White House Years

I purchased and read this book when it was first published. Having a deep interest in the Nixon administration, I wanted to get Kissinger's viewpoint, along with others. But I disliked and distrusted him then, and I feel the same way today. The only reason I rated the book at all is surprising and simple: Kissinger is a terrific writer, with a mastery of the language I can only envy. I've noticed this with several authors for whom English was a second (or third or fourth) language, such as Nabokov and Rushdie, and it only reaffirms my belief that, when all's said and done, English is the greatest language of them all.

Interesting but heavy reading. Overall history is good but not always very readable.

1738 White House Years, by Henry Kissinger (read 29 Aug 1982) (National Book Award history prize for 1980) This 1476-page book covers the period from 1968 to 1973, which is the period that Kissinger served as Nixon's special advisor on foreign policy. I found myself agreeing with a lot of what Henry had to say: which I suppose simply shows I did not know or have forgotten a lot of things I should have known during those years. I found myself reverting to my old view on Vietnam--the view I had before 1968, when I supported the war. I should next read Kissinger's Years of Upheaval, but 3000 pages of Henry is a little much, so I may put that off for awhile. But this has been a very worthwhile book.

Kissinger was/is an important figure in American political history. This book begins with Nixon's selecting him as head of National Security Council and ends with 1972 agreement with North Vietnam. Dean, Coulson are not even in the index. Kissinger avoids Watergate altogether. He dedicates the book to his political mentor Nelson Rockefeller and makes it clear at the beginning that he had until his selection by Nixon opposed the incoming president's election in favor of Rockefeller. His description of how Nixon used him to avoid giving Rodgers full authority as Secretary of State is interesting, and Kissinger's view of Nixon is extremely useful to anyone's attempt to understand this difficult man. A long book, but interesting. Of course show more the China breakthrough is the most important part of the book with Vietnam running a close second.

I suggest anyone interested in this book should read the extended review of the Librarything reviewer that preceeds my comment, direction from the blog address. show less

1400+ pages of dissembling, self-justification, and gossip from the amoral courtier of the Nixon Administration.

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