Kissinger: Volume I

1923-1968: The Idealist

By: Niall Ferguson

Narrated by: Malcolm Hillgartner

Length: 34 hrs and 11 mins

Publisher's summary

The definitive biography of Henry Kissinger, based on unprecedented access to his private papers, by an acclaimed historian at the height of his powers.

No American statesman has been as revered and as reviled as Henry Kissinger. Once hailed as "Super-K" - the "indispensable man" whose advice has been sought by every president from Kennedy to Obama - he has also been hounded by conspiracy theorists, scouring his every "telcon" for evidence of Machiavellian malfeasance. Yet as Niall Ferguson shows in this magisterial biography, the idea of Kissinger as the ruthless arch-realist is based on a profound misunderstanding. Drawing not only on Kissinger's hitherto closed private papers but also on documents from more than a hundred archives around the world, Ferguson argues that the true foundation of Kissinger's thought is philosophical idealism - combined with history itself.

The first half of Kissinger's life is usually skimmed over as a quintessential tale of American ascent: the Jewish refugee from Hitler's Germany who made it to the White House. But in this first of two volumes, Ferguson shows that what Kissinger achieved before his appointment as Richard Nixon's national security adviser was astonishing in its own right. Toiling as a teenager in a New York factory, he studied indefatigably at night. He was drafted into the US infantry and saw action at the Battle of the Bulge - as well as the liberation of a concentration camp - but ended his army career interrogating Nazis. It was at Harvard that Kissinger found his vocation. Having immersed himself in the philosophy of Kant and the diplomacy of Metternich, he shot to celebrity by arguing for "limited nuclear war". Nelson Rockefeller hired him. Kennedy called him to Camelot. Yet Kissinger's rise was anything but irresistible. Dogged by press gaffes and disappointed by "Rocky", Kissinger seemed stuck - until a trip to Vietnam changed everything.

©2015 Niall Ferguson (P)2015 Brilliance Audio, all rights reserved.

Riveting

This volume looks at Kissinger’s life from birth to age 45, about to begin his first stint of full time government service. This is supposed to be the “official biography” but it looks to me like it is also an effort to revise the revisionist. I believe this will be a controversial biography, some people will claim it is a hagiography others will claim it is not. In my opinion it sits on the borderline but Ferguson is quite critical of Kissinger’s theory of limited nuclear war. Therefore one cannot say Ferguson whitewashed Kissinger and makes Fergusons praise all the more creditable. Ferguson is a British historian from Scotland. He is a senior research fellow at University of Oxford; he also holds fellowships at Harvard and Stanford Universities.

Ferguson had access to every part of Kissinger’s vast archive at the Library of Congress, which is enormous; he also combed through 111 archives all around the world. . Ferguson also had access to Kissinger’s personal papers, diaries and letters. Ferguson spent many hours interviewing Kissinger and many of his peers and family. The author said it took him ten years to do the archive research and interviews. The book is well written and easy to read for a non historian.

Ferguson covers the Kissinger family’s experiences under the Nazi before they immigrated in 1938. He also covers their experiences as Jewish immigrates in New York. The author covers Kissinger’s life in the United States Army during World War II. He tells about Kissinger witnessing the liberation of a Nazi concentration camp. Kissinger saw action at the battle of the bulge and the liberation of a Belgian town. Ferguson tells of his service after V. E. Day as a Nazi hunter with the Counter –Intelligence Corps. The author tells how Kissinger earned the Bronze Star. Fergusson covers his education on the G.I. Bill to Harvard and becoming an associate professor. The author goes into depth about the papers and books Kissinger wrote while at Harvard.

I was interested in the letter Kissinger wrote to his parents explaining why he would no longer adhere to their strict orthodox Jewish faith. I also was interested in the essay Kissinger had written, “The Eternal Jew” when his was age 22 and an Army Sergeant after witnessing the liberation of a Nazis concentration camp. It shows a different view of Kissinger from the political one I have heard so much about.

Malcohm Hillgartner did an excellent job narrating the book. I am looking forward to volume Two. The book is very long at about 1000 pages and 35 hours long.

Paradigm Shift Alert!

Not long ago, I read "On China" by Henry Kissinger. I was stunned. As an amateur student of Chinese history, and avid traveler, especially and frequently to Taiwan (and in a couple of weeks, to mainland China for an extended stay), Dr Kissinger's perspective and exposition on China's worldview were, well, simply stunning. So I immediately bought the new Niall Ferguson biography because: (1) I love Mr Ferguson's work having read and thoroughly enjoyed his work before, and (2) I was VERY intrigued, to say the least, about Dr Kissinger's worldview having seen it first hand in "On China." I was NOT disappointed. Mr Ferguson's writing style and scholarship were a perfect fit for Dr Kissinger's style and scholarship. This book is a real keeper - one I will re-read regularly to recalibrate my understanding of geopolitics. I cannot believe I did not discover Dr Kissinger's work before!! Beware, despite Mr Ferguson's clear prose, Dr Kissinger's work is not for those who don't take time to stop and ponder what they've read. But, for me, it has been worth every moment of reflection, and every revisit so far. Highly recommended. BTW: The narrator's performance was First Class. Clear; consistent; entertaining; and professional.

Excellent narrator, great food for thought

I knew I was taking a gamble when I decided to dive into this 34 hour behemoth... but I'm glad to say that Malcolm Hillgartner's excellent narration helped make this a smooth and enjoyable process. Overall, I really enjoyed this book. Niall Ferguson probably has written the best biography on Kissinger out there, showing the episodes of his life that turned him into the man he become.

Highlights for me included:
-Ferguson's take down of the flawed popular conception of Kissinger
-Kissinger as a teenager channeling his future diplomat self as he tries to pry his high school crush from her suitors
-The poem Kissinger writes after liberating a concentration camp
-Watching Kissinger change his view of the world as he learns new lessons from life
-Kissinger's fascinating take on the strategy behind nuclear and limited war
-Ferguson painting an image of how brutal of a year 1968 was for the USA
-All the parts of Kissinger from when he goes to Vietnam and transforms himself into a subject matter expert in East Asian affairs, while previously a Europe specialist
-Ferguson's conclusion was very well done

This is a long listen, but you will learn a lot of history, learn a LOT about Kissinger, and will get some great political philosophy lessons as well. I thought the Harvard year part and Kissinger's childhood was not too exciting, but Ferguson tries to make it interesting. The final chapters of the book wound up being my favorite. Overall, I am very glad I embarked on this book and I encourage others to do the same! I eagerly await part 2.

An extraordinary tour de force

A long and rich discussion of the period between the 1920s through the late 1960s. It is so much more than a biography of one of the world's most famous statesman (whether you like him or not he among the most famous statesman of the 20th century). The author delves into history of politics as well as the biography of the man. He clearly admires Dr Kissinger which is a far cry from many of the other less flattering books on the subject.
The performance is masterful.
I look forward to volume 2.

Magisterial biography, well performed

Niall Ferguson has taken on the life and times of Henry Kissinger with verve and originality. I very much appreciated how fully the author engaged Kissinger's ideas and written works as well as his actions. His thesis that Kissinger was an idealist in a distinctive Kantian sense is intriguing. We'll see as volume 2 appears. Great listen!

KISSINGER

It is a tribute to Kissinger's intelligence to have chosen Ferguson as his biographer. "Kissinger: Volume I" is as objective as seems possible for the biography of an important man of history. It is written by an historian of erudition and intellect. One’s view of Kissinger will be changed by this detailed biography. Many who lived through the 60s and America's war in Vietnam think of Kissinger as a primary influence in Nixon’s withdrawal from war and America’s belated welcome of communist China.

Ferguson explains Kissinger is an idealist. Like the envisioned purpose of American government, Kissinger focuses on balance of power when informing leaders of what policies America should adopt in regard to adversarial countries. Kissinger promotes the idea of limited nuclear war as a tool for balance of power. This is an argument inferred by Putin in Ukraine's invasion. To some Americans, and to Ferguson, that seems a slippery slope.

Ferguson’s book is an excellent biography of an American WWII veteran, a hero, an intellectual giant, and a flawed human being. Ferguson shows Henry Kissinger certainly is the first three, but also a flawed human being-just like the rest of us.

A wonderful biography

A wonderful stimulating insightful biography of a great man. Well read well written not always agreeable. Learned a great deal about the the decision making process in government a great deal about Kissinger and even more about us as a people. The author is opinionated and I didn't always agree especially on the analysis of Bismarck , Lyndon Johnson's character or Nixon . This is a great biography great enough I'll read and listen to again and treasure as a reference book.
I love it when I learn something new.

Riveting, enlightening; brilliant performance

I got this because Kissinger had served in the Army with my uncle and I wondered if there might be some mention ( there wasn't). But the book was so rewarding in many other ways. For one thing, his observations about the 1964 Republican Convention are so pertinent to the era of Trump that I wondered why he isn't all over the news now. The book shed tremendous light on the great events of my formative years. There are some long passages of strategic theory that are difficult to follow on audio, but the book is so well written, researched and performed that those don't slow it down. This is filled with original research that debunks some common interpretations of Kissinger. The writing brings out personalities, settings and eras. And the performance is amazing. Beyond reading in engaging way, the narrator captures just enough of the accent and cadence of famous figures -- including Kissinger and JFK-- that the exact quotes feel as if they are talking. Highly recommended to anyone who loves history or is interested in how the White House works.

A truly great biography

Not only do you get to learn about Kissinger and his life, but you get a genuinely in-depth analysis of the time that he lived in. Even better, you get to learn the philosophy and historiography that Kissinger lived through and wrote about.

Many will disagree with his premise that Kissinger is an idealist, but I think they'll agree his opinions don't feel like simple conjecture.

It was great to listen to.

For the history buff

This book gave me a stronger understanding of my parents generation. Now the name's I heard on the evening news during my childhood makes sense. The book was great at providing insider opinions about the Presidents and their cabinet members.