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By Robert D. Schulzinger |
Jan 1, 2008
(1923–), Statesman.
Kissinger's family emigrated from Fuerth, Germany, to escape Nazi
persecution in 1938. After U.S. Army service during World War II and with the occupation
forces in Germany, Kissinger compiled a superlative record as an undergraduate
and graduate student at Harvard University. He then became a prominent academic
specialist in international relations and nuclear strategy. While a professor of government at Harvard (1955 -- 68), he wrote widely on international relations and nuclear weapons, arguing that the possession of nuclear weapons by the United States and
the Soviet Union had not fundamentally altered the balance of power. States
still pursued basic interests, nuclear weapons were a tool of influence, and the
nuclear powers could manage to contain a destructive arms race.Kissinger advised New York governor Nelson
Rockefeller, Republican presidents, and their senior foreign policy subordinates.
During the 1960s, he tried to fashion NATO's nuclear strategy in light of France's withdrawal,
urging understanding of French and German pride. As the Vietnam War intensified after 1965, Kissinger was drawn deeply into efforts to end it. He undertook an
important diplomatic mission for President
LyndonB.Johnson (1967), but his attempt to arrange a cease‐fire faltered when the
U.S. government refused to promise an unconditional halt to bombing of all North Vietnam.
President
RichardM.Nixon named him national security adviser in 1969; in September
1973, Kissinger was also confirmed as secretary of state, a position he held
concurrently until November
1975, when President
Gerald
R.
Ford appointed Brent
Scowcroft national security adviser; Kissinger remained secretary of state until the
end of Ford's administration.During these eight years,
Kissinger helped craft the policy of detente with the Soviet Union and to end
U.S. involvement in Vietnam. Under his direction, the United States and the
Soviet Union made significant progress toward arms control, with the Interim
Agreement of Limitations of Strategic Armaments (SALT I, 1972), the Anti‐Ballistic Missile Treaty (1972), and the Vladivostok Agreement (1974). These efforts provoked opposition from conservatives both Democratic
and Republican who incorrectly accused Kissinger of drafting agreements that
gave the Soviet Union a military advantage over the United
States.Kissinger worked with Nixon to reduce U.S. involvement in Vietnam,
concluding the Paris Peace Agreements establishing a cease‐fire in January
1973. The peace proved remarkably short‐lived: both North and
South Vietnam repeatedly violated the cease‐fire. Kissinger argued
strenuously for additional aid to South Vietnam, but by 1975 U.S. public opinion had turned sharply against any additional
involvement.Kissinger's accomplishments before 1974 won him wide public praise; he earned the Nobel Peace Prize for
arranging the cease‐fire in Vietnam. After 1975, however, his reputation diminished. His diplomatic triumphs often were
based on illusion and manipulation. Believing that only power mattered in
international affairs, both Kissinger and Nixon often expressed contempt for the
democratic processes of foreign policy. Further, Kissinger appeared arrogant and
showed little desire to promote traditional U.S. standards of human rights in
other countries.[See also SALT Treaties.]
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