Eighteen years ago, just after the U.S. formally recognized the Soviet Union, an unknown young U.S. Foreign Service officer named George F. Kennan sat down with the Russians to negotiate the lease on a new seven-story building at 13-15 Mokhovaya, only a stone's throw across a square from the Kremlin. It became the main building of the U.S. Embassy. Last week Kennan, now the U.S. Ambassador to Russia, got his eviction notice. He was told to be out by Dec. 31.
Whether this was a legitimate request or just one more form of Russian harassment, Kennan could not be sure. The...
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