Henry Kissinger, one of the country's most important foreign policy thinkers for more than half a century, enjoyed a worldwide reputation.
As a secretary of state and national security adviser to Presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford, Henry Kissinger played the major behind-the-scenes role in building the architecture that enabled more manageable relations with the Soviet Union, China, and major Arab nations. At the same time, he was closely associated with some of the most disputed U. S. foreign policy moves in recent decades, by promoting intensive bombing campaigns in Southeast Asia and repeatedly turning a blind eye to human rights abuses by governments perceived to be supportive of U. S. interests.
In America, the young Kissinger worked in a factory during the day and went to school at night, until he was drafted into the U. S. Army. After getting out of the army, he attended Harvard, where his 300-page undergraduate thesis titled "The Meaning of History" brought him to the attention of Richard Nixon. Over the next few years, he directed one of the boldest periods of diplomacy in U. S. history to strengthen its negotiating position. In 1971, Kissinger arranged Nixon's historic visit to China.
Though he never worked directly under a U. S. president again after Ford left office, Kissinger's influence was long-lasting. U. S. superpower relations to this day still bear his imprint, and he remained a sought-after voice on international affairs to the end of his life.
"There were other great secretaries of state and a long list of impressive historians, but no one who combined the two pursuits as Kissinger did, "said Richard Haass, president emeritus （荣誉退休的） of the Council on Foreign Relations.
"I remember walking down the street in Manhattan with him, and he would attract a crowd like a movie star, a rock star, "recalled David Rothkopf, who worked for a time as a managing director at Kissinger's consulting firm. "Everybody, regardless of what they thought of Henry, wanted to see Henry, wanted to be with Henry.
