First published 1984
Henry Kissinger wielded extraordinary power over American foreign policy during Richard Nixon's presidency. Seymour Hersh investigates how Kissinger operated within the Nixon administration, tracing his methods and decision-making processes across major international crises and diplomatic initiatives. The book reveals the mechanisms through which Kissinger influenced crucial policy directions, from Vietnam negotiations to détente with the Soviet Union and opening relations with China. Hersh examines the relationship between Nixon and his National Security Advisor, later Secretary of State, showing how bureaucratic maneuvering and personal ambition shaped global events. Through detailed reporting, the author exposes the gap between public rhetoric and private calculations in American diplomacy. This investigation offers readers an inside view of how foreign policy actually gets made at the highest levels of government, revealing the human dynamics behind historical decisions that affected millions of lives worldwide.
Genres: biography, history, 20th-century, political-science, non-fiction, american-history
Vibes: intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: insider-perspective, investigative-journalism
Period: 20th-century
700 pages · Paperback · Summit Books