He turned 100: Former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger died

Kissinger, who was born in Fürth, Franconia, died on Wednesday at his home in the US state of Connecticut, his consulting firm Kissinger Associates announced.

The Secretary of State under US Presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford had an enormous influence on international politics after the Second World War, but was also highly controversial.

As national security advisor and foreign minister in the 1970s, he pushed for an easing of relations with the Soviet Union. He played a key role in the SALT I arms control treaty in 1972. He also initiated a cautious rapprochement with communist-ruled China.

In 1973, Kissinger was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize together with the North Vietnamese chief negotiator Le Duc Tho for a ceasefire agreement in the Vietnam War. But the war continued despite the agreement, and Tho even refused the price.

For critics, Kissinger became the epitome of the unscrupulous power politician who enforced US interests with a hard hand. He was sharply criticized for the USA’s shared responsibility for the Pinochet coup in Chile in 1973. Kissinger also approved of Indonesia’s bloody invasion of East Timor in 1975.

“One of the most reliable and distinctive voices”

Kissinger was born on May 27, 1927 in Fürth as Heinz Alfred Kissinger into a Jewish family of teachers. In 1938 the family fled the Nazi regime to the USA, where Kissinger was later naturalized. He taught international relations at Harvard University and was appointed National Security Advisor by President Nixon in 1969. In 1973 he was added to the post of US Secretary of State, which he held until 1977.

After his reign, the diplomatic legend with the gnarled bass voice remained an influential advisor and wrote numerous books. It wasn’t until July that Kissinger traveled to China and met President Xi Jinping there.

Now Kissinger died at the age of 100. “With the passing of Henry Kissinger, America has lost one of its most reliable and distinctive voices in foreign policy,” said former US President George W. Bush.

Kissinger will now be buried at a private ceremony with his family, his consulting company announced. A memorial service will take place in New York at a later date.

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