A richly detailed collection of transcripts of Henry Kissinger's secretly recorded phone conversations from his time in the Nixon administration that touch on every important issue of Kissinger's day and provide a sweeping view of his era. Henry Kissinger is unquestionably one of the most consequential foreign policy makers in American history. A remarkably influential academic during his long tenure at Harvard, Kissinger became Richard Nixon's National Security Advisor in 1969 and Secretary of State in 1973. Like Nixon, Kissinger left a trail of secretly recorded evidence in his wake. Kissinger began taping in 1969, two years before Nixon did in 1971, and he continued taping for over three years after Nixon's recording system was dismantled in 1973. In The Kissinger Tapes, Tom Wells draws on his expertise in the Nixon era to provide carefully selected, edited, and annotated transcripts of Kissinger's phone conversations, which chronologically highlight the most momentous crises and controversies of the era. They not only provide context and many revelations on Kissinger's role in numerous events but also throw his personality, character, and checkered record into sharp relief. The conversations cover a wide range of issues, including the Vietnam War, the India-Pakistan conflict, the opening to China, the Middle East, the Greek coup in Cyprus, the Nixon administration's illegal wiretapping, and the Watergate scandal. The transcripts reveal Kissinger's opinions and attitudes on important policy matters and his complex relationship with President Nixon, as well as the many battles he fought with other administration officials and his subtle manipulations of well-known journalists. A richly detailed collection of Kissinger's transcripts and commentary, this book provides a novel window into the Nixon administration and offers a genuinely unique perspective on one of the most important figures in modern American history.
Cast of Characters Introduction: Kissinger's Personal Trove Chapter One: The Secret Cambodia Bombing and Vietnam Peace Talks January-March 1969 Chapter Two: North Korea's Shootdown of a U.S. Spy Plane, Leaks, and Vietnam Withdrawals April-June 1969 Chapter Three: Secret Vietnam Peace Talks, the Green Beret Murder Scandal, a B-52 Stand-Down, and Golda Meir's First Visit July-September 1969 Chapter Four: The Moratorium and Mobilization Protests, Nixon's November 1 Ultimatum to Hanoi, the My Lai Massacre, and Warsaw Talks with China October-December 1969 Chapter Five: French Plane Sales to Libya, B-52s over Laos, Japanese Textile Negotiations, Hitting SAM Sites in North Vietnam, Danielle Hunebelle, and Thai Troops in Laos January-March 1970 Chapter Six: Arms to General Lon Nol, Beecher Leaks, the Invasion of Cambodia and the Hunt for Supplies and COSVN, an Explosion of Protest, and the Heaviest Bombing of North Vietnam Since 1968 April-May 1970 Chapter Seven: Brian McDonnell, Cambodia and the Press, U.S. Air Strikes and South Vietnamese in Cambodia, Frictions with State, and a Tenuous Middle East Cease-Fire and Clashes over Credit June-August 1970 Chapter Eight: 60 Minutes Debut, Subverting Allende in Chile, Jordan on the Brink and Intervention Planning with Israel, and a Trumped-Up Soviet Facility in Cuba September-October 1970 Chapter Nine: The Son Tay Prison Raid and Heavy Bombing of North Vietnam, Charles de Gaulle's Funeral, South Vietnamese Operations and U.S. Bombing in Cambodia, and Laos Planning November-December 1970 Chapter Ten: Laird's Vietnam Machinations; More Strains with State; Planning a Meeting with the Kidnapping Plotters; the Ill-Fated U.S.-Supported South Vietnamese Invasion of Laos, the News Blackout and PR; and Slowing and Toning Down State on the Middle East January-February 1971 Chapter Eleven: The Laos Invasion-Tchepone, the Hasty South Vietnamese Retreat, Rout Stories and Bad Press, the PR Offensive, Upbeat Military Reports, and Whistling in the Dark; Kissinger's Meeting with the Kidnapping Plotters, Cover Stories, and Lies; and Another Round of Bombing of North Vietnam and ""Protective Reaction"" Claims March 1971 Chapter Twelve: My Lai; More Troop Withdrawals; U.S. ""Moral Bankruptcy"" in Pakistan; the Opening and Invitation to China, the Soviet Game, and Picking an Envoy; Creighton Abrams's Indiscretion on Laos; Allen Ginsberg's Overture; and an Ambiguous SALT Announcement Negotiated in the Back Channel April-May 1971 Chapter Thirteen: Secret Senate Sessions on Laos; Retreat at Snuol; Pinning Laos on Kennedy; the Pentagon Papers-""This Is Treason,"" Kissinger's Distancing (""I Didn't Know the Thing Existed""), and Appealing to Lyndon Johnson; Kissinger's Secret Trip to China; Announcing Nixon's Visit to China and the New Public Mood; More Secret Vietnam Talks and the Impasse over Thieu; the Upcoming Rigged South Vietnamese Election; and Bypassing State on Berlin June-August 1971 Chapter Fourteen: Defense Leaks on U.S. Withdrawal from Vietnam and More Unguarded Remarks from Abrams, Another Round of Heavy Bombing in Southern North Vietnam (Nixon--""I Am Not So Goddamned Concerned about the Civilian Population""), Egyptian-Israeli Clashes and Retaliations, Upheaval in China and the China Summit, Kissinger's Second Trip to China, Reining in State on the Middle East, and SALT September-October 1971 Chapter Fifteen: The Pakistan-India Conflict--the United Nations, a ""Soviet-Indian Naked Power Play,"" Border Clashes and Escalation, Cutting Off Aid to India, Disputes with State, Pakistan's Surprise Attack, Blaming India, Illegal Arms Shipments, Preventing ""a Dismemberment of West Pakistan,"" Coordinating with China, Pakistan's Surrender and Gandhi's Cease-fire; a Cuban Attack on a Suspect Freighter; and Massive Bombing of North Vietnam November-December 1971 Chapter Sixteen: Relations with India and Bangladesh, the Radford Leaks and JCS Spying Operation, in Nixon's Doghouse and under Attack in the Press, Bemoaning Rogers and Talk of Resigning, Haldeman's Incendiary Today Show Charge, Preparing for the Enemy Offensive and Intensified Bombing in the South, and the China Summit and Shanghai Communique January-February 1972 Chapter Seventeen: The Enemy Offensive in South Vietnam--U.S. Bombing and Shelling of the North, Weather Delays, Bombing in the South, Discord with Abrams and Laird, Expanding the Bombing Northward, Rolling Out the B-52s, and the Heavy Weekend Bombing of Haiphong and Hanoi; Kissinger's Secret Trip to Moscow; and Nixon's Threats to Cancel the Summit and Blockade the North March-April 1972 Chapter Eighteen: A Futile Meeting in Paris; Prodding the South Vietnamese; Soviet Summit in the Balance; Mining North Vietnam's Ports, Bombing Its Rail Lines, Resuming Heavy Bombing in the Hanoi-Haiphong Area, and Internal Dissent; a Supreme Commander in Vietnam?; the Battle and B-52s in South Vietnam; the SALT Agreements; and Danielle Hunebelle's Dear Henry May-June 1972 Chapter Nineteen: The Disturbed Bobby Fischer; the Cockamamie Jimmy Hoffa Pardon and POW Scheme; George McGovern, Pro-Nixon Democrats, and the Thomas Eagleton Debacle; Bombing Dikes; the Nixon Campaign and Fundraising; Swifty Lazar's Pursuit of Kissinger's Memoirs; and the Jackson Amendment on SALT July-August 1972 Chapter Twenty: Maligning and Attacking George McGovern; Nixon's Backing of the Jackson SALT Amendment; Connally and Resignation Rumors; Kissinger: The Adventures of Super-Kraut; the October Peace Agreement--Leaning on Thieu, His Rejection and ""Suicide,"" Hanoi's Demand That It Be Upheld and Signed, ""Peace Is At Hand,"" and Fear of a Blow-Up September-October 1972 Chapter Twenty-One: McGovern--""He's an Awful Man,"" Pressuring and Appeasing Thieu and Reneging on a Peace Agreement That Was ""Good Enough,"" Moving without and Threatening Thieu, the Connally Problem--""He's a Total Lightweight,"" Nixon's Distancing, Visit of a Thieu Emissary, Breakdown in Paris, and the Christmas Bombing November-December 1972 Chapter Twenty-Two: PR on the Christmas Bombing; Agreement in Paris; Facing Down and ""Turning the Screw"" on Thieu, Threatening a Separate Peace and an Aid Cutoff, and Contingency Planning for a ""Tragedy""; Initialing and Signing the Agreement; ""Peace with Honor""; Memoirs and Interviews January 1973 Chapter Twenty-Three: Israel's Shootdown of a Civilian Libyan Airliner; Flacking Kissinger's Hanoi and China Visits; POW Releases, Peace Agreement Violations, and the Paris Conference; Diplomatic Killings in Sudan; Cambodia and Laos Bombing; and Aid to Pakistan February-March 1973 Chapter Twenty-Four: ""Trouble-Making"" Cables; Stepped-up Bombing in Cambodia and Two Days of Air Raids in Laos; Watergate Explodes, Getting ""Blood Flowing"" and ""Total Disassociation,"" Plotting with Garment and Shultz, and Pleading Ignorance of Watergate; the Wiretapping Breaks and Kissinger's Evasions and Lies; and Kalb Book Intrigues April-May 1973 Chapter Twenty-Five: Watergate, the Wiretaps, and the Plumbers; the Brezhnev Summit; Another Grain Deal; the Looming Cambodia Bombing Cutoff; Morton Halperin's Wiretapping Lawsuit; Memoirs; Nixon's Pneumonia; Dan Rather's Report on Kissinger's Move to State; the Butterfield Taping Revelation; and the Uncovering of the Secret Cambodia Bombing June-July 1973 Chapter Twenty-Six: The Safire Wiretap and Safire's Angry Crusade; Nixon's Watergate Speech and Statement; Senate Hearings and Pentagon Releases on the Secret Cambodia Bombing; Legal Pleadings on the Halperin Wiretap; Nixon's Press Conference on Kissinger's Nomination as Secretary of State; Kissinger's Confirmation Hearings and the Wiretap Problem; Kissinger as Wiretap Victim?; the Coup Against Allende; and the Joe Kraft Wiretap August-September 1973 Chapter Twenty-Seven: The Yom Kippur War--Egypt's and Syria's Surprise Attacks, Restraining Israel and Egypt, the Soviets and the UN, Regaining the Prewar Lines, Warplanes, Tanks, and Ammo to Israel, Israel's Counterattacks, the Cease-Fire and Its Collapse, Israel's Strangulation of Egypt's Third Army, and Brezhnev's Threat of Unilateral Action; the Watergate Tapes; and Elliot Richardson's Resignation October 1973 Chapter Twenty-Eight: Golda Meir's Visit, Middle East Negotiations, the Arab Oil Embargo, and Wiretapping of Kissinger Revisited November-December 1973 Chapter Twenty-Nine: Kissinger's Shuttle Diplomacy and Israeli-Egyptian Disengagement, More Resignation Threats, the JCS Spying Operation Breaks, and the Oil Embargo in Limbo January-February 1974 Chapter Thirty: The Lifting of the Oil Embargo, Israeli-Syrian Disengagement, Tensions with Schlesinger, Israeli Raids in Lebanon, and More Wiretap Questioning March-June 1974 Chapter Thirty-One: The Greek Coup in Cyprus-the Ousting of Makarios, Consulting and Excluding the Soviets, the Unsavory Nikos Sampson, Collaboration and Conflict with Britain, Sisco's Missions, and Keeping U.S. Options Open; the Turkish Invasion of Cyprus-the Clerides Solution, Preventing War with Greece, Frustrations with Sisco and Underlings at State, Schlesinger's Arms Cutoff and Dissociation from Greece, and Threatening a Turkey Arms Cutoff; and More Wiretap Testimony July 1974 Chapter Thirty-Two: Nixon's Resignation and Kissinger's Role, and Memoirs August 1974 Abbreviations Notes References Index
Tom Wells is the author of three previous books: The War Within: America's Battle over Vietnam, Wild Man: The Life and Times of Daniel Ellsberg, and (with Richard A. Leo) The Wrong Guys: Murder, False Confessions, and the Norfolk Four. He has also contributed articles to books on the Vietnam War and the 1960s. He has received fellowships and grants from the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation, the National Endowment for the Humanities, the National Science Foundation, the Open Society Institute, the Institute for the Study of World Politics, the Institute on Global Conflict and Cooperation, the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation, the Lyndon Baines Johnson Foundation, the Harry Ransom Center at the University of Texas, Columbia University, and the University of California, Berkeley.
Reviews for The Kissinger Tapes: Inside His Secretly Recorded Phone Conversations
From the fog of history Tom Wells offers a gift that keeps giving by masterfully assembling a trove of Kissinger's previously secret conversations across virtually every area of his engagement during the Nixon presidency. The book adds much to understanding the personalities, politics, and policies of the era plus illuminates the nuances of Kissinger's pettiness, deceit, and self-adulation. Wells has given us a real historical gem. * Larry Berman, Professor Emeritus, University of California, Davis, and author of No Peace, No Honor: Nixon, Kissinger and Betrayal in Vietnam * The Kissinger Tapes is an essential document for anyone wishing to understand how power works in the world. Wells ably guides the reader through the air-conditioned jungle of the Nixon White House. * Tim Weiner, author of The Mission: The CIA in the 21st Century and One Man Against the World: The Tragedy of Richard Nixon * Under one cover, Tom Wells has assembled perhaps the most unique, candid, and revealing collection of formerly secret conversations ever to be declassified. The Kissinger Tapes provides an incomparable compilation of Henry Kissinger in his own words—and a verdict of history on his controversial foreign policies. * Peter Kornbluh, Senior Analyst, The National Security Archive * Tom Wells' The Kissinger Tapes is a fascinating look at the political class's self-surveillance, and of the consuming distrust and paranoia that comes from waging illegal wars and coups across multiple continents. Now, if we only had a recording of Kissinger's psyche... * Greg Grandin, C.Vann Woodward Professor of History, Yale University, and the author of Pulitzer winning The End of the Myth: From the Frontier to the Border Wall in the Mind of America * Wells provides unparalleled insight into the premier American diplomat of the twentieth century... * Foreign Affairs * Since Kissinger did not intend his transcripts to be public, the collection is a window both into him as a person and into the operations of the U.S. national security state... For Kissinger, lies weren't a strategic tool limited to selective uses in international statecraft. They appear to have been part of his personal makeup...Throughout the transcripts, he deceives his foreign counterparts, his colleagues, and the media...He lied to obtain strategic advantage; he lied to shift blame; he lied to protect his reputation and status...Reading these conversations, one can't help but wonder whether a country that abandons its morals for potential security will preserve neither its morals nor its security, while strengthening the greatest threat to both: the state's unchecked power. * Reason Magazine *
