After a long and productive life, Henry Kissinger recently died at the age of 100. While he may have done good things in the diplomatic arena, I can’t forget his role in the perpetuation of the Vietnam War. As secretary of state to Richard Nixon leading up to Nixon’s reelection in 1972, Kissinger had a “secret plan” to get the U.S. out of an already unpopular war.
Nixon defeated George McGovern in 1972 and the war continued and escalated. Thousands of American servicemen lost their lives in the meantime in a meaningless war, including several people I know from my generation. Nixon was impeached and resigned in 1973, and the U.S. faced a complete military defeat in 1975. Henry Kissinger just took his “secret” to the grave.
— Jim Nordlund
Anchorage
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