Henry Kissinger

Henry Alfred Kissinger (May 27, 1923 – November 29, 2023) was an American diplomat, political scientist, and politician. A member of the Republican Party, he served as the 7th national security advisor from 1969 to 1975 and as the 56th United States secretary of state from 1973 to 1977, working under presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford.

Born in Germany, Kissinger moved to the United States in 1938 as a Jewish refugee fleeing Nazi persecution. He served in the U.S. Army during World War II and later attended Harvard University, where he became a professor and an expert on nuclear weapons and foreign policy.

As a diplomat, Kissinger followed a practical approach called Realpolitik. He helped open relations with China, worked to end the Yom Kippur War through "shuttle diplomacy", and negotiated the Paris Peace Accords to end American involvement in the Vietnam War. For his work on the accords, he received the 1973 Nobel Peace Prize. After leaving government, Kissinger wrote many books on diplomatic history and international relations and gave advice to American presidents from both major political parties.

Early life and education

Henry Kissinger was born Heinz Alfred Kissinger on May 27, 1923, in Fürth, Bavaria, Weimar Germany. His parents were Paula Stern and Louis Kissinger, and he had a younger brother named Walter. The Kissinger family was German-Jewish.

In 1933, Adolf Hitler became the leader of Germany. This made life very hard for Jewish families like Kissinger’s. Henry and his friends were often treated badly. Because of unfair laws against Jewish people, Henry could not go to a special high school, and his father lost his teaching job.

In 1938, when Henry was 15, his family left Germany to escape danger. They first stopped in London before moving to New York City in September. Henry spent his high school years in Washington Heights, Manhattan. Even though he adjusted to life in America quickly, he kept a strong German accent because he felt shy about speaking. After his first year of high school, he worked in a factory during the day and went to school at night.

Henry studied accounting at the City College of New York while still working. His studies stopped in early 1943 when he was drafted into the U.S. Army. He became a U.S. citizen while stationed in South Carolina. During World War II, he served in Europe. Because he spoke German well, he was assigned to important tasks, including helping to set up a civilian government in a German city after the war. His experiences during the war and growing up in Nazi Germany shaped his views on international relations later in life.

Academic career

Henry Kissinger studied political science at Harvard College. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree with top honors in 1950. He later completed a Master of Arts and a Doctor of Philosophy at Harvard University in 1951 and 1954. While still a student, Kissinger worked as a consultant and started a magazine called Confluence.

Kissinger’s doctoral dissertation focused on peace and international agreements. He taught at Harvard and directed the Harvard International Seminar for many years. He also wrote books about foreign policy and nuclear weapons. Later, he advised several government agencies and became a foreign policy advisor for political campaigns, eventually becoming a key advisor to President Nixon.

Foreign policy

Kissinger served as National Security Advisor and Secretary of State under President Richard Nixon and continued as Secretary of State under Nixon's successor Gerald Ford. With the death of George Shultz in February 2021, Kissinger was the last surviving member of the Nixon administration Cabinet.

The relationship between Nixon and Kissinger was very close. They shared a secret way of working together and conducted many talks that did not include State Department experts.

Kissinger was a supporter of Realpolitik. He played a big role in United States foreign policy between 1969 and 1977. During this time, he helped relax tensions between the U.S. and the Soviet Union. This led to important talks with the People's Republic of China in 1971. These talks brought the United States and China closer together. He shared the 1973 Nobel Peace Prize with Lê Đức Thọ for helping to create a ceasefire and for the U.S. leaving Vietnam.

Détente and opening to the People's Republic of China

Kissinger did not care much about China when he started as National Security Adviser in 1969. He believed that better relations with China would help the United States leave the Vietnam War and gain advantages against the Soviet Union.

In April 1970, Nixon and Kissinger promised Chiang Ching-kuo that they would not leave Taiwan or make deals with Mao Zedong.

Kissinger made two trips to the People's Republic in July and October 1971. The first trip was secret. He met with Premier Zhou Enlai. They talked about Taiwan. Zhou wanted the United States to say Taiwan was part of the People's Republic and to remove U.S. forces and support for the Kuomintang there. Kissinger agreed to remove U.S. forces from Taiwan.

In October 1971, Kissinger made his second trip to the People's Republic. They talked about which Chinese government should be in the United Nations. The United States tried to find a way for both Chinese governments to be members, but this did not work. During his second visit, Kissinger told Zhou that many Americans wanted Taiwan to stay in the United Nations. Zhou said the People's Republic was the real government of all China and no compromise was possible. Kissinger said the United States could not completely end ties with Chiang Kai-shek, who had been an ally in World War II. Kissinger told Nixon that the American ambassador to the United Nations, George H. W. Bush, was "too soft" to represent the United States well at the United Nations.

Kissinger's trips helped set up the 1972 summit between Nixon, Zhou, and Mao Zedong. This led to better relations between the two countries. This ended 23 years of separation. The United States and China formed a quiet alliance against the Soviet Union. Kissinger's work led to economic and cultural exchanges between the two countries. The United States and China set up offices in each other's capitals, but full relations would not happen until 1979.

Vietnam War

Kissinger talked about being involved in Indochina before he became National Security Adviser. He visited Vietnam in 1965 and 1966. He realized that the United States "did not know how to win or how to end" the Vietnam War. In 1967, he helped with talks between the United States and North Vietnam.

When he took office in 1969, Kissinger wanted the United States and North Vietnam to sign an armistice and agree to remove their troops from South Vietnam. The South Vietnamese government and the Viet Cong would then agree to a shared government. Kissinger had doubts about Nixon's idea of "linkage", thinking it gave the Soviet Union too much power over the United States. He did not think South Vietnam was very important by itself, but he believed it was necessary to support it to keep the United States strong as a global power.

In early 1969, Kissinger did not like plans for Operation Menu, the bombing of Cambodia, but he supported it once Nixon decided to do it. Kissinger helped bomb Cambodia to stop attacks from Cambodia into South Vietnam. He also helped with the 1970 Cambodian campaign and bombing of Khmer Rouge targets in Cambodia.

The peace talks in Paris were stuck by late 1969 because the South Vietnamese president Nguyễn Văn Thiệu did not want the United States to leave Vietnam. Kissinger started secret talks with Le Duc Thọ in Paris without the South Vietnamese knowing. In June 1971, Kissinger supported Nixon's effort to stop the Pentagon Papers from being published.

On August 1, 1972, Kissinger met Thọ again in Paris. For the first time, he seemed willing to make a deal. On October 8, 1972, Kissinger and Thọ made a big step forward in the talks. Thọ offered to have the Americans leave Vietnam in exchange for North Vietnam releasing all U.S. POWs. Kissinger agreed to this deal. In the fall of 1972, Kissinger and Nixon were unhappy with Thiệu for not agreeing to any peace deal that called for American forces to leave. On October 21, Kissinger and the American ambassador Ellsworth Bunker went to Saigon to show Thiệu the peace agreement. Thiệu refused to sign and wanted many changes that Kissinger thought were crazy.

Though Nixon had supported Kissinger against Thiệu, H.R. Haldeman and John Ehrlichman told Nixon to change his mind, saying Thiệu had good reasons. Nixon wanted 69 changes to the peace agreement and sent Kissinger back to Paris to make Thọ agree to them. Kissinger thought Nixon's 69 changes were impossible and Thọ refused to consider them. On December 13, 1972, Thọ left Paris for Hanoi. Kissinger was very angry and told Nixon: "They're just a bunch of shits. Tawdry, filthy shits".

On January 8, 1973, Kissinger and Thọ met again in Paris and the next day they reached an agreement. This agreement was mostly the same as the one Nixon had refused in October, with only small changes to help the Americans. Thiệu again refused the peace agreement, but Nixon forced him to accept it. On January 27, 1973, Kissinger and Thọ signed a peace agreement. This called for all U.S. forces to leave Vietnam by March in exchange for North Vietnam releasing all U.S. POWs. Kissinger and Thọ shared the Nobel Peace Prize on December 10, 1973 for their work in negotiating the Paris Peace Accords to "End the War and Restore Peace in Vietnam".

Interview with Oriana Fallaci

On November 4, 1972, Kissinger agreed to an interview with Italian journalist Oriana Fallaci. The interview did not go well for Kissinger. He said Vietnam was a "useless war" and compared himself to a cowboy. Nixon was very angry about the interview and for several weeks refused to see Kissinger.

Bangladesh Liberation War

Nixon supported Pakistani leader Yahya Khan in the Bangladesh Liberation War in 1971. Kissinger ignored reports from the U.S. consul general in East Pakistan, Archer K. Blood, about bad treatment of people there.

Europe

As National Security Adviser, Kissinger worked to relax tensions with the Soviet Union. He negotiated the Strategic Arms Limitation Talks and the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty with Leonid Brezhnev.

Nixon wanted 1973 to be the "Year of Europe" to focus on relations with Western European states. Kissinger wanted to strengthen NATO, which he thought was weakening.

Israeli policy and Soviet Jewry

In 1973, Kissinger did not think it was important for U.S. foreign policy to help Jews being persecuted there in the Soviet Union.

Arab–Israeli conflict

In September 1973, Nixon replaced William P. Rogers as Secretary of State with Kissinger. Kissinger was very busy with the Paris peace talks to end the Vietnam war and missed the start of the Yom Kippur War.

Kissinger told the Israeli prime minister Golda Meir that the United States would replace Israel's losses in equipment after the war, but he wanted to delay sending arms to Israel. In 1973, Meir asked for $850 million for American arms and equipment. Nixon sent $2 billion. This made King Faisal of Saudi Arabia angry, and he stopped sending oil to the United States on October 20, 1973.

On November 7, 1973, Kissinger went to Riyadh to ask King Faisal to end the oil embargo. Faisal refused. The embargo ended on March 19, 1974 after Kissinger promised to sell Saudi Arabia weapons.

Kissinger pushed Israel to give back some land to its Arab neighbors. In 1973–1974, he flew between Tel Aviv, Cairo, and Damascus to help make peace. His efforts led to two ceasefires between Egypt and Israel.

Persian Gulf

In April 1969, Iran and Iraq had a disagreement. In May 1972, Nixon and Kissinger visited Tehran to tell the Shah of Iran that the United States would support his requests for American weapons. They also agreed to a plan for the United States, Iran, and Israel to support Kurdish guerrillas fighting for independence from Iraq.

Turkish invasion of Cyprus

After a coup by the Greek junta, Turkey invaded Cyprus in July and August 1974. Kissinger was criticized for his handling of the situation.

Latin American policy

In 1970, Kissinger told Nixon that the United States should keep control of the Panama Canal. Later, he changed his mind and in 1973 called for "new dialogue" between the United States and Latin America. In 1974, he made an agreement with Panama to move towards handing over the Panama Canal, which led to the 1977 U.S.–Panama treaties.

Cuba

Kissinger at first supported better relations with Cuba, but changed his mind after Cuba got involved in fights in Angola and Mozambique.

Intervention in Bolivia

In 1971, General Juan José Torres came to power in Bolivia. On June 11, 1971, Nixon and Kissinger talked about supporting a coup in Bolivia. Torres was overthrown on August 21, 1971.

Intervention in Chile

Chilean Socialist Party leader Salvador Allende was elected in 1970. The Nixon administration, with Kissinger's help, tried to stop Allende from taking office but failed. On September 11, 1973, Allende died during a military coup led by Army Commander-in-Chief Augusto Pinochet.

Argentina

Kissinger supported the Argentine Armed Forces when they took over the government in 1976.

Rhodesia

In September 1976, Kissinger helped negotiations to end majority rule in Rhodesia.

Portuguese Empire

The Department of State under Kissinger was more friendly to Portugal than previous administrations. In 1971, the Nixon administration renewed the lease of an American military base in the Azores. Kissinger thanked Portugal for helping resupply Israel in the Yom Kippur War. After the far-right Portuguese government fell in 1974, Kissinger worried that the new government's plan to leave its colonies quickly might help groups like the MPLA in Angola. He also worried that the Portuguese Communist Party being in the new government could help communist parties in other NATO countries.

East Timor

In 1975, East Timor declared independence. Indonesian president Suharto wanted to make it part of Indonesia. In December 1975, Suharto met with Kissinger and President Ford in Jakarta. They said U.S. relations with Indonesia would stay strong and they would not object to Indonesia taking over East Timor. Indonesia invaded East Timor on December 7, 1975. The United States kept selling weapons to Indonesia.

Western Sahara

Kissinger supported Morocco taking over Spanish Sahara. In 1975, he misled President Gerald Ford into thinking the International Court of Justice had ruled in favor of Morocco. Morocco invaded the territory on November 6, 1975.

Zaire

Kissinger worked to help the Zairian leader Mobutu Sese Seko and described him as "courageous" and "politically astute".

Later roles

After Richard Nixon left office in 1974, Henry Kissinger stayed as Secretary of State under the new president, Gerald Ford. But his job became smaller when Brent Scowcroft became National Security Advisor in 1975. Ford wanted Kissinger to focus only on being Secretary of State.

After leaving office in 1977, Kissinger joined groups like the Trilateral Commission. He worked as a consultant, speaker, and writer. In 1982, he started his own company, Kissinger Associates. He also worked with many important organizations and universities.

In 2002, Kissinger was asked to help look into the September 11 attacks but could not because of possible conflicts of interest. He kept sharing his ideas on world issues until he passed away in 2023.

Public perception

In 2014, experts said Kissinger was the best Secretary of State in the past 50 years. In 1972, some people thought he seemed suspicious. He spent time with famous movie stars, and some said he tried too hard to seem cool.

Historian Jeffrey Kimball thought Kissinger and President Nixon planned for South Vietnam to fall later, but wanted to wait so the United States would not look bad. Other historians disagreed, saying this idea was wrong. Kissinger said the peace agreement might not help South Vietnam much, but he denied planning for it to lose.

During the 2016 presidential race, Kissinger’s name was mentioned. One candidate, Hillary Clinton, spoke well of him, while another, Bernie Sanders, disagreed and said he would not ask for Kissinger’s advice.

In China, many people remembered Kissinger for his smart understanding of world affairs.

Family and personal life

Henry Kissinger married Anneliese "Ann" Fleischer in 1949, and they had two children named Elizabeth and David. They divorced in 1964. Later, he married Nancy Maginnes in 1974. They lived in Kent, Connecticut, and New York City. Kissinger enjoyed soccer and helped grow the sport in the United States. He worked with famous players like Pelé and supported teams such as SpVgg Fürth and Bayern Munich.

Death

Henry Kissinger died from heart failure at his home in Kent, Connecticut, on November 29, 2023, when he was 100 years old. At the time, he was the last person left from the U.S. Cabinet who worked for President Richard Nixon. He is survived by his wife, Nancy, two children, and five grandchildren. His funeral was private, and he was buried in Arlington National Cemetery.

Many leaders around the world talked about Kissinger after he died. In China, he was respected for helping to begin friendly relations between the United States and China. Leaders in Britain, Europe, Russia, and Israel also praised his work. However, some people criticized his decisions while he was in government.

Awards, honors, and associations

Henry Kissinger received many awards for his work. In 1973, he and Lê Đức Thọ were offered the Nobel Peace Prize for helping end part of the Vietnam War, but Lê Đức Thọ did not accept it. Kissinger donated his prize money to charity and did not attend the ceremony. He also received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1977 from President Gerald Ford.

Kissinger was honored with many other awards, including the National Book Award in 1980 and the Medal of Liberty in 1986. He became an honorary member of groups such as the Harlem Globetrotters and the International Olympic Committee. He was also part of many important organizations and served on the board of some companies.

Notable works

Henry Kissinger wrote many books and articles about history, politics, and foreign policy. Some of his important works are:

• In 1950, he finished his bachelor's thesis at Harvard University.
• In 1957, he finished his PhD thesis.
• He wrote memoirs called The White House Years in 1979, Years of Upheaval in 1982, and Years of Renewal in 1999.
• Some of his other books are Nuclear Weapons and Foreign Policy (1957), Diplomacy (1994), and On China (2011).

He also wrote articles for Foreign Affairs magazine.