Henry Kissinger, who fled Nazi Germany in his teens and served two U.S. presidents as secretary of state, died November 29. He was 100 years old.
Widely regarded as the dominant American statesman and architect of foreign policy in the late 20th century, Kissinger was admired for his intellect and tough negotiating style. His diplomacy ended the Vietnam War and improved U.S. relations with the United States’ two primary Cold War antagonists, China and the Soviet Union.
Yet his ruthless pragmatism earned him critics, in addition to his many admirers. His policymaking approach — dubbed realpolitik — was driven by a belief that foreign policy should be guided by the national interest rather than by ideology.
In 1938, when he was 15, Kissinger and his family emigrated from their native Germany to the United States, escaping the Nazi persecution of Jews. The family settled in New York, where young Henry (originally named Heinz) worked in a factory while attending secondary school at night.
He enrolled in the City College of New York, hoping to become an accountant, but at age 19 he was drafted into the U.S. Army as the United States entered World War II. He reported for basic training in February 1943 and became a U.S. citizen four months later, at age 20.
During the war, Kissinger’s superior officers recognized his intelligence and fluency in German and steered him to the military intelligence section of the Army’s 84th Infantry Division, where he took on hazardous duties during the Battle of the Bulge.
After the war, Kissinger enrolled at Harvard College, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in political science in 1950. He then earned a master’s degree in 1952 and a doctorate in 1954 from Harvard University.
He joined Harvard’s faculty and wrote about Austrian diplomat Klemens von Metternich’s efforts to reestablish a legitimate international order in Europe after the Napoleonic Wars of 1803–1815. Metternich would influence Kissinger’s ideas years later, reinforcing a conviction that even a flawed world order is preferable to revolution or chaos.
President Richard Nixon appointed Kissinger national security adviser in 1969.
Kissinger laid the groundwork for Nixon’s 1972 visit to China, which helped to normalize U.S. relations with China.
And, as national security adviser, Kissinger focused on extricating America from the unpopular, costly Vietnam War. Pursuing “peace with honor,” he orchestrated diplomatic initiatives while the U.S. maintained pressure on the North Vietnamese through bombing raids.
Kissinger’s strategy has been considered a mixed success, as it prolonged the conflict for four years, during which thousands of American and Vietnamese soldiers were killed. Kissinger and his North Vietnamese negotiating partner, Le Duc Tho, were jointly awarded the 1973 Nobel Peace Prize, although Duc declined his share of the award.
Kissinger was secretary of state (1973–1977) under Nixon and President Gerald Ford.
He was instrumental in accelerating the early 1970s détente between the U.S. and the Soviet Union. In 1972, he negotiated the Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty (SALT I) and the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty, easing tensions between the two Cold War superpowers.
After leaving office, Kissinger taught, lectured and authored books, including a memoir (The White House Years), which won the National Book Award. He continued to advise U.S. presidents.
Together with former Secretary of Defense William Perry, former Senator Sam Nunn and former Secretary of State George Shultz, Kissinger called upon governments to embrace the vision of a world free of nuclear weapons.
Despite his serious demeanor, Kissinger could make people laugh. “There cannot be a crisis next week. My schedule is already full,” he once quipped.
Kissinger is survived by his wife, philanthropist Nancy Maginnes Kissinger, whom he wed in 1974; by his children, Elizabeth and David (by his first wife, Ann Fleischer, to whom he was married from 1949 to 1964); and by five grandchildren.
