Difference between revisions of "Henry Kissinger"
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Kissinger was loathed by some liberals who viewed him as a war criminal<ref>http://www.commondreams.org/views02/0611-03.htm</ref> and criticized by hardliners for [[detente]]. Kissinger was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1973 for pulling the United States out of Vietnam. | Kissinger was loathed by some liberals who viewed him as a war criminal<ref>http://www.commondreams.org/views02/0611-03.htm</ref> and criticized by hardliners for [[detente]]. Kissinger was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1973 for pulling the United States out of Vietnam. | ||
| − | In 1979, Kissinger and [[David Rockefeller]] reportedly exerted influence over the Carter Administration to admit the [[Shah of Iran]] into the United States.<ref>http://www.unc.edu/depts/diplomat/archives_roll/2003_01-03/dauherty_shah/dauherty_shah.html</ref> Carter's decision prompted angry Shiite Muslims in Iran to capture the American embassy there and hold dozens of Americans hostage for nearly a year. The national crisis contributed to the defeat of President Jimmy Carter in the 1980 election. | + | In 1979, Kissinger and [[David Rockefeller]] reportedly exerted influence over the Carter Administration to admit the [[Shah of Iran]] into the United States.<ref>http://www.unc.edu/depts/diplomat/archives_roll/2003_01-03/dauherty_shah/dauherty_shah.html</ref> Carter's decision prompted angry Shiite Muslims in Iran to capture the American embassy there and hold dozens of Americans hostage for nearly a year. The national crisis contributed to the defeat of President Jimmy Carter in the 1980 election.. |
==Personal== | ==Personal== | ||
Revision as of 01:21, September 28, 2008
Henry Kissinger (born 1923) was an American diplomat who exercised enormous influence over the Administrations of Presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford, and influenced a key decision by President Jimmy Carter.
Political Career
Kissinger served as President Nixon's National Security Adviser from 1969 to 1974. He also served as Secretary of State from 1973 to 1977, and was the only person to serve both roles concurrently.
Kissinger was loathed by some liberals who viewed him as a war criminal[1] and criticized by hardliners for detente. Kissinger was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1973 for pulling the United States out of Vietnam.
In 1979, Kissinger and David Rockefeller reportedly exerted influence over the Carter Administration to admit the Shah of Iran into the United States.[2] Carter's decision prompted angry Shiite Muslims in Iran to capture the American embassy there and hold dozens of Americans hostage for nearly a year. The national crisis contributed to the defeat of President Jimmy Carter in the 1980 election..
Personal
Kissinger was a Machiavellian figure, skilled at manipulating people around him and currying favor in the media. At one point he admitted allowing secret wiretapping of his own aides' conversations.[3] When he testified before Congress, he would benefit from extraordinary exclusion of the press so that the American public would not hear his thick German accent. Kissinger's real first name was "Heinz", reflecting his birth in Germany.
The aura of Kissinger's influence was due partly to a cultivated image of high intelligence, including a PhD degree from Harvard University.