Kissinger: 1923-1968: The Idealist

This is the first volume of a two-volume biography of Henry Kissinger by Niall Ferguson, based on unprecedented access to Kissinger's private papers and documents from more than a hundred archives worldwide. The biography won the Council on Foreign Relations Arthur Ross Book Award. While Kissinger has been both revered and reviled in American politics, Ferguson argues that the common perception of him as a ruthless arch-realist is based on a misunderstanding. This first volume covers Kissinger's early life through his appointment as Richard Nixon's national security adviser. Kissinger's path included working as a teenager in a New York factory while studying at night, serving in the U.S. infantry during World War II including action at the Battle of the Bulge and witnessing the liberation of a concentration camp, and later interrogating Nazis. At Harvard, he developed his vocation after studying Kant and Metternich, gaining attention for arguments about limited nuclear war. He worked for Nelson Rockefeller and was recruited by President Kennedy. A trip to Vietnam proved pivotal in his career trajectory. Ferguson presents Kissinger as one of America's most important strategic thinkers and traces how his rise ultimately led him to serve a politician he had previously opposed.