Former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, the diplomat with the thick glasses and gravelly voice who dominated foreign policy as the United States extricated itself from Vietnam and broke down barriers with China, died Wednesday, his consulting firm said. He was 100.
With his gruff yet commanding presence and behind-the-scenes manipulation of power, Kissinger exerted uncommon influence on global affairs under Presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford, earning both vilification and the Nobel Peace Prize. Decades later, his name still provoked impassioned debate over foreign policy landmarks long past.
For eight restless years - first as national security adviser, later as secretary of state, and for a time in the middle holding both titles - Kissinger ranged across the breadth of major foreign policy issues. He conducted the first 'shuttle diplomacy' in the quest for Middle East peace. He used secret channels to pursue
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