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'''Henry Alfred Kissinger''' (birthname "Heinz" as born in Fürth, Germany, on May 27, 1923, now age {{age|1923|5|27}}) was a [[globalist]] advocate of a [[liberal]] policy of "realism" and appeasement towards enemies of the [[United States]].  Kissinger dominated the unsuccessful foreign policies of presidents [[Richard Nixon]] and [[Gerald Ford]], as [[National Security Advisor]] and [[United States Secretary of State|Secretary of State]], holding both positions for a time.  He won the much-criticized 1973 Nobel Peace Prize for reaching a peace that ended the [[Vietnam War]] by essentially capitulating to the [[communist]] [[North Vietnam]].  In close collaboration with Nixon, he created a '''[[détente]] policy''' that called for an end to the [[Cold War]] and for friendly relations with both the [[Soviet Union]] and [[China]].  His position on détente was rejected by [[Ronald Reagan]] in the 1976 campaign for the presidential nomination. Although Reagan narrowly lost that primary to Ford, due to the immense advantage of incumbency for Ford, Reagan won a landslide victory four years later on a platform that repudiated Kissinger's polices.  Kissinger was then left out of any prominent role in the [[Reagan Administration]].

'''Henry Alfred Kissinger''' (birthname "Heinz" as born in Fürth, [[Germany]], on May 27, 1923, now age {{age|1923|5|27}}) is a retired [[globalist]] advocate of a [[liberal]] policy of "realism" and appeasement towards enemies of the [[United States]].  Kissinger dominated the unsuccessful foreign policies of presidents [[Richard Nixon]] and [[Gerald Ford]], as [[National Security Advisor]] and [[United States Secretary of State|Secretary of State]], holding both positions for a time.  He won the much-criticized 1973 Nobel Peace Prize for reaching a peace that ended the [[Vietnam War]] by essentially capitulating to the [[communist]] [[North Vietnam]].  In close collaboration with Nixon, he created a '''[[détente]] policy''' that called for an end to the [[Cold War]] and for friendly relations with both the [[Soviet Union]] and [[China]].  His position on détente was rejected by [[Ronald Reagan]] in the 1976 campaign for the presidential nomination. Although Reagan narrowly lost that primary to Ford, due to the immense advantage of incumbency for Ford, Reagan won a landslide victory four years later on a platform that repudiated Kissinger's polices.  Kissinger was then left out of any prominent role in the [[Reagan Administration]].

As a globalist, in 1979 Kissinger "was outspoken in his criticism of the [[Carter Administration|Carter administration]] for its reluctance to let the [[shah of Iran]] come to the [[United States]] for medical treatment,"<ref>https://news.vanderbilt.edu/2020/09/03/vanderbilt-historian-says-kissingers-legacy-offers-relevant-lessons-for-today/</ref> even though in fact the shah could have received such treatment where he was, in [[Mexico]].<ref>https://www.wbur.org/hereandnow/2020/01/02/shah-of-iran-diplomacy</ref>  President Carter then let the shah into the United States, which sparked in retaliation the capture of the American embassy in [[Tehran]] and the ensuing [[Iran Hostage Crisis]].

As a globalist, in 1979 Kissinger "was outspoken in his criticism of the [[Carter Administration|Carter administration]] for its reluctance to let the [[shah of Iran]] come to the [[United States]] for medical treatment,"<ref>https://news.vanderbilt.edu/2020/09/03/vanderbilt-historian-says-kissingers-legacy-offers-relevant-lessons-for-today/</ref> even though in fact the shah could have received such treatment where he was, in [[Mexico]].<ref>https://www.wbur.org/hereandnow/2020/01/02/shah-of-iran-diplomacy</ref>  President Carter then let the shah into the United States, which sparked in retaliation the capture of the American embassy in [[Tehran]] and the ensuing [[Iran Hostage Crisis]].

==Life==

==Life==

Kissinger was born in Fürth, Germany, on May 27, 1923 to a middle class Jewish family. They fled Nazi persecution, and arrived in New York in 1938, where he changed his first name from Heinz to Henry but never overcame his thick foreign accent. He attended public schools and City University before being drafted at age 19. He returned to Europe during World War II fighting with the U.S. Army; he was in the infantry at first, but his heroism, courage, and daring got him promoted to intelligence. He was discharged as a sergeant in 1946. He spent a year as a civilian instructor in ''de-Nazification'' at an Army school in Germany; charged with de-Nazifying a German town, he did so with remarkable ease.  He had power and responsibility far beyond his years because of his intelligence, his energy, and his commitment to opposing the Nazis.

Kissinger was born to a middle-class [[Jewish]] family. They fled Nazi persecution, and arrived in [[New York City]] in 1938, where he changed his first name from Heinz to Henry but never overcame his thick foreign accent. He attended public schools and City University before being drafted at the age of nineteen. He returned to Europe during World War II fighting with the U.S. Army; he was in the infantry at first, but his heroism, courage, and daring got him promoted to intelligence. He was discharged as a sergeant in 1946. He spent a year as a civilian instructor in ''de-Nazification'' at an Army school in Germany; charged with de-Nazifying a German town, he did so with remarkable ease.  He had power and responsibility far beyond his years because of his intelligence, his energy, and his commitment to opposing the Nazis.

In the army, Kissinger was informally tutored by Fritz Kraemer, a fellow refugee with two PhD's. In 1950 Kissinger earned his B.A. ''summa cum laude'' at Harvard with a 377-page essay on "The Meaning of History: Reflections on Spengler, Toynbee and Kant."<ref>William Y. Elliott  was his director but only read half of it; the Government Department thereupon ruled that future senior theses could not exceed 40,000 words.</ref> He finished his Ph.D. in 1956 at Harvard, with a dissertation on "A World Restored: Metternich, Castlereagh and the Problems of Peace 1812-22," a study praising how the conservative diplomats of the era built a stable and peaceful international system after the Napoleonic wars.

In the army, Kissinger was informally tutored by Fritz Kraemer, a fellow refugee with two PhD's. In 1950 Kissinger earned his B.A. ''summa cum laude'' at Harvard with a 377-page essay on "The Meaning of History: Reflections on Spengler, Toynbee and Kant."<ref>William Y. Elliott  was his director but only read half of it; the Government Department thereupon ruled that future senior theses could not exceed 40,000 words.</ref> He finished his Ph.D. in 1956 at Harvard, with a dissertation on "A World Restored: Metternich, Castlereagh and the Problems of Peace 1812-22," a study praising how the conservative diplomats of the era built a stable and peaceful international system after the Napoleonic wars.

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[[Category:United States Veterans]]

[[Category:United States Veterans]]

[[Category:Nobel Laureates in Peace]]

[[Category:Nobel Laureates in Peace]]