Henry Kissinger

Henry Kissinger
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
United States National Security Advisor
In office January 20, 1969 – November 3, 1975
President	Richard Nixon Gerald Ford
Preceded by	Walt Rostow
Succeeded by	Brent Scowcroft
22nd Chancellor of The College of William & Mary
In office February 10, 2001 – April 7, 2006
Preceded by	Margaret Thatcher
Succeeded by	Sandra Day O'Connor
Personal details
Born	Heinz Alfred Kissinger May 27, 1923 (1923-05-27) Fürth, Bavaria, Germany
Political party	Republican
Spouse(s)	Ann Fleischer (1949–1964) Nancy Maginnes (1974–present)
Alma mater	City University of New York, City College Harvard University
Signature
Military service
Allegiance	United States
Branch/service	United States Army
Rank	Sergeant
Unit	970th Counter Intelligence Corps

Henry Alfred Wolfgang Kissinger (born Heinz Alfred Wolfgang Kissinger on May 27, 1923), pronounced /ˈkɪsɪndʒər/, is an American political scientist, diplomat, and winner of the Nobel Peace Prize. He served as both National Security Advisor and later as Secretary of State in the Nixon Administration and the Ford Administration.

Early life

Kissinger was born in Germany in 1923. As a German Jew, it was not safe for him to stay in Germany after Adolf Hitler came to power, and he left for the United States in 1933. He fought for the US against the Nazis in World War Two.

Nixon administration

Kissinger was Richard Nixon's most trusted advisor on foreign affairs. He was in government during the Cold War and promoted what he called "realpolitik" in dealing with the Soviet Union and Communist China. He was a major force behind the 1973 ceasefire in the Vietnam War. He won a Nobel Peace Prize for the ceasefire, but the agreement fell apart in 1975. Under Kissinger, the US opened up relations to China, which is considered one of his biggest successes. He also supported détente, an easing of the rivalry with the Soviets.

Later years

In his later years, Kissinger — along with William Perry, Sam Nunn, and George Shultz — called upon governments to reduce nuclear weapons, and in three Wall Street Journal articles proposed a program of urgent steps to that end. The four have created the Nuclear Security Project to advance this cause.

Legacy

His legacy is often debated by historians. Some people criticize him, even calling him a criminal, for his tactics during the cold war, notably supporting a military junta in Chile and backing Pakistan during the Bangladesh War. Many people, however, consider Kissinger a great figure in modern American history who ended the Vietnam War, opened up China, and supported peace in the Cold War.

Other websites

• Annotated Bibliography for Henry Kissinger from the Alsos Digital Library for Nuclear Issues
• Official Website of Henry A. Kissinger
• Henry Kissinger on IMDb
• "Charlie Rose" A conversation with Henry Kissinger, December 16, 2008
• Henry Kissinger speaks at the Asia Society, NYC, February 2007
• Kissinger's political donations
• NPR: Kissinger Speech at National Press Club. Towards the end [55:55], he responds to Hitchens.

---

Help Improve This Page: Please contact us to become an approved KidzSearch editor and provide your credentials. Provide feedback on this article in our Henry Kissinger Forum