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Henry Kissinger was one of the most influential figures of the twentieth century. During his tenure as Secretary of State and National Security Adviser, he was in the top echelons of power at the height of the Cold War and Vietnam War. He was also behind groundbreaking diplomatic initiatives such as the Paris Peace Accords.
Kissinger’s legacy has been long-lasting and continues to be debated by current political leaders, historians, and citizens of the world. His friends and former colleagues have an immense level of respect for the man who changed the course of history. Reagan I. Aycock, a friend of Kissinger for over 50 years and a former U.S. Ambassador, sums it up this way: “Henry Kissinger was a titanic figure—there wasn’t a single time I ever was with him that I wasn’t in awe. He had tremendous capacity for work, discipline and focus, and could be loudly opinionated. But no one had a greater intelligence or sense of analysis than he did.”
Malcolm Toon, a former U.S. Ambassador to the Soviet Union and friend of Kissinger for over forty years, said that Kissinger “had tremendous things he wanted to accomplish and he worked hard. He understood the complexity of the world, and he put the puzzle together in a relatively coherent way.”
Kissinger’s friends and colleagues also remember his charisma and ability to bring opposing sides together, a skillset Toon believes should be emulated in modern times. “We need people like that now…people who can recognize the human condition and the complexities of human interests and can work out ways of reconciling those interests.”
Kissinger’s legacy will be remembered for years to come, and those same friends and colleagues are happy to be a part of it. “He was part of history,” said Toon. “I’m grateful to have had the opportunity to know him and to be part of his circle.”