Kissinger, Henry Alfred (1923-2023), served as secretary of state of the United States from 1973 to 1977. He was appointed by President Richard M. Nixon and kept the post after Gerald R. Ford became president in 1974. Kissinger also served as assistant to the president for national security affairs from 1969 to 1975. He was the most influential foreign policy adviser of both presidents.
Between 1969 and 1973, Kissinger conducted secret negotiations with North Vietnamese diplomats in an effort to end the Vietnam War. The negotiations led to a cease-fire agreement signed in January 1973 by the United States, North Vietnam, South Vietnam, and the Viet Cong. Kissinger and Le Duc Tho, the chief North Vietnamese negotiator, won the 1973 Nobel Peace Prize for negotiating the cease-fire. But fighting continued until the war ended in 1975.
Kissinger carried out other missions for Nixon. In 1971, he secretly traveled to China to arrange Nixon’s 1972 visit. He went to Moscow in 1972 to prepare for Nixon’s trip there. During the visit, Nixon signed agreements to limit the production of nuclear weapons. In 1974, Kissinger helped arrange agreements to separate the fighting forces of Israel from those of Egypt and Syria. These nations had been involved in the 1973 Arab-Israeli War.
During Nixon’s presidency, Kissinger enjoyed a high media profile and popularity. But the Nixon presidency lost credibility during the Watergate scandal, which began in 1972, and Kissinger’s public support suffered. Ford retained him as secretary of state, but Kissinger grew controversial and subject to criticism. Republican conservatives objected to his policy of détente (easing of tensions) toward the Soviet Union, while Democrats disapproved of his secretive diplomacy. In 1983, President Ronald Reagan named Kissinger head of a federal commission to develop U.S. policy on Central America. From 2001 to 2005, Kissinger served as chancellor of the College of William and Mary.
Kissinger was born on May 27, 1923, in Furth, Germany. His family came to the United States in 1938 to escape Nazi persecution of Jews. Kissinger served in the U.S. Army during World War II (1939-1945). He became a U.S. citizen in 1943. Kissinger earned three degrees at Harvard University, and taught courses there on international relations. His writings on foreign policy include Nuclear Weapons and Foreign Policy (1957). Kissinger published three volumes of memoirs, White House Years (1979), Years of Upheaval (1982), and Years of Renewal (1999). His book Diplomacy (1994) deals with notable statesmen since the 1600’s. His other books include On China (2011), World Order (2014), and Leadership: Six Studies in World Strategy (2022). Kissinger died on Nov. 29, 2023, at the age of 100.
