Henry Kissinger served as the 56th United States Secretary of State under Presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford from 1973 to 1977, and played a pivotal role in crafting American foreign policy during the Vietnam War. Kissinger also helped President Nixon engineer a new U.S. foreign policy of detente in relation to the Communist nations of the Soviet Union and China and helped negotiate an end to the 1973 Yom Kippur War between Egypt and Israel.
Kissinger Foreign Relations
While Kissinger received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1973 for helping to draft a cease-fire agreement bringing the Vietnam War to a halt, he has often been criticized for his effect on U.S. foreign policy in relation to Southeast Asia and Latin America. Kissinger's travel outside of the United States is currently hampered due to the desire of several countries to question him in relation to war crimes allegedly committed during his tenure as Secretary of State.
Born Jewish in Germany in 1923, Kissinger and his family fled the Nazi regime and emigrated to the United States in 1938. He served in the U.S. Army during World War Two and received a Ph.D. in Government from Harvard University. Prior to joining the Nixon Administration, Kissinger was an influential architect of United States policy concerning the use of nuclear weapons, and published his study Nuclear Weapons and Foreign Policy in 1956. Kissinger has been a frequent informal foreign policy advisor to President George W. Bush, and has recently claimed in print that a military victory in Iraq is "impossible."
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Henry Kissinger Timeline
May 27, 1923: Born in Furth, Germany
1938: Moves to United States
1943: Becomes naturalized U.S. citizen while in U.S. Army training camp
1949: Marries Anne Fleischer
1954: Receives Ph.D., Harvard University
1964: Divorces Anne Fleischer
1968: Named Assistant for National Security Affairs by President Richard Nixon
1972: Visits People's Republic of China with Richard Nixon
September 21, 1973: Commissioned as Secretary of State under Richard Nixon
1973: Awarded Nobel Peace Prize for efforts in ending Vietnam War
1974: Marries Nancy Maginnes
1977: Leaves office of Secretary of State at end of Ford Administration
1982: Has triple coronary artery bypass surgery
May 13, 2001: Summons delivered on Kissinger while he stays at Paris hotel for his alleged involvement in the implementation of Operation Condor
2001: Becomes Chancellor of the College of William and Mary, Williamsburg, Virginia
2002: Appointed independent chairman of 9/11 Commission by President Bush; steps down after refusing to file financial disclosures meant to reveal conflicts of interest
November 2006: Claims military victory in Iraq is "impossible"
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References
Fast Facts
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Born
May 27, 1923
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Hometown
Furth, Germany
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Wife (1)
Ann Fleisher (1949-1964)
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Wife (2)
Nancy (Maginnes) Kissinger (1974- )
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Fact:
Ph.D. in Government from Harvard University
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Fact:
Served on Council on Foreign Relations in 1950s
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Fact:
Briefly considered a sex symbol in late 60s, early 70s; dubbed "The Kiss"
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Fact:
Famously asked by Richard Nixon to get on knees and pray as Watergate scandal began to bring down Presidency
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Most famous quote
"Power is the ultimate aphrodisiac"
