Pushkin’s strong assurance and his confidence in the Soviet Union’s ability to control North Vietnam and the Pathet Lao impressed not only Harriman but many other top decision-makers in Washington, as well as George Kennan, American Ambassador to Yugoslavia. Kennan commented that the Harriman –Pushkin talk was ‘gratifying evidence of genuine Soviet readiness to collaborate in finding a mutually tolerable solution to the Laos problem’.