He led US foreign policy in the 1960s and 1970s. He was a master tactician with his intellectual knowledge and negotiation skills. He ended the Vietnam War. He eased relations with America’s Cold War enemies, China and the Soviet Union.
Henry Kissinger was undoubtedly one of the most famous US secretaries of state. Both those who criticize him and those who appreciate him agree on the same point. He is known as the architect of the international system with the policies he follows.
Heinz Alfred Kissinger was born on May 27, 1923 in Germany to a Jewish family. His family fled the Nazis in 1938 and settled in the United States. Kissinger became a US citizen in 1943.
He served in the Army during World War II, studied at Harvard University and became an academic. He was an advisor to the US government on foreign policy.
In 1969, he became National Security Advisor to then US President Richard Nixon. In foreign policy, he followed a practical path based on national interests, which he called realpolitik.
Kissinger was the person who organized Nixon’s historic visits to China and the Soviet Union in 1972. These visits marked the first steps of the United States’ policy of mitigation, which was intended to reduce tensions with the communist powers.
Henry Kissinger became Secretary of State in 1973. He made history as the first United States Secretary of State who was not born within the country’s borders.
Kissinger won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1973 for his negotiations to end the Vietnam War.
He was also appreciated for the shuttle diplomacy he carried out to reduce tensions in the Middle East after the outbreak of war between Israel and Egypt in 1973. He confirmed the signing of the peace agreement between Egypt and Israel.
After his term as Secretary of State ended in 1977, Kissinger continued his academic studies at Georgetown University. He took up government duties again in 1985. He joined the Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board during the administration of President Ronald Reagan.
Henry Kissinger has been much discussed and talked about throughout his career, both with his ideas and his actions.
One major criticism is its role in the bombing of Cambodia in the Vietnam War. The goal of the mass bombing was to deprive North Vietnam of its supply routes. Kissinger was accused of being a war criminal because of this bombing.
He was also criticized for supporting Indonesia’s invasion of East Timor.
Kissinger was US National Security Advisor when Chilean socialist President Salvador Allende was overthrown in a military coup in 1973.
Spanish judge Baltasar Garzón, who investigated crimes committed under coup leader Pinochet, wanted to question Kissinger. Kissinger acknowledged that mistakes had been made in the past, but said that 30 years after the events, the courts were not the appropriate place to make judgments.
Despite his controversial career, Henry Kissinger made his name in history as the person who radically changed American foreign policy.
Documents that will shed light on the discussions are in the US Library of Congress. The documents will be declassified after 5 years.
(Tags for translation) Henry Kissinger (R) United States of America