With his JFK biography, "An Unfinished Life," Dallek cemented a reputation as one of the great historians of our time. Now he offers a portrait of a pair of leaders whose partnership dominated the world stage, changing the course of history.
Decades after working side-by-side in the White House, Richard Nixon & Henry Kissinger remain two of the most compelling, contradictory & powerful men in America in the 20th century. While their personalities could hardly have been more different, they were magnetically drawn together. Both were ambitious, self-made men, driven by their own inner demons, often ruthless in pursuit of their goals. At the height of power, their rivalry & collaboration led to policies defining the Nixon presidency.
Utilizing recently declassified archives, Dallek uncovers details about Nixon & Kissinger's personal relationship & how they struggled to outdo each other in foreign affairs. He also analyzes their dealings with power brokers at home & abroad--including Vietnam, the opening to China, detente with the USSR, the Yom Kippur War, Allende's overthrow & growing tensions between India & Pakistan--while recognizing how both men plotted to distract the public from scandal. He details Nixon's erratic behavior during Watergate & how Kissinger helped use nat'l security to prevent impeachment.