He produced three volumes of memoirs filling 3,800 pages: The White House Yearsfocusing on Nixon’s first term, 1969-1973; Years of turmoil, which covers the following two years; Finally, Years of renewalWhich covers Ford’s presidency. World orderPublished in 2014, the book was a sort of final counterbalance to geopolitics in the 2010s. In it, he expressed concern about the leadership capacity of the United States.

“After withdrawing from three wars in two generations—each of which began with utopian aspirations and broad popular support, but ended in national trauma—the United States faces difficulties in defining the relationship between its (still formidable) power and its principles,” he wrote.

He continued to influence world affairs and, through his firm, Kissinger Associates, advised companies and executives on international trends and upcoming difficulties. When Disney tried to negotiate with Chinese leaders about building a $5.5 billion theme park in Shanghai, Kissinger took the call.

“Henry is without a doubt one of the most complex figures in modern American history,” said David Rothkopf, former managing director of Kissinger Consulting. “And I think he’s someone who has been justifiably in the spotlight because of his extraordinary brilliance and competence and, at the same time, because of his obvious flaws.”

Trip to the United States

Heinz Alfred Kissinger was born on May 27, 1923 in the Bavarian city of Fürth. A year later, his parents, Louis Kissinger, a high school teacher, and Paula (Stern) Kissinger, the daughter of a wealthy cattle dealer, had another son, Walter.