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// Background // Henry Kissinger was a refuge German Jew who fled to the United States during World War II. He gained unprecedented popularity when he rose to power to become the Secretary of State during the Nixon and Ford administration. Kissinger received an Ivy League Education when he graduated from Harvard University, where he eventually became a professor. He published several books and ultimately worked his way up the political totem pole. During the Eisenhower administration, Kissinger was acknowledged as an analyst of nuclear weapons and international relations. He then served as foreign policy advisor for the Kennedy and Johnson administration, developing the “flexible response” strategy. Kissinger’s success came when he served as National Security Advisor and Secretary of State under Nixon. Kissinger continued his role as Secretary of State during the Ford administration. Kissinger was an “unlikely choice” for Nixon’s National Security Advisor. Nixon and Kissinger collaborated to reshape foreign policy. Kissinger was recognized as revolutionizing postwar foreign policy in the United States. With his pragmatic approach, Kissinger established the détente policy to ease tension between the United States and Russia. Recognizing that the United States must reject the ideological competition, Kissinger sought to establish a balance of power with the détente policy. The celebrity status came with the meetings with Chinese Premier, Chou En-lai. With this he led more than one fifth of the world out of the dangerous isolated Communism. Even with the Kissinger’s great success, the improvements in foreign policy were outshined during Watergate. Nixon will always be associated with Watergate, but the revolutionizing foreign policy during this administration was a great achievement. Kissinger was awarded the Noble Peace Prize in 1973 for his secret negotiations with Le Duc Thou to end the Vietnam War. Kissinger left office with the Ford administration in 1977, but worked in President Bush Sr. with foreign affairs. He appears as a commentator on international affairs.