US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger dies aged 100
During the Nixon and Ford administrations, he was the United States’ principal diplomat and national security advisor.
He left government in the middle of the 1970s, but generations of politicians continued to consult him for decades afterward.
The Connecticut-based former diplomat, who was born in Germany, has away.
The policy consultancy he founded, Kissinger Associates, did not provide a cause of death in its statement on Wednesday night.
Leading the condolences was the former US President George W. Bush, who declared that the country had “lost one of the most dependable and distinctive voices on foreign affairs”.
Tricia Nixon Cox and Julie Nixon Eisenhower, the daughters of President Richard Nixon, praised Henry Kissinger’s life narrative as “so unique – and so thoroughly American”.
“Henry Kissinger will long be remembered for his many achievements in advancing the cause of peace,” read the statement. “But it was his character that we will never forget.”
The school teacher’s son was born in Germany in 1923, but he didn’t get to the US until 1938, when he and his family fled the Nazis. His accent from his home Bavaria never really left.
After obtaining US citizenship in 1943, he served in the US Army for three years before joining the Counter Intelligence Corps. He taught international relations at Harvard after obtaining a PhD, a master’s degree, and a bachelor’s degree.
He was appointed national security adviser by then-President Nixon in 1969, a post that gave him significant influence over US foreign policy.
During his eight years from 1969 to 1977 as both secretary of state and national security adviser, he oversaw the US’s final withdrawal from the Vietnam War, restored relations with China, and ended hostilities in the Middle East between Israel and Egypt and Syria during the Yom Kippur War in 1973. This endeavor gave rise to the concept of shuttle diplomacy as a whole.
News of Kissinger’s passing quickly became popular on the social media site Weibo in China, where he had long-lasting fame. He was described as “an old friend of the Chinese people” in the obituary published by China News. He was referred to as “a legendary diplomat” and a “living fossil” by China Central Television for his significant contribution to US-China ties.
But over time, Kissinger also faced harsh criticism from individuals who said he supported oppressive governments all around the world, such as Augusto Pinochet’s in Chile, and prioritized his rivalry with the Soviet Union over respect for human rights. Kissinger, though, dismissed this critique.
“That’s a reflection of their ignorance,” the statesman with a gravelly voice told CBS just before he turned 100 years old.
Le Duc Tho of North Vietnam was also given a Nobel Peace Prize in 1973, but he declined to accept it.
Two members of the Nobel committee resigned as a result of the award.
Even after leaving the government in 1977, Kissinger remained a frequent public affairs pundit. Twelve US presidents, ranging from John F. Kennedy to Joe Biden, as well as legislators, sought his advice.
Interestingly, Kissinger is the only American to have had direct dealings with every Chinese leader, ranging from Xi Jinping to Mao Zedong.
In addition to writing 21 books, he was a regular in foreign policy and security forums and on the boards of several businesses.
US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger dies aged 100 Despite a deterioration in US-China ties, Kissinger continued to lead an active life much past the age of 100. In July of this year, he made an unexpected trip to Beijing to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping, where the elderly statesman was warmly received.
The National Security Council spokesman, John Kirby, expressed frustration about the visit to the Chinese officials, saying that “it’s unfortunate that a private citizen” had access to them but the US government did not.
When Kissinger was 99 years old in July 2022, he was asked if he would go back and change any of his judgments during an interview with ABC while on a book tour.
“These issues have been on my mind all my life. It’s both my job and my passion,” he remarked. “And so the recommendations I made were the best of which I was then capable.”
Nancy Maginnes Kissinger, his wife of almost 50 years, two children from a previous marriage, Elizabeth and David, as well as five grandchildren, survive him.
