The Trial of Henry Kissinger

Rating:
Summary: Library of Congress Protects Another Criminal
Review: Although Hitchens wrote this book in order to expose the criminality of Henry Kissinger, it is of utmost importance to Library of Congress employees (as well as other librarians) to see how the institution was misused and [bad]. Really, just how can a government employee hide government papers as his own personal papers?

A bit out of date, Hitchens details on page 76 how this was done: "On leaving the State Department, Kissinger made an extraordinary bargain whereby (having first hastily trucked them for safekeeping on the Rockefeller estate at Pocantico Hills, New York) he gifted his papers to the Library of Congress, on the sole condition that they remained under seal until after his demise. However, Kissinger's friend Manuel Contreras made a mistake when he killed a United States citizen, Ronni Karpen Moffitt, in the Washington car bomb which also murdered Orlando Letelier in 1976. by late 2000, the FBI had finally sought and received subpoena power to review the Library of Congress papers, a subpoena with which Kissinger dealt only through his attorneys." I am also assuming one of Kissinger's attorneys could be listed as the General Counsel of the Library, Elizabeth Pugh.

Left out is the story of the man who took the papers under a [tricked] Deed of Gift, signed on Christmas Eve no less, between then Librarian of Congress Daniel Boorstin and Kissinger. Boorstin, a highly duplicitous man in his own right, is a former communist who named names at the McCarthy hearings. The current Librarian of Congress, right-winger James Billington, is the man who fought the FBI subpoena. Maybe that is because he later named an endowed Library of Congress chair after Kissinger?

I particularly liked Hitchens summary of just who Kissinger is on page 16: "The signature qualities were there from the [Nixon] inaugural moment: the sycophancy and the duplicity, the power worship and the absence of scruple; the empty trading of old non-friends for new non-friends. And the distinctive effects were also present: the uncounted and expendable corpses; the official and unofficial lying about the cost; the heavy and pompous pseudo-indignation when unwelcome questions were asked...It debauched the American republic and American democracy, and it levied a hideous toll of casualties on weaker and more vulnerable societies." This description goes for a lot of people in power in Washington.

One bit of work that needs to be done is to be found on page 110 and concerns the attempted assassination attempt Kissinger helped plan against Greek journalist Elias Demtracopoulos. The journalist had been very critical of the junta of generals who had taken over Greece, engaging in suppression of democracy as well as murder (and tied to Nixon and Kissinger). The index for Kissinger's papers at the Library of Congress gives this tanalizing hint about Kissinger's role: "keywords acknowledging sens moss burdick gravel re mr demetracopoulos death in athens prison due 701218." It would be nice for the Library of Congress to release those papers, would it not?

My only complaint about this book is the fact that the Library of Congress figures prominently in hiding the criminal behavior of Kissinger, yet "Library of Congress" is not to be found in the index at the back of the book.

Rating:
Summary: Trial of Henry Kissinger
Review: Christopher Hitchens in this well document book, gives an indictment sheet for crimes against humanity committed by Henry Kissinger; the charge sheet is as follows:

1. The deliberate mass killing of civilian population in Indo China.
2. Deliberate collusion in mass murder.
3. Arming and encouraging the government of Pakistan for the murder of over a million civilians.
4. The personal suborning and planning of murder, of a senior constitutional officer in a democratic nation Chile with which the United States was not at war.
5. Personal involvement in a plan to murder the head of a state in the democratic republic of Cyprus.
6. Personal involvement in a plan to kidnap and murder a journalist living in Washington D.C.

It is for these reasons and others, according to Hitchens, that Kissinger has gone to great lengths to cover his tracks, by censoring documents or bequeathing them to the Library of Congress under the condition that they remain sealed until his death. In my opinion the Trial of Henry Kissinger in a court of law may create a precedent for other leaders as Saddam Hussein, Atul Vajpaiee, Ariel Sharon to stand trial for their acts against humanity.

Rating:
Summary: Pressing the Case
Review: Henry Kissinger left Paris early on a recent trip. Some contended that the early departure stemmed from the Belgian government's eagerness to confront Kissinger for alleged "crimes" in the overthrow of the Chilean government of President Allende culminating with the legally elected leader's assassination. European interest has dramatically intensified in recent months regarding an expressed need for Kissinger to be compelled to explain his actions regarding Chile and other controversial matters. The controversial former U.S. secretary of state seeks to quell such inquiries through a nervous silence, hoping such concerns will dissipate through the passage of time.

Into the scene comes Christopher Hitchens, who makes a case in this book for Kissinger standing trial for past foreign policy conduct. He makes the case for Kissinger's involvement in the overthrow and assassination of Allende in Chile, but does not stop there. Hitchens also presents his reasons why Kissinger should be held accountable for a coup and an assassination in Bangladesh, and for the deaths of East Timoreans seeking freedom and incurring widespread loss of life at the hands of Indonesian President Suharto's forces. Hitchens also implicates Kissinger in the 1974 Cyprus tragedy and also hones in on actions in which he was involved as Nixon's special national security operative and secretary of state during the Vietnam War. He cites Telford Taylor, an American prosecutor at the Nuremberg Trials, as stating that U.S. policy was subject to prosecution by invoking the prevailing Nuremberg criteria, relating to ferocious bombing assaults which Taylor and Hitchens believe violated the Geneva Codes.

Hitchens presents his case with compelling vigor, asserting that, in a world where the United States is seeking vigorous prosecution in the World Court against Slobodan Milosevic and his cohorts for criminal conduct in the former Yugoslavia, a Henry Kissinger should also be held accountable for his activities.

William Hare

Rating:
Summary: Will shock you or confirm your most depressing suspicions
Review: I defy anyone objective not to be convinced by this book. Only someone with an irrational emotional attachment to Kissinger, or the phsychotic conviction that the "national interest" of America is more important than millions of lives, could dismiss it. The newspaper correspondence at the end of the book (in the version I read anyway) shows how weak the refutations are.

As for why Hitchens has singled out Kissinger- I imagine he did it because Kissinger enjoys so much respect in America, and it is important to make America wake up because of its massive power. Anyway, the existence of worse criminals hardly excuses Kissinger's crimes. You might as well say someone who writes a book criticising Mussolini is pursuing a vendetta just because Hitler killed more people.

Rating:
Summary: All Roads Lead to Henry
Review: I find that few authors are as fun to read as this one when it comes to non-fiction. Regardless if you agree or disagree with Hitchens, he always provides an interesting book that is sure to stir up your emotions. He is also one of the few authors that can pack a sentence full of so much information you almost feel each is a full paragraph. With all this said I was a little taken about by the authors overwhelming hatred for the subject of the book. I mean most authors when writing something like this do have an agenda, but few put it so front and center. I felt Hitchens lost some objectivity with his mantra of all things bad must have originated with old Henry.

As far as the proof of this laundry list of nastiness, well a 135 page book does look a little thin at first glance. After reading the book, even with Hitches very economic use of words, I was still left with a lot of questions. This coupled with the overriding dislike of the subject by the author tended to make me think that maybe Henry was getting the raw end of the stick. My political leanings point me in the general direction to believe anything and everything bad about the Nixon administration, but with the book as it was, I somehow started to think of excuses for Nixon and his henchmen, sorry I mean administration staff. So maybe I was not read for this book, maybe I need to put it back on the shelf and let time age my sense of fair play. I will let you decide the outcome of the book for yourself. It was entertaining.

Rating:
Summary: Enough for an arraignment...
Review: In an ideal democratic society, no one is above the law. Crimes against humanity are a pretty serious business, and the international community are now beginning to take it very seriously, as they should, because without justice, no one is safe. It takes courage to go against individuals of power, and Hitchins has put himself squarely in the face of a man with considerable clout, who has a lot to answer for. What is mind boggling is that there should be enough evidence out there, and enough witnesses, particularly in regards to the secret meetings between Nixon and the South Vietnamese, stalling the peace negotiations, and prolonging that terrible war for another four years, costing thousands of American lives, not to mention a plethora of innocent deaths. Added to the illegal bombings of Cambodia and Laos, and the extermination of literally thousands of civilians, instigated without congressional approval, should be enough to at least begin arraignment proceedings, though Kissinger manages to wriggle out of the legal spotlight, because I suspect, opening this particular can of worms would implicate more people, thus bringing shame upon everything good the United States supposedly stands for. If anything, Hitchens book presents a compelling case to begin arraignment proceedings against a man who clearly has many things to hide.

In this little book, Hitchens outlines several areas on the international stage where Henry Kissinger had influence or direct involvement with terrible crimes, including political assassination, massive genocide, illegal regime change, and war crimes that match, in terms of scope, the Nazi atrocities of WW II. In fact, it has reached a point where Kissinger refuses to enter certain countries for fear of being detained and arrested. As Hitchens points out, it takes a person with an excellent memory and intelligence to have gotten away with murder on a grand scale and for such a long time. What is telling, is that Kissinger will not come clean. Documents are currently hiding in the Library of Congress that would blow the lid off his illegal activities. The man is hiding behind what is termed "National Security". In other words, the contents of these documents, if revealed to the public at large, could present a dangerous security problem for the American people. Rubbish. The contents of these documents present a security problem for Henry Kissinger and his present and past cronies.

Where there is crime and the misuse of power, one will always find a money connection. In chapter 10, The Profit Margin, Hitchins touches upon Kissinger's company, Kissinger and Associates, and his corporate clients. It's a 'boy's club' on a world scale. It would be naive to believe that there wouldn't be at least a few financial and political improprieties connecting American corporations with foreign governments - Kissinger has been cashing in for a long time, and it's time someone had the courage to investigate him and bring this man to justice.

Hitchens book is not a thorough or by any means a comprehensive account of Kissinger's alleged crimes against humanity, but it is at least enough to start the wheels of justice turning in the right direction.

Rating:
Summary: Dont be fooled by my rating...
Review: In totality this book is excellent and covers aphoristically within small bounds many grounds with detailed/ specific support and reference to appropriate documents. Nevertheless I have several major criticisms. The volume (thickness) of the book was rather disappointing in that not much content (well none at all actually) was available on Kissinger's earlier existence including none on his alleged double spy/ espionage roll with the USSR (see Capell, A. F. 1974 or 1992 'Henry Kissinger, Soviet agent'). Other exclusions also include BNL (Banca Nazionale del Lavoro who provided Iraq with over $4 billion in unreported loans) scandal as at the time under investigation by Committee On Banking involving Kissinger Associates and more explicitly Mr Kissinger himself on BNL Advisory Board since 1985 and up to his proclaimed February 22, 1991 as he had been marked stating to Financial Times on April 26th with evidence, reports ( even one by 60 minutes at the time ) and findings which proved this claim to be false (surprise surprise). Not to side track however, there other criticism that I have more regarding Mr Hitchens style ( this being the second book of his that I have had the privilege to read). The appendix is rather poor and Bibliography/ Referencing nonexistent! I would like to have direct access to all referenced documentation - where may I find them ? what is the exact source ? This is something most agitating about this book much like Hitchens others. I think if this had even been attempted and the appendix a little more developed then the overall density of the book would have been a little more rewarding for the money that one has paid as well its prestige/ resource value in ones library. Nonetheless its size makes for a great book to be enjoyed by all and consuming not much of your time to complete.

This is a must read book not only by those in the field of Humanitarian Rights but by all those who seek too see the gradual unfolding of the truth and perhaps evidently the justice that may/ should hopefully prevail from it. Furthermore this book does well to reassure that the criminals of today may not easily escape the discrepancies within their own track record and conduct even in light of their title and awards such as those of the Nobel Peace Prize being shamefully given to individuals as such.

Rating:
Summary: The Trial of Henry Kissinger
Review: Is former secretary of state and Nobel Peace Prize winner Kissinger a war criminal? Hitchens, a journalist (the Nation, Vanity Fair) and author (Hostage to History: Cyprus from the Ottomans to Kissinger), believes that Kissinger committed crimes around the world, from Cambodia to Bangladesh to Chile. With the recent detention of Chile's August Pinochet and the international interest in prosecuting Serbia's Slobodan Milosevic, Hitchens theorizes that the era of "sovereign immunity" for state crimes has ended. He would limit Kissinger's prosecution to "offenses that might or should form the basis of a legal prosecution: for war crimes, for crimes against humanity and for offenses against common or customary or international law." Hitchens relies on congressional hearing testimony, transcripts of the infamous Nixon tapes, and the memoirs and papers of Nixon, Ford, and Reagan administration officials to support his case against Kissinger. Although there is limited attribution of the quoted and referenced documentation, the substance of the material makes an intriguing case. Recommended for political science and international relations collections.

Rating:
Summary: Searing Indictment Of Henry Kissinger For War Crimes!
Review: One of the most memorable scenes in the original "Godfather' movie was a sequence in which Michael (played by Al Pacino), now firmly insinuated in the evil machinations of the family business, travels to rural New England to try to attempt to persuade Kate (played by Diane Keaton) to marry him. When she complains about his father's business and the violence associated with it, Michael says that his father is no different than any other powerful men, like a governor or senator. Kate looks at him with surprise and contempt, claiming governors and senators don't have people killed. With those cold dark eyes, Michael says, "Now Kate, who is being naive?"

Such a cynical recognition of the motives and methods of some of our leaders informs this insightful book by journalist Christopher Hitchens, who does the reader a yeoman's service in detailing the evidence mounting against Henry Kissinger for crimes against humanity. Chief and foremost of these many such incidents involves Kissinger's willful disregard for the welfare of American soldiers in harm's way in Vietnam, where his actions and policies served to both derail a possible settlement in the fall of 1968 (thereby condemning an additional 40,000 servicemen to unnecessary death in the fields and jungles of Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos), and also extended a state of war over additional areas such as Cambodia and Laos for strictly political purposes, thus creating the conditions for millions of unnecessary and unfruitful deaths as well as unimaginable destruction for Americans, Cambodians, Laotians, and Vietnamese over the next several years.

Yet Hitchens' indictments of Kissinger's malice and misdeeds do not end here, but extend to many other situations and sets of circumstances, such as the involvement in the overthrow of Chile and the murder of Chile's elected President, Allende, as well as the sponsorship of murder and mayhem on the part of a plethora of indigenous dictators and potentates, ranging from Indonesia's Suharto to the Greek Cypriots, from Bangladesh to Angola. Everywhere Hitchens peered beneath the neatly papered-over official record, Kissinger's bloody fingerprints emerged, staining the truth with his personal brand of Realpolitik, extending his malevolence toward innocent bystanders who got in the way of his global ambitions. And the irony of all this is that despite all the evidence indicating there is more than adequate evidence of Kissinger's culpability and participation in many acts of genocide and murder, Kissinger is still held in such high esteem by so many unsuspecting Americans.

Of course, in point of fact, Kissinger is not alone. Others belong to this select group of indictable Americans culpable for their participation in crimes against humanity, including Robert McNamara, William Westmoreland, and William Rogers, along with many others who operated more anonymously in service to the bloody policies of the Johnson and Nixon administrations. Yet among these people, no one deserves the humiliation and discrediting as much as Kissinger, who should be charged, tried, and ultimately executed for his actions.Hang him high, as a beacon and a memorial for the memory of all the innocent victims he left in his terrifyingly reckless wake. This is a book that will illustrate just how heinous his actions while supposedly serving the country actually were. I highly recommend this book.

Rating:
Summary: SADSACK CASE IN THAT KISS ONLY CAME IN AT END!!
Review: Read Henry Kissinger's Ending the Vietnam War, if you want to know a little more than tripe about what really happened, at least in Cambodia, Vietnam and Laos. Kennedy's predecessors started the war,Kennedy actually expanded the war, Johnson got cold feet and the liberals lost their earlier goals; Nixon invited Kissinger, who had been working with Gov. Nelson Rockefeller, to come and help him extricate us honorably, having only met him once. Extremists like to forget who all was involved!! That Kissinger has never been questioned for what he did except by the conspiratorial theorists should tell you something. Get real and read a little history. Kissinger came in at the point of trying to win the end honorably; but the protestors and liberals pushed so ugly that all those poor cambodians and vietnamese fell to communism. I'm afraid the ruckus pointed out in this book was mostly caused by these protesters, protesting against the democratically chosen majority, and THEY have something to account for, in more than one way!! So sad; but at least the left should get a few basic facts right. Duh. . (For more balanced info on kissingerand the controversial author of this reviewed book, check out Wikipedia, the online free encyclopedia. On the Kissinger page, scroll down to Accusations, click on the author of this very book and see what they have to say about him!)