America has lost one of the most dependable and distinctive voices on foreign affairs with the passing of Henry Kissinger. I have long admired the man who fled the Nazis as a young boy from a Jewish family, then fought them in the United States Army. When he later became Secretary of State, his appointment as a former refugee said as much about his greatness as it did America’s greatness. He worked in the Administrations of two Presidents and counseled many more. I am grateful for that service and advice, but I am most grateful for his friendship. Laura and I will miss his wisdom, his charm, and his humor. And we will always be thankful for the contributions of Henry Kissinger.
Tricia Nixon Cox and Julie Nixon Eisenhower
On behalf of our family, and of all those who worked with our father and Dr. Henry A. Kissinger in a partnership that produced a generation of peace for our nation, we express our deepest condolences on the passing of one of America’s most skilled diplomats.
Henry Kissinger will be long remembered for his many achievements in advancing the cause of peace. But it was his character that we will never forget. As a youth, he escaped the horrors of the Third Reich. Then, as a newly naturalized American citizen and a member of the United States Army’s 84th Infantry, he returned to Germany to help achieve the defeat of the Nazi regime.
In the Nixon Administration, Dr. Kissinger conducted the lengthy and often frustrating negotiations in Paris to win peace with honor in Vietnam. He stood by our father’s military decisions to end the war. And he never wavered from our father’s commitment to liberate every American Prisoner of War from the cruel captivity in which they were held by the North Vietnamese.
Dr. Kissinger played an important role in the historic opening to the People’s Republic of China and in advancing détente with the Soviet Union, bold initiatives which initiated the beginning of the end of the Cold War. His “shuttle diplomacy” to the Middle East helped to advance the relaxation of tensions in that troubled region of the world.
“I owe everything to Richard Nixon,” Henry told us on more than one occasion. Together, Richard Nixon and Henry Kissinger advanced the great cause of peace and freedom, and today, he joins our parents in eternal rest.
His uncommon story was so unique — and so thoroughly American. Our thoughts and prayers are with Nancy, David, Elizabeth, and the entire Kissinger family.
I’ll never forget the first time I met Dr. Kissinger. I was a young Senator, and he was Secretary of State – giving a briefing on the state of the world. Throughout our careers, we often disagreed. And often strongly. But from that first briefing – his fierce intellect and profound strategic focus was evident. Long after retiring from government, he continued to offer his views and ideas to the most important policy discussion across multiple generations. Jill and I send our condolences to his wife Nancy, his children Elizabeth and David, his grandchildren, and all those who loved him.
US Secretary of State Antony J Blinken
Henry Kissinger once wrote that, “however different the great statesmen of history, they had a common sense of the past and a vision for the future.” Henry was not only a student of history and strategy. Over the course of an extraordinary 100 years, he made both.
His family fled to the United States from Nazi Germany in 1938, when he was 15 years old. Finding refuge in America, he later wrote, “I personally experienced what our nation meant to the rest of the world, especially to the persecuted and disadvantaged.”
He loved the nation that had taken in his family and, for the rest of his life, felt a duty and a desire to serve America, its people, its idea.
Drafted into the U.S. Army at age 19, he joined the Allied forces that liberated Europe in World War Two, earning a Bronze Star for uncovering a Nazi sleeper cell.
The timeless challenge facing all diplomats, Kissinger observed, is having to make pivotal decisions when time is short, information is incomplete, and consequences are unknowable. Unlike the historian, the academic, or the analyst, Henry wrote, “The statesman is permitted only one guess; his mistakes are irretrievable.”
As Secretary of State and as National Security Advisor, Henry made countless history-bending decisions. To serve as America’s chief diplomat today is to move through a world that bears Henry’s lasting imprint – from the relationships he forged, to the tools he pioneered, to the architecture he built.
Henry wrote that, “For any student, change is the law of life.” A lifelong student, Henry anticipated and understood the forces changing our world, and helped us grapple with their implications. Even in his tenth decade, he was as determined to look to the future as he was to the past.
It was Henry’s enduring capacity to bring his strategic acumen and intellect to bear on the emerging challenges of each passing decade that led Presidents, Secretaries of State, National Security Advisors, and other leaders from both parties to seek his counsel. Including me – whether I was traveling to China more than 50 years after his transformative trip, or seeking his counsel as we shaped our approach to artificial intelligence, on which he was thinking, writing, and advising prolifically, up to the final weeks of his life.
Few people were better students of history – and even fewer people did more to shape history – than Henry Kissinger.
Ambassador Robert C. O’Brien, Chairman of The Board of Directors of the Richard Nixon Foundation
Our nation and the world have lost a legendary diplomat with the passing of former Secretary of State Dr. Henry Kissinger.
Our sincerest condolences go out to Henry’s wife of nearly 50 years, Nancy, and to his family.
Henry’s role on the international scene was unparalleled and full of historic accomplishments, including the key roles he played in President Nixon’s historic opening with the People’s Republic of China and defending Israel during the Yom Kippur War in 1973.
Henry and I spoke in person and by phone regularly when I was privileged to serve as one of his 21 successors as National Security Adviser. I deeply valued his thoughtful counsel, support and friendship.
Henry’s guidance to me continued well into his tenth decade, especially as we have both sought to preserve the legacy of President Nixon as Directors of the Richard Nixon Foundation. I can think of no more fitting title for Henry than that which the Nixon Foundation awarded him just last year: Architect of Peace.
Jimmy Carter Presidential Library
Our deepest condolences to his wife Nancy and the family of Henry Kissinger. He was Secretary of State and National Security Advisor to Presidents Nixon and Ford.
Former U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice
Henry Kissinger was a towering world figure, a strategic thinker and easily one of the most influential Secretaries of State in American history. He never stopped learning, never stopped thinking and never stopped looking for answers to the world’s hard problems.
I first encountered him as a graduate student and could never have imagined that one day he would become a colleague, a trusted advisor, a confidant, and most of all, a very dear friend.
Henry, your influence shaped the world we live in. Your work here is done. Rest in Peace.
Matthew Kroenig, Vice President and Senior Director of the Atlantic Council
Kissinger’s fame and impact may owe less to the brilliance of any single scholarly insight or foreign policy accomplishment and more to the sheer endurance and density of his contributions. He operated at the highest levels of the US foreign policy establishment for well over half a century from the publication of his first best-selling book in 1957 to his passing this week.
Kissinger’s PhD dissertation analyzed Otto von Bismark and Klemens von Metternich as world-historical statesmen who fundamentally reshaped their eras. Future historians will undoubtedly study how Kissinger reshaped his.
Author and Special U.S. Envoy Martin Indynk
Kissinger was a man of history, but he was also a student of history, and his knowledge of history, his deep understanding, particularly of European 19th-century history, informed his whole approach to the world. He was deeply skeptical of those who would aim to try to achieve a peaceful world. He was much more focused on establishing order because order was more reliable than peace.
U.S. National Security Spokesman John Kirby
“It’s a huge loss,” Kirby said, noting Kissinger’s military service during World War Two and years of public service afterward. “Whether you saw eye to eye with him on every issue, there’s no question that he shaped foreign policy decisions for decades and he certainly had an impact on America’s role in the world.”
U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin
He was the rare scholar turned strategist, and he has been widely hailed as one of our most powerful and influential secretaries of state. … I sought his geopolitical perspective repeatedly over the course of my career and always found our exchanges thought-provoking.
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak
I had the great pleasure of spending time with Dr Kissinger at No10 earlier this year. I learned so much from him, from studying his work as a student to reading his most recent books as Prime Minister.
Henry had a great affinity for and understanding of the UK, with many friends and admirers here. He was a titan of international diplomacy who led a remarkable life.
Right until his 100th year, he was a source of great wisdom on subjects from geopolitics to AI. Our thoughts are with his family.
Former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Tony Blair
There is no one like Henry Kissinger. From the first time I met him as a new Labour Party Opposition Leader in 1994, struggling to form views on foreign policy, to the last occasion when I visited him in New York and, later, when he spoke at my Institute’s annual gathering, I was in awe of him. The range of his knowledge, the insights which would tumble out of him effortlessly, the lucidity, the mastery of the English language which made him a joy to listen to on any subject, and above all the ability to take all the different elements of the most complex diplomatic challenge and weave from them something astonishing in its coherence and completeness, and, most unusual of all, leading to an answer and not just an analysis: no one could do that like Henry. If it is possible for diplomacy, at its highest level, to be a form of art, Henry was an artist.
Of course, like anyone who has confronted the most difficult problems of international politics, he was criticised at times, even denounced. But I believe he was always motivated not from a coarse “realpolitik”; but from a genuine love of the free world and the need to protect it. He was a problem-solver, whether in respect of the Cold War, the Middle East or China and its rise. And not once did he ever stop thinking about the future, reflecting on it and proffering wisdom upon it, most recently on the technology revolution.
I consider it one of the greatest privileges of my political life to have known him. From that first moment of meeting him to the last, he inspired me and taught me and I will forever be grateful to him.
Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu
It is with a heavy heart that I mourn the passing of a great statesman, scholar, and friend, Dr. Henry Kissinger, who left us at the age of 100.
Dr. Kissinger’s departure marks the end of an era, one in which his formidable intellect and diplomatic prowess shaped not only the course of American foreign policy but also had a profound impact on the global stage.
I had the privilege of meeting Dr. Kissinger on numerous occasions, the most recent being just two months ago in New York. Each meeting with him was not just a lesson in diplomacy but also a masterclass in statesmanship. His understanding of the complexities of international relations and his unique insights into the challenges facing our world were unparalleled.
Henry Kissinger was not just a diplomat; he was a thinker who believed in the power of ideas and the importance of intellectual capital in public life. His contributions to the field of international relations and his efforts in navigating some of the most challenging diplomatic terrains are a testament to his extraordinary capabilities.
As we bid farewell to this giant of a man, I extend my deepest condolences to his family, friends, and admirers around the world. His legacy will continue to inspire and guide future generations of leaders and diplomats.
May his memory be a blessing.
President of France Emmanuel Macron
Henry Kissinger was a giant of history. His century of ideas and diplomacy had a long-standing influence on his time and on our world. France addresses its condolences to the American people.
Henry Kissinger was ever present in my late husband’s life. While John was a POW and in the later years as a Senator & statesman. The McCain family will miss his wit, charm, and intelligence terribly.
Nobody in our country exercised more influence over global affairs over a longer period of time than Henry Kissinger, and his death is a loss for our country and the world – and for all of us who were fortunate enough to call him a dear friend and mentor. Henry was incredibly kind and unfailingly devoted to his friends – a side of him that the public rarely saw – and endlessly generous with the wisdom gained over the course of an extraordinary life that included escaping Nazi Germany for New York, serving in World War II, and rising to become one of the most consequential public figures in American history, more so than many presidents. His legacy will shape the world for decades and even centuries to come. I’ll miss him dearly, and my heart goes out to Nancy and her family.
China’s President Xi Jinping sent President Joe Biden a message of condolence
Dr. Kissinger will always be remembered and missed by the Chinese people.
Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin
Kissinger is an “old friend and good friend of the Chinese people, and a pioneer and builder of China-U.S. relations.”
Chancellor Olaf Scholz
His commitment to the transatlantic friendship between the USA and Germany was significant, and he always remained close to his German homeland.
President Frank-Walter Steinmeier
In a message of condolences to Kissinger’s family, President Frank-Walter Steinmeier wrote that “with his détente and disarmament policy, Henry Kissinger laid the foundation for the end of the Cold War and the democratic transition in eastern Europe” which led to Germany’s reunification.
Henry Kissinger was a truly legendary figure in diplomatic history, his vast knowledge and counsel was subsequently sought by his successors in both parties. May he rest in peace.
President of the Republic of Albania Bajram Begaj
Today, the world lost a remarkable individual, the architect of modern diplomacy, always in pursuit of peace and diplomatic solutions. Rest in Peace, Henry Kissinger.
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida
The former secretary of state made great contributions to regional peace and stability, including the normalisation of diplomatic relations between the U.S. and China.
I, myself, have had the privilege of meeting him on many occasions since I was a young man, and I have gained a great deal of knowledge from him.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen
Henry Kissinger’s strategy and excellence in diplomacy has shaped global politics throughout the 20th century. His influence and legacy will continue to reverberate well into the 21st century.
John Kerry, U.S. Climate Envoy and Former Secretary of State
On August 20, 1938, when Henry Kissinger was just 15 years old, he and his family fled Nazi Germany and the only life he had ever known. A few weeks later, they arrived in New York City and so began a story only possible in the United States of America. He served in WWII and the Battle of the Bulge, was awarded a Bronze Star, and rose from academia to the highest levels of policy making in Washington to serve as National Security Advisor, and as Secretary of State.
When I returned from the war in Vietnam, Secretary Kissinger and I were a world apart. Later, when I became a Senator and Secretary of State, as life came full circle, he generously shared his strong opinions and perspective. Despite our differences, we worked to find common ground. I’m grateful for the conversations we had. Teresa and I share our deepest sympathies with his family.
Henry Kissinger was a titan among America’s most consequential statesmen. His ideas, his diplomatic skill, and his sheer force of will in service to our country changed the course of history. My thoughts and prayers are with the Kissinger family.
Speaker of the House Mike Johnson
Henry Kissinger’s contributions to U.S. foreign policy and global diplomacy are immeasurable.
A refugee of Nazi Germany, WWII veteran, and Nobel recipient—his life was one of a kind. As a confidant to multiple presidents, he was one of the most consequential figures of the 20th century.
Kissinger was a statesman who devoted his life in service to the United States, and should be remembered for his efforts to ensure global peace and freedom abroad. We send our respect and prayers to the Kissinger family as they lay to rest a giant of a man.
A very sad night for American leadership. The loss of Secretary Henry Kissinger leaves a void all around the world. He was a brilliant voice for the indispensable role America must play in the world. He has been a good friend & mentor since baseball opening day 2009. What a gift.
My prayers are with Dr. Henry Kissinger’s family and friends tonight. There are few public servants who had such a consequential impact on American foreign policy. While this is an incredible loss for our nation, his legacy will live on for generations to come.
A great one has passed. Fortunate indeed is America for his lifetime of diplomacy, wisdom, and love of freedom.
It is with great sadness that I learned of the passing of my good friend Henry Kissinger.
What an incredible life – born in Germany and emigrating to the U.S., serving in the U.S. military during WWII, playing a major role on the world stage for decades, and earning respect and admiration from a wide array of people and nations.
Henry was in the arena of world politics for decades and served his nation well. He was a valuable advisor to numerous presidents of both parties and had an amazing intellect.
He will be missed. May he Rest in Peace.
Micheal McFaul, Former US Ambassador to Russia
Rest in peace, Henry. Kissinger and I often disagreed but never disagreeably. From our first seminar together decades ago, through my time in government, until my last Zoom call with him just months ago, he always wanted to engage to learn. I did too. I hope I can keep it up to 100!
Winston Lord, Former US Ambassador to China and Kissinger’s Former Special Assistant at the National Security Council
The world has lost a tireless advocate for peace. America has lost a towering champion for the national interest. I have lost a cherished friend and mentor. Henry blended the European sense of tragedy and the American immigrant’s sense of hope.
David Cameron, British Foreign Secretary
Most saddened to hear that Henry Kissinger has passed away.
Only a few months ago, we discussed issues as wide ranging as the war in Ukraine, the threat Iran presents and the fresh challenges posed by Russia and China.
Even at 100, his wisdom and thoughtfulness shone through.
He was a great statesman and a deeply respected diplomat who will be greatly missed on the world stage.
European Council President Charles Michel
I had the privilege to meet with Henry several times. A kind human and a brilliant mind who, over one hundred years, shaped the destinies of some of the most important events of the century. A strategist with attention to the smallest detail.
Henry Kissinger made significant contributions to American security and global leadership while in office and continuing all of his life. I was fortunate to work with him, travel with him, learn from him and enjoy his friendship.
He had a brilliant grasp of history and was a global strategist without peer. He was a superb writer and speaker, whose ego was well balanced with a great sense of humor.
He was quick to understand that when threats change, we need to think anew. During our work together alongside George Shultz and Bill Perry in support of the vision and steps toward a world without nuclear weapons, I saw his often unrecognized, but always present, deep commitment to build a more just and peaceful world.