Henry Kissinger

Warfare

History Hit

History

4.5 • 943 Ratings

🗓️ 29 May 2023

⏱️ 37 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

A prominent American Diplomat, and influential American statesmen, Henry Kissinger is a name known around the world. Serving as National Security Advisor and later as Secretary of State under Presidents Nixon and Ford, he prioritised national interests over ideological concerns. Known for his involvement in significant diplomatic initiatives, including the opening of relations with China and the negotiation of the Paris Peace Accords, his influence was global. However, his actions and policies have also been subject to criticism, particularly regarding human rights abuses and covert operations during his tenure. So who was Henry Kissinger, and does he deserve the reputation he has?

In this episode James welcomes Professor Thomas Schwartz from Vanderbilt University, to delve into the life and career of Henry Kissinger. Looking at his early childhood in Nazi Germany, his early political career and education, along with his involvement in the several global conflicts and peace agreements - is it possible to define who Henry Kissinger was, and what can we learn about his legacy?

You can buy Thomas' book here.

Senior Producer was Elena Guthrie. The Assistant Producer was Annie Coloe. Edited by Annie Coloe.

If you'd like to learn even more, we have hundreds of history documentaries, ad free podcasts and audiobooks at History Hit - subscribe today! To download, go to Android or Apple store.

Transcript

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0:00.0	Henry Kissinger, just the mere mention of the name can make eyes roll and spark debate.
0:08.6	On the one hand, he's won the Nobel Peace Prize, he's been Time Man of the Year and he helped floor US-China relations,
0:15.8	opening China to the world. Yet on the other hand, he's seen by some as a war criminal,
0:21.1	a ruthless political operator and as someone who has supported human rights violations
0:26.2	time and time again all around the world.
0:29.8	So who is the real Henry Kissinger? This is the warfare podcast. I'm your host
0:34.3	James Patton Rogers and as Kissinger turns 100 years old, yes he is still alive,
0:40.7	I've invited the historian and world leading Kissinger expert Thomas Swartz onto the
0:45.9	podcast. Thomas is a professor at Vanderbilt University in the US and the author of Henry
0:50.9	Kissinger and American Power, a political biography, and it's from his
0:55.2	first-hand research that we get unparalleled insight into Kissinger, a man who has shaped
1:01.1	a century. Hi Tom, welcome to warfare.
1:07.0	How are you doing?
1:10.0	Are you all set for the summer?
1:12.0	As much as you can be in Nashville, basically that means sort of getting into air conditioning since it's so darn hot here.
1:19.0	But that's another story.
1:21.0	Where in the world are you based?
1:22.0	I'm in Nashville, Tennessee. Vanderbilt
1:24.4	University is the premier university in Tennessee and are in the state
1:29.5	capital here in Nashville. Oh wonderful I. I love Nashville Music City, the home of the Johnny Cash Museum in memory of one of America's most
1:37.8	iconic figures.
1:39.2	But I guess Tom, I guess we're not here to talk about Johnny Cash, the man in black today, but we not here to talk about Johnny Cash the man in black today
	...

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