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A Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, an American Machiavelli, a diplomatic superstar – how Henry Kissinger built his legacy

Henry Kissinger spent just eight years in office, as US National Security Advisor, Secretary of State, and briefly both at once. Yet somehow he became the most garlanded – and most notorious – diplomat of the twentieth century, dominating the public stage long after leaving government. How did this happen? For nearly half a century, Kissinger relentlessly burnished his reputation, determined to secure his place in the pantheon of great statesmen.

Barbara J. Keys unveils Kissinger as a master of reputation management: lavishing access and charm on sympathetic journalists, publishers, and broadcasters, while deploying legal threats and backroom pressure against critics. He hosted biographers in his sprawling estate in Connecticut, leveraged his secretive consulting business into continuing influence, and carefully cultivated allies across the American establishment. Along the way, he seduced the institutions meant to hold power to account – and succeeded in building a legacy no one can ignore.

Publisher Review

‘Despite Kissinger’s very problematic record, his character is often regarded as unblemished and his style of diplomacy, for all its threats about the use of force, remains influential. This book exposes the man behind the mask and recounts the manipulation behind the scenes to burnish his reputation.’ Geoffrey Robertson KC, author of The Trial of Vladimir Putin ‘In all of US history, no one worked harder to shape and safeguard his reputation than Henry Kissinger. In this fair-minded and deeply researched study, Barbara J. Keys documents his extraordinary efforts to marginalise critics and rewrite history in his favour, aided by an array of prominent media figures, former government officials, and wealthy patrons. It is both a revealing portrait of a man obsessed with how he would be remembered and an indictment of a corrupt and incestuous elite.’ Stephen M. Walt, author of The Hell of Good Intentions ‘Super K is downright hilarious. Who would have thought a biography of Henry Kissinger could be so laugh-out-loud revealing about the great pontificator? But Barbara J. Keys has written an incisive and entertaining intellectual history of Kissinger’s quest to shape his reputation.’ Kai Bird, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J.
Robert Oppenheimer