Mr. Kissinger died at his home in Connecticut.
Former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, a key figure in shaping U.S. foreign policy during the late 20th century, has died at the age of 100.
Mr. Kissinger died at his home in Connecticut on Nov. 29, according to Kissinger Associates, Inc.
A German-born American diplomat, he served as secretary of state for two presidents. While serving under Republican President Richard Nixon in the 1970s, Mr. Kissinger played a key role in many significant global events.
Mr. Kissinger, who met with Chinese Communist Party (CCP) leader Xi Jinping during a surprise visit to Beijing on July 20, was instrumental in engineering the opening of relations between the CCP and Washington under President Nixon during the Cold War in the early 1970s.
His efforts also led to U.S.–Soviet arms control talks, expanded ties between Israel and its Arab neighbors, and the 1973 Paris Peace Accords, leading to the end of the Vietnam War and ultimately the communist takeover two years later.
President Nixon brought Mr. Kissinger to the White House as national security adviser after winning the 1968 presidential election on the promise of ending the Vietnam War. That process was long and bloody.
Although many praised Mr. Kissinger, others labeled him a war criminal because of his realpolitik support for authoritarian regimes, particularly in Latin America. Debate remains around the extent of direct U.S. support for the 1973 Chilean coup that ousted socialist President Salvador Allende and led to the establishment of the military dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet. A 1975 Senate committee investigation confirmed U.S. covert involvement in Chile during the 1960s and 1970s but found limited evidence linking the U.S. government to support of Pinochet’s coup.
Mr. Kissinger’s prominence as the prime architect of U.S. foreign policy diminished with President Nixon’s resignation in 1974. Despite this, he remained a diplomatic force under President Gerald Ford and continued to express strong opinions until his recent passing.
Mr. Kissinger remained active well beyond his centenary in May, participating in White House meetings, publishing a book on leadership styles, testifying before a Senate committee on the nuclear threat from North Korea, and visiting CCP leaders in Beijing in July.
By Caden Pearson
