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1974 KISSINGER Hardcover Book by MARVIN & BERNARD KALB
Kissinger Marvin Kalb And Bernard Kalb 1974 Library Of Congress Catalog Card 74-5892 First Editon Illustrated RARE! Little, Brown And Company, Boston Printed In The United States Of America Hardcover
577 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1974
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
October 8, 2026
"Critical analysis" of Kissinger makes no little to no effort to properly indoctrinate its readers with a true account of the devastating aftermaths of the most controversial figure in 20th century America’s legacy. Perhaps I can chalk it up to its release year (1974), since only recently has the gravity of his unconventional realpolitik been fully internalized. Still, I had a good time reading this, considering it was a $1 flea market find. Perhaps this would also be better suited not as a biography but as a novella of his tumultuous journey from wartorn immigrant Heinz to Washington’s éminence grise Henry. Kissinger had learned some lessons well, mainly that the virtue of charm was to take him far and wide in his ascent to summit. “Power,” Kissinger admits, “is the ultimate aphrodisiac.”
It is a bit unbelievable how so few seemed immune to it. Almost outlandishly, at his time as an undergraduate at Harvard, where students supposedly self-factioned into either Prof. William Elliott’s cabal or Prof. Carl Friedrich’s (with little to no overlap!), Henry had somehow “managed to be on excellent terms with both.” His tales of woe stretch far and wide in this book, where you are reminded, constantly, be it his swinger status or his unlikely alliances with other members of the Nixon administration (and later Nixon himself), the true feat of a man who learns to command a room with calculated flattery and an uncanny understanding of what everyone in it wants to hear. A series of charm-laden interactions with the right person at the right time seems to have a stronger effect on his life outcomes than anything else.
At times he is painted more ingenuously; a Nazi Germany refugee with an innocent aspiration of wanting to leave the world tangibly better than when he had entered it. A man compelled by such an ordinary desire made this all the more unsettling! It is a good reminder that 'evil' people are not necessarily any more self-interested than the rest of us, and ordinary motives can still lead to tragic aftermaths. My intuitive condemnation towards Henry, which most definitely still exists, and is real and grounded in particular his Cambodia-related exploits, begs me to question my own judgement. I’m a bit frightened by not how different he is from us, but how familiar his motivations remain even when the consequences of his actions are so profoundly different. More than any retention of 1970s political landscape or subtlety of détente foreign policy, which the book does a phenomenal job of explaining through a historical context, I think I internalized this the most.
So, yes, I will still rally Bourdain’s enduring anti-Kissinger war cry, but it would be naive to let this preclude any curiosity about his character. Recognizing the relatability of his desires does not make his consequences any less reprehensible. If anything, it makes it worse! Maybe this was always intuitive to most, but I have come to only fully understand this now.
It is a bit unbelievable how so few seemed immune to it. Almost outlandishly, at his time as an undergraduate at Harvard, where students supposedly self-factioned into either Prof. William Elliott’s cabal or Prof. Carl Friedrich’s (with little to no overlap!), Henry had somehow “managed to be on excellent terms with both.” His tales of woe stretch far and wide in this book, where you are reminded, constantly, be it his swinger status or his unlikely alliances with other members of the Nixon administration (and later Nixon himself), the true feat of a man who learns to command a room with calculated flattery and an uncanny understanding of what everyone in it wants to hear. A series of charm-laden interactions with the right person at the right time seems to have a stronger effect on his life outcomes than anything else.
At times he is painted more ingenuously; a Nazi Germany refugee with an innocent aspiration of wanting to leave the world tangibly better than when he had entered it. A man compelled by such an ordinary desire made this all the more unsettling! It is a good reminder that 'evil' people are not necessarily any more self-interested than the rest of us, and ordinary motives can still lead to tragic aftermaths. My intuitive condemnation towards Henry, which most definitely still exists, and is real and grounded in particular his Cambodia-related exploits, begs me to question my own judgement. I’m a bit frightened by not how different he is from us, but how familiar his motivations remain even when the consequences of his actions are so profoundly different. More than any retention of 1970s political landscape or subtlety of détente foreign policy, which the book does a phenomenal job of explaining through a historical context, I think I internalized this the most.
So, yes, I will still rally Bourdain’s enduring anti-Kissinger war cry, but it would be naive to let this preclude any curiosity about his character. Recognizing the relatability of his desires does not make his consequences any less reprehensible. If anything, it makes it worse! Maybe this was always intuitive to most, but I have come to only fully understand this now.
June 25, 2022
At the World Economic Forum, former U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger suggested Ukraine cede territory to make peace with Russia. Well, I disagree with and beside the fact that I was surprised to learn he was still making appearances and pronouncements, I realized I didn't know if that was expected he would say that, unexpected or what. Well, I had this book on my shelf, so I though it a good time to read it and see if it could help me form an opinion on that.
This book fairly lauds Kissinger throughout, so it is not a deep analysis. Also it ends with the Nixon presidency and has not much to say about Watergate. It does convince me Kissinger was pro-NATO, tolerant of considering limited nuclear conflicts and also very successful while, at least at the onset, being a Rockefeller man with little respect for Nixon. Kissinger's meteoric rise from seizing opportunities in post-WW II Europe reconstruction led his to be a pivotal, mobile diplomat during very active years on the global stage. Seeking an end of the Vietnam War, Nixon and his National Security Adviser Kissinger, moved toward détente with Russia. Kissinger was instrumental in making inroads with Mao's China also as an outgrowth of disentangling from Hanoi. There is much personal and interesting details of negotiations and clandestine meetings. Toward the end of this time Kissinger was also in the thick of the Yom Kippur War diplomacy made worse by the embargo imposed by oil-producing Arab countries in October 1973 in retaliation for support of Israel during the Yom Kippur War.
During this time, Kissinger made bluntly clear to Soviet representative that under no circumstances would the U.S. allow a military contest using U.S. arms to be seen as a defeat by Soviet arms. Maybe he does not feel that way on Putin's Russia?
This book fairly lauds Kissinger throughout, so it is not a deep analysis. Also it ends with the Nixon presidency and has not much to say about Watergate. It does convince me Kissinger was pro-NATO, tolerant of considering limited nuclear conflicts and also very successful while, at least at the onset, being a Rockefeller man with little respect for Nixon. Kissinger's meteoric rise from seizing opportunities in post-WW II Europe reconstruction led his to be a pivotal, mobile diplomat during very active years on the global stage. Seeking an end of the Vietnam War, Nixon and his National Security Adviser Kissinger, moved toward détente with Russia. Kissinger was instrumental in making inroads with Mao's China also as an outgrowth of disentangling from Hanoi. There is much personal and interesting details of negotiations and clandestine meetings. Toward the end of this time Kissinger was also in the thick of the Yom Kippur War diplomacy made worse by the embargo imposed by oil-producing Arab countries in October 1973 in retaliation for support of Israel during the Yom Kippur War.
During this time, Kissinger made bluntly clear to Soviet representative that under no circumstances would the U.S. allow a military contest using U.S. arms to be seen as a defeat by Soviet arms. Maybe he does not feel that way on Putin's Russia?
October 22, 2017
A good read but all in all an extremely fawning book. The authors are awe struck by Kissinger's brilliance and indefatigable work ethic. I liked it for the recaps of all the shuttle diplomacy - to China, particularly the initial secret meetings, the Vietnam negotiations, and the Middle East shuttles. If you're a foreign policy/international affairs/Nixon era junky, it's a great read. Also, my parents were both diplomats so it's interesting to me in that respect as well.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews