[2] It was created in 1947 by Foreign Service Officer George F. Kennan at the request of Secretary of State George Marshall to serve "as a source of independent policy analysis and advice for the secretary of state."
Early directors include George F. Kennan and Paul Nitze.
More recently came Anne-Marie Slaughter, Jake Sullivan, Dennis Ross, Gregory B. Craig, Paul Wolfowitz, and Richard Haass.
Past members include Zbigniew Brzezinski, Sandy Berger, Kori Schake, Michael Armacost, and Peter Berkowitz.
At least fourteen past members of the Policy Planning Staff have served as ambassadors.