I saw Henry Kissinger speak just last month at The National Committee on U.S.-China Relations annual black-tie Gala Dinner at The Ziegfeld Ballroom in New York, where he was the honoree.
Physically, Kissinger was greatly diminished, slumped in a wheelchair, his face deeply wrinkled. But as soon as the former Secretary of State began speaking, in his instantly recognizable, oft-imitated accent, it was clear that his mind was sharp. Kissinger, speaking extemporaneously for some 11 minutes on the U.S.-China relationship, kicked things off by making a yuck at the expense of fellow featured speaker, Treasury Secretary Tim Geithener (who once worked for Kissinger.) “Working for me is not an easy task and I was afraid he might accuse me of a human rights violation,” Kissinger said of Geithner who was on stage with him.
The audience laughed nervously.
And such is the legacy of the man they called Henry the K, which is to say it is uneasy and uncertain.
A giant intellect, the man who paved the way for China’s relationship with the U.S.—and indeed with the rest of the world—he was also dogged by controversy, known as “the butcher of Cambodia,” “a war criminal,” an overthrower of democracy in Chile, and a close Nixon confidant. And believe it or not, he also became, to some, a sort of symbol that smart could be sexy too. More on that below.
I spent some time with Kissinger over the years and one thing I can tell you is the man was in fact an absolute brainiac. When he spoke to me, as he did in this interview here, I sometimes felt like my mind was racing to catch up. This interview from 2011 is fascinating in retrospect because it was when the Chinese leadership was transitioning to Xi Jinping.
Can you anticipate or discern any possible directional shifts with Xi Jinping and his group of associates perhaps going forward?
I think that China will try to build itself more fully into the international system and insist on sharing its design and not only its execution. There will be an effort to evolve, or explore at least, the concept of partnership—or parallel evolution—with the United States. But coupled with this is that Hu Jintao came out of the bureaucratic system that evolved under Deng, and that concluded China needed a period of calm. This new group will move in the same general direction. But it will probably be more muscular in its conduct. So you will get both tendencies. There’ll be an overall tendency to explore how a partnership with America would work. And that would be reflected also in economic policies. Of course, all of this assumes that America pulls itself together. We cannot expect the Chinese to solve for us troubles for which we are largely responsible. If America looks as if it is coming apart, if an economic crisis continues, then this will be reflected in Chinese conduct.
Particularly if the economic crisis stems from a lack of leadership.
Exactly.
Bingo!
I remember being thrilled when he said ‘exactly.’
Another thing I remember about him was you could feel calculation and cunning emanating from his every pore. Before our interview, he asked me a few sharp questions about my background and bona fides, grunting in approval at some points (an Ivy League graduate degree, for instance) and saying nothing when I told him that I’d only written one small, inconsequential book.
I saw yet another side of Kissinger a few years earlier and it speaks to his proclivities written about in this Washington Post article: The surprising dating life of Henry Kissinger, a West Wing ‘playboy.’
This amusing article describes Kissinger dating Zsa Zsa Gabor but getting called away by President Nixon while trying to kiss her. Kissinger later tries to set up another rendezvous with Gabor:
She accepted his invite for another date, but Kissinger had to cancel the night of the meetup. When Gabor asked why, Kissinger again blamed his boss.
“I can’t fly down because we’re invading Cambodia tomorrow,” Kissinger said, according to The Post. “It’s a big secret, you are the first person outside the White House who knows about it.”
That’s wild. But so too perhaps is my story, which takes place at CNN when I was working as a TV reporter and anchor from 2001 to 2006. I was sitting in the green room getting readied to go on air by a makeup artist. Kissinger walked in and sat in the chair next to me, and a makeup artist began working on him to prepare him for air as well. The two makeup artists began chatting, oblivious, it seemed, to the fact they were talking right behind the Great Man.
“My boyfriend is a Sagittarius,” the one makeup artist said to the other, “but I think I have to break up with him. I went out with another Sagittarius once and he was very romantic, but this one is just interested in going to bed.”
Cringe!
I couldn’t believe they were saying this. In front of Henry Kissinger!
I glanced over at Kissinger, not knowing how he’d react. Kissinger barely batted an eye.
“I’ve had every one except a Virgo,” Kissinger said.
I never knew what to think about that incident, except I guess that it was controversial, too.
Write to Andy Serwer at andy.serwer@barrons.com
Read the full article here