“I’m so sorry,” Cold War historian and author John Lewis Gaddis said in response to comments of Marshall history students regarding excerpts from his books as learning aids in IB Topics classes. “You must be suffering.”
Despite this lighthearted joke, Gaddis gave ten Marshall seniors and other historians an in-depth lecture on his new book, George F. Kennan: An American Life, at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington, D.C. last Wednesday.
In a 45-minute presentation, Gaddis briefly outlined the life of Kennan, an American diplomat to the Soviet Union from the mid-40s to the early 50s who played a great role in shaping U.S. policy in the early stages of the Cold War.
This was followed by 45 minutes of questions from the audience.
When informed on his integral role in the IB Topics curriculum, Gaddis expressed his regret for not being able to write from a more international perspective. According to Gaddis, at the time he wrote his first books, the only viewpoint of the Cold War that could be written was the U.S. viewpoint.
“It was only since the Berlin Wall came down that you could write from an international perspective,” Gaddis said.
Senior Karthik Kumarappan thought the presentation was a good reinforcement of what IB Topics students had learned about the Cold War.
“It is fascinating … it reflected what we have learned at school,” he said.
Others were appreciative that they had the chance to meet such a major figure among historians.
“I wanted to see Gaddis because he is like a god in the historical community,” senior Blaga Atanassova said.
History teachers Tom Brannan and Kathryn Peyton accompanied students on the trip and also were grateful for the opportunity.
“We were one of the two high schools invited, and the other got sent to the overflow room,” Brannan said.