Henry Kissinger
Diplomat and foreign policy author
Henry Kissinger was a German-born American diplomat who held the posts of national security advisor and then secretary of state under Nixon and Ford. He also wrote widely on diplomacy.
3 summaries 1h 01 min of listening
Born 1923 in Fürth, Germany Died 2023
About Henry Kissinger
Born in Fürth, Germany, in 1923, Kissinger left for America in 1938 as a Jewish refugee escaping the Nazis. He served in the US Army in the Second World War, then studied at Harvard University and later became a professor of government there. In government he promoted Realpolitik, a pragmatic approach to geopolitics, and pioneered détente with the Soviet Union. He received the 1973 Nobel Peace Prize for his part in negotiating the Paris Peace Accords, an award that drew controversy. After leaving government he founded the consulting firm Kissinger Associates, which he ran from 1982 until his death in 2023. His books include World Order, Leadership and The Age of AI, and his memoir The White House Years won the National Book Award.