"Kissinger" redirects here. For other uses, see Kissinger (disambiguation).
Henry Kissinger
Official portrait, c. 1973
56th United States Secretary of State
In office September 22, 1973 – January 20, 1977
President
Richard Nixon
Gerald Ford
Deputy
Kenneth Rush
Robert Ingersoll
Charles Robinson
Preceded by
William Rogers
Succeeded by
Cyrus Vance
7th United States National Security Advisor
In office January 20, 1969 – November 3, 1975
President
Richard Nixon
Gerald Ford
Deputy
Richard Allen
Alexander Haig
Brent Scowcroft
Preceded by
Walt Rostow
Succeeded by
Brent Scowcroft
Personal details
Born
Heinz Alfred Kissinger
(1923-05-27)May 27, 1923 Fürth, Bavaria, Germany
Died
November 29, 2023(2023-11-29) (aged 100) Kent, Connecticut, U.S.
Resting place
Arlington National Cemetery
Citizenship
Germany (until 1935)
Stateless (1935–1943)
United States (from 1943)
Political party
Republican
Spouses
Ann Fleischer
(m. 1949; div. 1964)
Nancy Maginnes
(m. 1974)
Children
2
Education
City College of New York
Harvard University (AB, AM, PhD)
Occupation
Diplomat
political scientist
politician
Civilian awards
1973 Nobel Peace Prize
Signature
Military service
Branch/service
United States Army
Years of service
1943–1946
Rank
Sergeant
Unit
84th Infantry Division[1]
970th Counter Intelligence Corps Detachment[2]
Battles/wars
World War II
Battle of the Bulge
Military awards
Bronze Star
Henry Alfred Kissinger[a] (May 27, 1923 – November 29, 2023) was an American diplomat and political scientist who served as the United States secretary of state from 1973 to 1977 and national security advisor from 1969 to 1975, in the presidential administrations of Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford.[4]
Born in Germany, Kissinger emigrated 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, after the war, was educated at Harvard University, where he excelled academically. He later became a professor of government at the university and earned an international reputation as an expert on nuclear weapons and foreign policy. He acted as a consultant to government agencies, think tanks, and the presidential campaigns of Nelson Rockefeller and Nixon before being appointed as national security advisor and later secretary of state by President Nixon.
An advocate of a pragmatic approach to geopolitics known as Realpolitik, Kissinger pioneered the policy of détente with the Soviet Union, orchestrated an opening of relations with China, engaged in "shuttle diplomacy" in the Middle East to end the Yom Kippur War, and negotiated the Paris Peace Accords, which ended American involvement in the Vietnam War. For his role in negotiating the accords, he was awarded the 1973 Nobel Peace Prize to controversy.[5] Kissinger is also associated with controversial U.S. policies including its bombing of Cambodia, involvement in the 1973 Chilean coup d'état, support for Argentina's military junta in its Dirty War, support for Indonesia in its invasion of East Timor, and support for Pakistan during the Bangladesh Liberation War and Bangladesh genocide.[6] Widely considered by scholars to have been an effective secretary of state,[7] Kissinger was also accused by critics of war crimes for the civilian death toll of the policies he pursued and for his role in facilitating U.S. support for authoritarian regimes.[8][9]
After leaving government, Kissinger founded Kissinger Associates, an international geopolitical consulting firm which he ran from from 1982 until his death. He authored over a dozen books on diplomatic history and international relations. His advice was sought by American presidents of both political parties.[10][11]
^Kissinger, Henry A. (April 3, 2020). "The Coronavirus Pandemic Will Forever Alter the World Order". The Wall Street Journal. Archived from the original on April 18, 2020. Retrieved April 20, 2020.
^Kalb, Marvin; Kalb, Bernard (1974). Kissinger. Little, Brown. p. 40. ISBN 978-0-09-122300-7.
^
"Kissinger". Dictionary.com. Archived from the original on October 7, 2022. Retrieved November 30, 2023.
"Kissinger". Merriam-webster.com. Archived from the original on February 19, 2010. Retrieved October 23, 2009.
^"The Nobel Peace Prize 1973". Nobel Foundation. Archived from the original on October 26, 2019. Retrieved February 4, 2019.
^Feldman, Burton (2000). The Nobel Prize: A History Of Genius, Controversy, and Prestige. Arcade Publishing. p. 16. ISBN 978-1-55970-537-0. Two members publicly resigned when the peace prize was awarded to Henry Kissinger and Le Duc Tho in 1973 for a cease-fire in the Vietnam War.
^Bass, Gary (September 21, 2013). "Blood Meridian". The Economist. Archived from the original on September 19, 2013. Retrieved February 13, 2016.
^"TRIP Snap Poll III: Seven Questions on Current Global Issues for International Relations Scholars" (PDF). p. 9. Archived (PDF) from the original on November 30, 2023. Retrieved November 30, 2023.
^"Protesters Heckle Kissinger, Denounce Him for 'War Crimes'". The Times of Israel. January 30, 2015. Archived from the original on December 22, 2015. Retrieved December 14, 2015.
^Nevius, James (February 13, 2016). "Does Hillary Clinton see that invoking Henry Kissinger harms her campaign?". The Guardian. Archived from the original on January 30, 2020. Retrieved October 23, 2016. many consider Kissinger a war criminal, most famously Christopher Hitchens, who, in a lengthy two-part article for Harper's in 2001 (later expanded into the book and documentary, The Trial of Henry Kissinger), laid out his case that Kissinger should be brought up on charges 'for war crimes, for crimes against humanity, and for offenses against common or customary or international law, including conspiracy to commit murder, kidnap, and torture'.
^Green, Erica L.; Bennett, Kitty (November 30, 2023). "Kissinger Had the Ear of Presidents. He Had Their Awe and Ire, Too". The New York Times. Archived from the original on December 3, 2023. Retrieved December 10, 2023.
^"Every president invites Henry Kissinger to the White House — except Biden". July 9, 2022. Archived from the original on July 10, 2022. Retrieved December 10, 2023.
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Henry Alfred Kissinger (May 27, 1923 – November 29, 2023) was an American diplomat and political scientist who served as the United States secretary of...
The Trial of HenryKissinger is a 2001 book by Christopher Hitchens which examines the alleged war crimes of HenryKissinger, the National Security Advisor...
Rockefeller political aide, and the widow of former U.S. Secretary of State HenryKissinger. The couple married on March 30, 1974, in Arlington, Virginia. Nancy...
diplomat HenryKissinger (1923–2023) played an important and controversial role in the Vietnam War. Starting out as a supporter, Kissinger came to see...
The Trials of HenryKissinger is a 2002 documentary film directed by Eugene Jarecki and narrated by Brian Cox. Inspired by Christopher Hitchens' 2001...
Kissinger Associates, Inc. is a New York City–based international geopolitical consulting firm, founded and run by HenryKissinger from 1982 until his...
and ability to recruit the support of influential people, including HenryKissinger, George Shultz, James Mattis, and Betsy DeVos, all of whom had served...
Machiavellian. Prominent proponents of Realpolitik include Otto von Bismarck, HenryKissinger, George F. Kennan, Zbigniew Brzezinski, Hans-Dietrich Genscher, Deng...
April 2011. Kissinger The Idealist, Volume I, published in September 2015, is the first part of a planned two-part biography of HenryKissinger based on...
Blakeley writes that Kissinger "explicitly expressed his support for the repression of political opponents." On 5 October 1976 HenryKissinger met with Argentina's...
On China is a 2011 non-fiction book by HenryKissinger, former National Security Adviser and United States Secretary of State. The book is part an effort...
Special Studies Project, a major seven-panel planning group directed by HenryKissinger and funded by the Rockefeller Brothers Fund, of which he was then president...
HenryKissinger discussed the lack of morale that the US embassy had in Chile according to the American Ambassador to Chile, Edward Korry. Kissinger stated...
and later spoke out critically against Reagan's military buildup. HenryKissinger implemented two geostrategic objectives when in office: the deliberate...
Reagan, and The House I Live In. His other films include The Trials of HenryKissinger, Freakonomics, The Opponent, and Quest of the Carib Canoe. His most...
Peace Prize was awarded jointly to United States Secretary of State HenryKissinger and Communist Party of Vietnam Politburo representative Lê Đức Thọ...
vice chairman of Kissinger Associates. He had a long association with HenryKissinger, having served as his assistant when Kissinger was the National...
HenryKissinger on August 9, 1974, it read simply, "I hereby resign the Office of President of the United States." It was simply dated, but Kissinger...
Clinton in No One Left To Lie To, and American diplomat HenryKissinger in The Trial of HenryKissinger. Hitchens died from complications related to oesophageal...
of journalism at University of Texas at Austin, Secretary of State HenryKissinger predicted during Nixon's final days that history would remember Nixon...
the Israeli military since the 1960s. U.S. National Security Advisor HenryKissinger believed that the regional balance of power hinged on maintaining Israel's...
1969 foreign policy team President Richard Nixon and his top aide HenryKissinger focused on the Soviet Union, China, Vietnam, the Middle East, Pakistan...