1 of 2 Secretary of State Henry Kissinger on October 12, 1973 Photo: AP Photo, File Secretary of State Henry Kissinger on October 12, 1973 Photo: AP Photo, File
American diplomat and Nobel Peace Prize winner Henry Kissinger died this Wednesday (29) at the age of 100, according to Kissinger Associates Inc. The cause of death is not yet known.
Kissinger rose to fame in the 1970s for his strong performance as U.S. Secretary of State and National Security Advisor under Presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford. Learn more about his career below.
Early life and studying at Harvard
Heinz Alfred Kissinger was born on May 27, 1923 in Furth, Germany and moved to the United States with his family in 1938 before the Nazis exterminated Europe’s Jews. The diplomat changed his name to Henry, became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 1943 and served in the Army in Europe during World War II.
Kissinger received a scholarship to study at Harvard University, where he received his master’s degree in 1952 and his doctorate in 1954. Soon after, he became a professor at the educational institution, where he was a faculty member for 17 years.
During much of this period, Kissinger served as a consultant to government agencies, including in 1967 when he served as the State Department liaison to Vietnam.
Kissinger established himself as the face of world diplomacy when Republican Richard Nixon appointed him to the White House in 1969 as national security adviser and then as secretary of state both positions between 1973 and 1975.
The North American’s central role in US foreign policy ensured that he retained his position in government during General Ford’s administration, and Kissinger served as chief of diplomacy until 1977.
During his diplomatic career, Kissinger contributed to the efforts that led to China’s diplomatic opening and participated in the historic arms control negotiations between the United States and the Soviet Union.
2 of 2 Henry Kissinger photographed in Germany, September 2015 Photo: Portal/Fabrizio Bensch Henry Kissinger photographed in Germany, September 2015 Photo: Portal/Fabrizio Bensch
He also contributed to expanding relations between Israel and its Arab neighbors and the Paris Peace Agreement with North Vietnam.
Influence in Latin America
Kissinger was widely criticized for his support of anticommunist dictatorships, particularly in Latin America. Some historians see the North American as one of those responsible for encouraging military coups in Chile and Argentina.
In some countries (inside and outside Latin America) he was labeled a war criminal. In his final years, his travels were restricted by attempts by other nations to arrest him or question him about past U.S. foreign policy.
Support for Brazil’s nuclear program
In the 1970s, Kissinger angered prominent figures in Congress, the State Department and the U.S. Arms Control and Disarmament Agency by supporting Brazil’s nuclear program.
He argued that the country was one of the pillars of North American politics in Latin America and that the support of the Brazilian government was important to maintain the alliance between the nations. In addition, Kissinger referred to the economic interests of US companies in developing the nuclear industry in Brazil.
Nobel Prize controversy
In 1973, Henry Kissinger and the Vietnamese Le Duc Tho received the Nobel Peace Prize. The ceremony was marred by a number of controversies and was considered a fiasco.
The Nobel Prize nomination came after Kissinger and Tho jointly negotiated a ceasefire in Vietnam in 1973. Their work led to the withdrawal of American troops from the country this year.
However, the characters of Kissinger and Tho were controversial at the time, as the two were seen as leaders of the conflict. For example, the North American was accused of ordering bombings to advance negotiations.
Her nomination for the Nobel Peace Prize sparked a number of criticisms. An editorial in The New York Times newspaper even described the case as a “Nobel Prize for war.”
The whole controversy led to Tho declining the award. Kissinger, on the other hand, did not want to travel to the ceremony for fear of becoming a target of protests. In addition, two members of the nominations committee resigned.