Today I’m reviewing Walter Isaacson’s Biography on Henry Kissinger. History is best understood by exploring the lives of key individuals. Kissinger played an central role in the Nixon and Ford administrations. He was a foreign policy rock star.
Book stats
This book is not for the fainthearted. The paperback is just short of 900 pages and the audiobook clocks in just over 34 hours.
Walter Isaacson is a veteran biographer. He has written works on historical giants like Leonardo Da Vinci, Albert Einstein and Benjamin Franklin as well as contemporary figures such as Elon Musk and Steve Jobs. He digs deep into the characters without showing overt opinions about their actions.
I listened to the audiobook, which was read by Malcolm Hillgartner. He helped bring the material alive by doing character voices. At first I was taken aback by his impersonation of Kissinger. But, after a while his approach grew on me and I ended up liking it a great deal.
When I listen to audiobooks I increase the speed. I listen at 1.5 speed and highly recommend that you do the same. Listening at 1.5 allows you to finish a 34 hour book in a about 22 hours. But, it depends on why you are listening. If you are doing a deep study, then you should slow down. I read to get an overall sense of the man.
Early life
Kissinger was born in Germany. His parents were Jewish and left Germany within months of the start of Nazi inspired violence.
Henry’s parents were committed Jews. But, Henry did not follow closely to the Jewish faith. Mostly, he would perform certain Jewish ceremonies to please his father.
He liked playing soccer but realized early on that he wasn’t very good at it. His intellect was were he would make his mark on history.
Nixon
The book heats up when Kissinger becomes a central part of the Nixon administration. Kissinger had provided insights into negotiations occurring in Vietnam to the then presidential candidate Nixon. Nixon showed his thanks by naming Kissinger his National Security Advisor.
Both Nixon and Kissinger worked to expand the role of National Security Advisor and essentially bypass the Secretary of State. These two men were obsessed with government leaks and they felt that the State Department leaked like a sieve.
There is a great deal of detail about wire tapping, etc. It draws you in.
Russia and China
The things I remember about Nixon are that he resigned and that he went to China. Both of those events are linked to Kissinger.
Kissinger created back channels with pretty much every country that he wanted to talk to. These back channels were shrouded in secrecy which added to the Nixon administration paranoia. But, they showed positive results in diplomacy.
His back channels created the environment for Nixon to travel to China and Russia, things that no President had ever done before.
Nixon eventually makes Kissinger Secretary of State. Which is basically what Kissinger was doing anyway.
Ford and Consulting
Nixon resigns and Ford enters office. Kissinger is concerned that he will be removed as Secretary of State, but Ford recognizes his value.
Ford gets along well with Kissinger, mostly because Ford is a master at stroking the massive Kissinger ego.
After the Ford administration, Kissinger officially leaves politics and opens his own consulting firm. His firm works with businesses and becomes an extremely lucrative venture for him.
And…
There are numerous things in the book that I haven’t addressed here. Kissinger was deeply involved in negotiations in Vietnam, the Middle East and Africa as well as Russia and China.
I haven’t said anything about his odd social life. He was considered a playboy and partied a great deal.
Summary
In the introduction to the book, Isaacson says that Kissinger did not like this book. This is not an authorized biography. But, it was also not written against Kissinger’s will. Kissinger did numerous interviews with Isaacson. Henry just didn’t like how the book turned out.
He probably didn’t care for how arrogant he sounded. Or maybe he didn’t care for how paranoid he sounded at times. He sounded like he felt the world was out to get him.
I think that the man was typically human. He had his issues, but he made an enormous mark on the world. The book is worth your time. I have found myself rethinking my views on foreign policy based on the things that I read.