Henry Alfred Kissinger

Kissinger, Henry Alfred (1923– ), German-born U.S. adviser on foreign affairs. Professor at Harvard when his book Nuclear Weapons and Foreign Policy (1957) brought him international recognition, Kissinger served as special assistant for national security affairs (1969–75) and secretary of state (1973–77) under presidents Nixon and Ford. He was instrumental in initiating the Strategic Arms Limitation (SALT) Talks on disarmament (1969), in ending U.S. involvement in Vietnam, and in opening U.S. policies toward China.