. A short time later he made recommendations on how to improve the Foreign Service. His proposals in both cases were startling and seem to confirm the wisdom of John Quincy Adams: US diplomats should take leave home every few years in order "to be renovated by the wholesome republican atmosphere of their own country."