Page "Cold War (1947–1953)" Paragraph 40

* NSC-68: April 14, 1950.

A classified report written and issued by the United States National Security Council.

The report outlined the National Security Strategy of the United States for that time and provided a comprehensive analysis of the capabilities of the Soviet Union and of the United States from military, economic, political, and psychological standpoints.

NSC-68's principal thesis was that the Soviet Union intended to become the single dominant world power.

The report argued that the Soviet Union had a systematic strategy aimed at the spread of communism across the entire world, and it recommended that the United States government adopt a policy of containment to stop the further spread of Soviet power.

NSC-68 outlined a drastic foreign policy shift from defensive to active containment and advocated aggressive military preparedness.

NSC-68 shaped government actions in the Cold War for the next 20 years and has subsequently been labeled the " blueprint " for the Cold War.