The report of National Security Council 68 (1950) had a huge impact on the foreign policy of the United States from 1945 to 1960. At the time, the US was under threat from the Soviet Union, during the Cold War. The report, from the US Department of State’s Policy Planning Staff, recommended that the best way for the US to counter the threat of the Soviet Union was to build up their own weapons, creating an arms race.

We can see that this impacted US foreign policy in that the United States did test and assemble weapons, both nuclear and otherwise, as well as prepare their military so that they were poised to defend themselves should the Soviet Union attack. Additionally, the US followed the suggestions in the report to avoid isolationism, as the US continued to be involved in trying to negotiate with the Soviet Union. Finally, they followed the suggestions to not attack the Soviet Union themselves, as they felt that this would not be effective and would only create more devastating attacks.