Kissinger, Henry Alfred

Kissinger, Henry Alfred (b. 27 May 1923). US Secretary of State 1973–7 Born in Fürth (Germany) of Jewish parents, he came to the USA in 1938 and studied at City College, New York. During World War II he served in the US Army in Europe and later with the US military government in Germany, before returning to complete his studies at Harvard, where he became Professor of Government in 1962. He became a government consultant, and in 1968 a campaign adviser for Richard Nixon, who appointed him Special Adviser on National Security and then head of the National Security Council (1969–75). As Secretary of State originally appointed by Nixon he repudiated the Dulles strategy of brinkmanship, believing in the need for pragmatic and flexible responses motivated by national self-interest. He was ultimately responsible for the CIA coup to remove Allende in Chile, and Kissinger strongly supported the secret bombing bombing offensive against the Vietcong in Vietnam and Cambodia. Ironically, he received the Nobel Peace Prize for his contribution to ending the Vietnam War, as he negotiated the US withdrawal from Vietnam on the least disadvantageous terms possible. At the same time, he did much to reduce Cold War tensions. He was largely responsible for the Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty, SALT (disarmament) of 1972. In addition, he helped to achieve a resolution of the Indo-Pakistan War (1971), and the recognition of Communist China (1972). In 1973, he helped to resolve the Yom Kippur War and restored US diplomatic relations with Egypt. He managed to remain untainted by the Watergate scandal, continuing in office under President Ford. As head of an international consultancy agency, he exerted considerable influence on US affairs during the 1980s. He is famous worldwide as a diplomat and statesman.