Part 1 | Kissinger | American Experience

Kissinger is the story of the enigmatic powerbroker who served in the topmost echelons of U.S. diplomacy. Celebrated or reviled, his contradictions reflect those central to late 20th century U.S. foreign policy. With interviews from proteges and colleagues, Kissinger endeavors to understand his relentless drive for power, and how his policies shaped today’s world. FROM AMERICAN EXPERIENCE.

Watch a preview of Part One of Kissinger.

Shortly after escaping Nazi Germany and emigrating to the United States, Henry Kissinger was drafted to serve in the U.S. Army, landing back on European soil five months after D-Day.

Intent on disrupting North Vietnamese supply lines, Henry Kissinger and Richard Nixon authorized the secret bombing and invasion of neighboring Cambodia in 1969. The campaign set off a series of events that destabilized the nation—and paved the way for the Khmer Rouge's rise to power.

Hear what it was like working for Henry Kissinger from former staffers Winston Lord, Roger Morris, Sam Hoskinson, John Negroponte, and Anthony Lake.