Henry Kissinger (born Heinz Kissinger on May 27, 1923) was an American diplomat, political scientist, geopolitical consultant, and politician. He served as Secretary of State and National Security Adviser to Presidents Nixon and Ford from 1969 to 1977. Kissinger is considered one of the key figures of the 20th century in terms of global elites and a capable architect of the globalist order.
Kissinger was born in Fürth, near Nuremberg, Germany. His parents, Louis and Paula Kissinger, were a profoundly religious Jewish couple. He fled Germany in 1938 as a Jewish refugee with his family, just before Kristallnacht. They settled in New York, which had a large German immigrant population. In his early years in New York, Kissinger worked in a factory making shaving brushes and initially planned to become an accountant.
Kissinger was drafted into the US Army in 1942. He quickly received citizenship. Serving in Military Intelligence, he was sent back to Germany with the US Army in an elite Counterintelligence role due to his German language skills, cultural knowledge, and anti-Nazi stance as a Jew. He served in the 84th Infantry Division and was awarded a Bronze Star for helping to break up a Gestapo sleeper cell. It was during his military service that he met Fritz Kramer, a fellow German American who became a sponsor and a significant influence on his formative years, though they later cut ties. David Rockefeller also made connections in Military Intelligence during World War II, which he stated allowed him to create networks essential for his effectiveness in later global elite organisations.
After military service, Kissinger studied at Harvard, earning an international reputation on nuclear weapons and foreign policy. His undergraduate thesis was a 400-page text titled "The Meaning of History: Reflections on Spengler, Toynbee and Kant". This thesis was apparently the origin of Harvard's current word limit for undergraduate theses. Kissinger was also involved in military counterintelligence, tracking down Gestapo. As an undergraduate, he reportedly sought to work as a spy for the FBI. He became a professor of government at Harvard.
Kissinger often acted as a consultant to governments, think tanks, and the presidential campaign of Nelson Rockefeller. This marked an early instance of Rockefeller recruitment in his public record. Nelson Rockefeller was reportedly in charge of CIA operations in Latin America during the Cold War.
David Rockefeller and Henry Kissinger are also noted for spotting Zbigniew Brzezinski, recruiting him into their control structure. In 1972 or 1973, they set up the [[Trilateral Commission]] as a steering committee for Brzezinski to run, which functioned at a high level similar to Bilderberg and the Council on Foreign Relations(CFR).
These committees are gatherings of powerful men, including titans of industry. Kissinger was recruited into this power structure as a functionary planner, similar to Brzezinski, and is seen as a mentor to Brzezinski. David Rockefeller's memoirs mention his role in creating these global elite organizations, reflecting his belief in constructive engagement learned as an intelligence officer.
As a key operator during the Cold War, Kissinger served throughout the Nixon and Carter administrations and continued as a consultant, described as a deep state operator, until his death. He is classified as a capable architect of today's Globalist order. Kissinger and Brzezinski reportedly played their roles effectively.
Key policy areas and events associated with Kissinger according to the sources include:
- Détente with the Soviet Union:
Kissinger was a pioneer of détente. He helped Washington and Moscow negotiate the first Arms Control treaties in 1972, such as the Strategic Arms Limitation Talks (SALT), which included treaties on anti-ballistic missile systems and strategic offensive weapons. Nixon and Leonid Brezhnev signed these agreements.
- Opening Relations with China:
Kissinger orchestrated the opening of relations with China at the behest of David Rockefeller. This is described as perhaps his most enduring legacy. He conducted a secret meeting in Beijing in 1971 with Chinese Communist party officials. This move, which shocked much of the world, positioned the US closer to both the Soviet Union and China than they were to each other, providing more options in crises. Richard Nixon visited Beijing in February 1972. David Rockefeller's memoirs reportedly have a chapter on his travel to China to prepare the way before Nixon's visit.
- Vietnam War and Cambodia Bombing:
Kissinger was deeply involved in the Vietnam War policy. He was reportedly involved in secret and illegal bombings of Cambodia and Laos. He asked the Pentagon for bombing strategies in Indochina, deciding on Cambodia due to the Ho Chi Minh trail. This campaign, Operation Menu, was conducted in secrecy as bombing a neutral country would face opposition. Kissinger reportedly approved each of the 3,875 Cambodian bombing raids in 1969 and 1970 and methods to keep them from the news. Between 1969 and 1973, 500,000 tons of bombs were dropped on Cambodia, killing a minimum of 100,000 civilians. This is what some countries reportedly consider grounds for calling him a war criminal.
- Paris Peace Accords and Nobel Peace Prize:
Kissinger negotiated the Paris Peace Accords, signed in January 1973, which secured a nationwide ceasefire in Vietnam, the withdrawal of US troops, and dismantling of US bases. He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for this. However, Le Duc Tho, the North Vietnamese negotiator, refused the prize. Two members of the Nobel committee resigned in protest. It was later reportedly revealed that Kissinger had earlier derailed peace talks in 1968 to benefit his political appointment, leading to thousands more deaths before the accords were signed.
- Yom Kippur War and Middle East Diplomacy:
Following the Yom Kippur War in October 1973, Kissinger stepped in and became the leading negotiator between Israel, Egypt, and other actors, changing the Middle East dynamic and making the US the most powerful actor in the region. His approach became known as Shuttle Diplomacy, involving travel between combatants to broker deals. He successfully negotiated borders and buffer zones between Egypt and Israel but reportedly neglected other parts of the Middle East, such as Palestine.
- Support for Military Governments:
Kissinger is associated with supporting dictatorial regimes and backing military governments to prevent perceived Communist threats in places like Greece, Argentina, and Chile. Regarding Chile, sources state that Kissinger was aware the CIA helped General Augusto Pinochet launch the 1973 coup against the democratic socialist government of Salvador Allendeand cancelled US warnings to Pinochet against killing political opponents. This support for Pinochet's dictatorship and its use as a "laboratory for Neoliberalism" is seen as a template for the current neoliberal age enforced by American power.
- Covert Operations and P2 Lodge:
Some sources suggest Kissinger was involved in high-level black ops. Kissinger was reportedly running the Italian government through being the point man for the CIA and the Pentagon to Licio Gelli, head of the P2 Masonic Lodge. Kissinger authorised Licio Gelli in 1969 to recruit Italian NATO officers to join the P2 Lodge.
Gelli was described as Washington's man in Italy. The P2 Lodge is a Masonic mafia or a Fascist-minded lodge that the CIA found useful to oppose a potential Soviet invasion. P2's manipulation of Italian politics to keep communists out is noted. An investigation into Gelli's villa in 1981 discovered files revealing the P2's existence and membership, which included many high-ranking Italians and is described as a shadow government the US was controlling.
- National Security Memorandum 200 (NSM 200) and Global 2000 Report:
Sources indicate Kissinger was the point man for implementing Eugenics plans at the government policy level. National Security Memorandum 200 (NSM 200) in 1974 was a confidential memo by Kissinger to discuss adopting a global De-Population status based on limited resources and the idea that third-world population growth would consume global food supplies and resources.
This led to the Global 2000 Report to the President under the Carter Administration, issued first in 1980. NSM 200 was reworked as NSDM 314 under Gerald Ford in 1975 and was classified for over a decade. It reportedly recommended the US use population control methods in underdeveloped nations.
This policy is linked to narratives about resource scarcity, Climate Change, Desertification, and other fear tactics. Kissinger is also described as an architect of policies promoting Open Borders, though in a late interview, he lamented the policy of allowing many people of different cultures and religions into Europe, stating it created pressure groups.
- 1970s Oil Crisis:
Kissinger was involved in arranging the 1970s Oil Crisis as a Globalisation effort to make America rely on Arab oil supply instead of tapping domestic reserves. This policy might also contribute to the "myth of peak oil" and "austerity scams".
- World Economic Forum (WEF): The WEF and Davos are described as products of Henry Kissinger, the Harvard research project, and the CIA. Klaus Schwab was recruited by Kissinger at the International seminar at Harvard.
Kissinger's approach to foreign policy is often described as realpolitik, focusing on power centers and manipulating them to serve US interests.
This approach involves leveraging resources through allies and limiting the power of adversaries through containment or negotiation. Military force is used but primarily to further access to resources and build relationships, not for its own sake.
He paid little attention to countries deemed less powerful or unable to project power. He is described as the "ultimate kiss-up," adept at flattering leaders, particularly Brezhnev and Mao, to build personal relationships. He built these relationships through ego and performance, being effective at getting things done. He was skilful at making decisions for more powerful people, presenting options in a way that subtly guided them to his preferred outcome. However, he is also described as backstabbing and self-serving, prioritising usefulness over loyalty in his relationships.
Kissinger's legacy is a polarising subject. While widely considered an effective Secretary of State and a pragmatic practitioner of realpolitik, he has also been accused of war crimes and policies leading to civilian deaths and support for dictatorial regimes.
Judges in Chile, Argentina, and France reportedly summoned Kissinger for questioning, leading him to leave Paris on one occasion. He reportedly never expressed self-criticism and reacted angrily to criticism.
Kissinger is described as having an unhealthy obsession with power, possibly stemming from the trauma of his family losing everything fleeing the Nazis. Some sources suggest his focus on realpolitik became self-defeating, leading him to use power to undermine the things he initially cared about. He reportedly stated he could not share his guiding ideals, possibly recognising that his use of power departed significantly from them.
After leaving government, Kissinger started a consulting firm, Kissinger Associates. He offered numerous books on diplomacy and international relations. He continued to be an informal adviser to world leaders, including US presidents like Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump. At age 100, he was still traveling and meeting with foreign officials. Some contemporaries of Kissinger in the global elite power structure, such as David Rockefeller and Zbigniew Brzezinski, have also passed away in recent years. His continued influence and the reception of his legacy by American elites are points of discussion.