Nixon and Kissinger: Partners in Power
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Product Description
Product Description
In this epic and revelatory joint biography, one of America’s most distinguished historians probes the lives and times of two unlikely leaders whose partnership dominated the world stage and changed the course of history. Tapping into a wealth of recently declassified documents and tapes, Robert Dallek uncovers fascinating details about Nixon and Kissinger’s tumultuous personal relationship and the extent to which they struggled to outdo each other in the reach for foreign policy achievements. He also brilliantly analyzes their dealings with power brokers at home and abroad, while recognizing how both men were continually plotting to distract the American public’s attention from the growing scandal of Watergate. Authoritative, illuminating and deeply engrossing, Nixon and Kissinger provides a startling new portrait and a new understanding of the immense power and sway these two men held in affecting world history.
About the Author
Robert Dallek is the author of John F. Kennedy: An Unfinished Life, 1917-1963 and he won the Bancroft Prize for his classic two-volume biography of Lyndon Johnson, Lone Star Rising and Flawed Giant. He is an elected fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and of the Society of American Historians, for which he served as president in 2004-2005. He lives in Washington, D.C.
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
I was really looking forward to reading this as I particularly liked `Flawed Giant' about the Johnson administration - having finished and enjoyed it, I'm also slightly disappointed. Most of the foreign policy issues faced by Nixon and Kissinger are covered in detail, but there is practically no coverage of domestic political issues. Nixon himself had no interest in `building outhouses in Peoria' but this does not necessarily mean that it should have been omitted from `Partners in Power'. For example, toward the end of the book we are told `...Schlesinger, who replaced Laird as Secretary of Defence,......" without even an explanation of why Laird was replaced.
Other gripes include the remarkably scant coverage of the role of Spiro Agnew, who is mentioned briefly on only four or five occasions, and the inadequate coverage of the effects of Nixon's bombing of Cambodia and the means by which N&K illegally sought to cover it up. I also felt that more direct quotes, which are readily available, would have brought more life to the content.
However, Dallek does provide in-depth coverage of Vietnam, Yom Kippur War, OPEC crises and détente with the PRC and USSR, and the writing style easily maintains interest. The best aspect of the book (and to be fair the main objective) is the portrayal of the relationship between the president and his national security advisor. Startling similarities become apparent, and the author provides a particularly interesting analysis of the inner drivers motivating each man.
Overall, this is a very well written and enjoyable account of some aspects of the Nixon presidency and an intriguing study on the use and abuse of executive power. Kissinger was right when he said in 1968 `that man is not fit to be president'.
Other gripes include the remarkably scant coverage of the role of Spiro Agnew, who is mentioned briefly on only four or five occasions, and the inadequate coverage of the effects of Nixon's bombing of Cambodia and the means by which N&K illegally sought to cover it up. I also felt that more direct quotes, which are readily available, would have brought more life to the content.
However, Dallek does provide in-depth coverage of Vietnam, Yom Kippur War, OPEC crises and détente with the PRC and USSR, and the writing style easily maintains interest. The best aspect of the book (and to be fair the main objective) is the portrayal of the relationship between the president and his national security advisor. Startling similarities become apparent, and the author provides a particularly interesting analysis of the inner drivers motivating each man.
Overall, this is a very well written and enjoyable account of some aspects of the Nixon presidency and an intriguing study on the use and abuse of executive power. Kissinger was right when he said in 1968 `that man is not fit to be president'.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Robert Dallek's book is a well written, well structured walk-through the Nixon and Kissinger years - and it focuses heavily on their Foreign Policy analysis and execution - primarily because thats what Nixon and Kissinger thought would define their reign.
Would I recommend this book? Yes. Its easy to read and assuming you want to learn how/why Nixon/Kissinger did what they did, then this is a good way to do it.
((( But briefly my reaction on what I learnt**. Frankly I was shocked by the way the in which personal emotion, prejudice and opinions would so heavily influence the decisions that Nixon and Kissinger took. From Vietnam, Cambodia, India, Bangladesh, China, Chile - these 2 men let let their prejudices, in many instances, overcome the rational analysis to make decisions that negatively impacted countries and millions of people. Maybe I am just naive but where does morality come into governing? Its through laws right? But laws dont seem to apply to anyone you brand as your enemy - and simply branding them your enemy is too black and white - thats schoolyard behavior. The battles between Kissinger at the NSA and Rogers at the State Department defy belief. Nixon demonstrated poor leadership by allowing his lieutenants to war with each other in this way.)))
Anyway, thank you to Robert Dallek for writing this book and exposing how leaders govern and make decisions that impact us directly. I have probably reacted too strongly about Nixon/Kissinger themselves rather than focus on the book itself. ** But please note - thats my interpretation of what I have read, and not necessarily Mr Dalleks. **
I am sure you will have your own interpretation.
Would I recommend this book? Yes. Its easy to read and assuming you want to learn how/why Nixon/Kissinger did what they did, then this is a good way to do it.
((( But briefly my reaction on what I learnt**. Frankly I was shocked by the way the in which personal emotion, prejudice and opinions would so heavily influence the decisions that Nixon and Kissinger took. From Vietnam, Cambodia, India, Bangladesh, China, Chile - these 2 men let let their prejudices, in many instances, overcome the rational analysis to make decisions that negatively impacted countries and millions of people. Maybe I am just naive but where does morality come into governing? Its through laws right? But laws dont seem to apply to anyone you brand as your enemy - and simply branding them your enemy is too black and white - thats schoolyard behavior. The battles between Kissinger at the NSA and Rogers at the State Department defy belief. Nixon demonstrated poor leadership by allowing his lieutenants to war with each other in this way.)))
Anyway, thank you to Robert Dallek for writing this book and exposing how leaders govern and make decisions that impact us directly. I have probably reacted too strongly about Nixon/Kissinger themselves rather than focus on the book itself. ** But please note - thats my interpretation of what I have read, and not necessarily Mr Dalleks. **
I am sure you will have your own interpretation.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
A good easy to understand book, never got boring even though it's over 600 pages.
I'm new to the subject and was looking for a book to introduce me to Nixon, Kissinger and Vietman. I feel now like I have a much better understanding of the subject.
I was a bit skeptical at first as I thought the author the might be too biased towards his subjects, but by the end of the book I thought the story told was very well balanced. I had a very basic understanding of who Nixon and Kissinger were, I used to think of them almost as pantomime villains. Now I know the truth that they were much more complicated, Nixon especially who seemed to be loved and hated by the left and right of the political spectrum with equal measure.
Although this book might not go into too much depth for the academic professional, if you're a new comer to the subject like me then this book would give you an excellent introduction to the flawed characters of Nixon and Kissinger. I'm now looking for a book that covers Vietman from the fifties up to 1968.
I'm new to the subject and was looking for a book to introduce me to Nixon, Kissinger and Vietman. I feel now like I have a much better understanding of the subject.
I was a bit skeptical at first as I thought the author the might be too biased towards his subjects, but by the end of the book I thought the story told was very well balanced. I had a very basic understanding of who Nixon and Kissinger were, I used to think of them almost as pantomime villains. Now I know the truth that they were much more complicated, Nixon especially who seemed to be loved and hated by the left and right of the political spectrum with equal measure.
Although this book might not go into too much depth for the academic professional, if you're a new comer to the subject like me then this book would give you an excellent introduction to the flawed characters of Nixon and Kissinger. I'm now looking for a book that covers Vietman from the fifties up to 1968.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Pretty Good Account of Two Men's Conduct of US Foreign Policy
I think that this is a much better book than tends to comes out of the reviews I have seen on Amazon. It does not aim either to propound a particular viewpoint (e.g. Read more
Published 5 months ago by Mr. S. Millman
a brilliant study of statesmanship and political genius
This is a very readable and in places a rather critical analysis of the Nixon Kissinger relationship and how far it influenced and drove US foreign policy in the early 70s. Read more
Published 16 months ago by Neil Kernohan
An interesting but really depressing book
If you ask people to describe Richard Nixon, they'd probably mention Watergate and Foreign Policy and use phrases like cunning, paranoia, bunker mentality and his desperate need to... Read more
Published on 7 Jun 2008 by J. Bowen
Flawed heroes or war criminals?
Robert Dallek, biographer of Presidents Kennedy and Johnson, has now written an account of the Nixon presidency, but it is not as good as Seymour Hersh's magnificent The Price of... Read more
Published on 26 Mar 2008 by William Podmore
Mmmmmm...
I found this book really tough going.35 years after Nixon's resignation, his psychological profile is generally well known: it has been amply and widely publicized. Read more
Published on 9 Jan 2008 by Andre Sainderichin
Entertaining, authoritative and illuminating
Dallek's book is not intended to be a comprehensive history of Nixon's administration. Rather he sets out to map the contours of one of the most interesting, impactful and... Read more
Published on 30 Oct 2007 by Doc
Good but not a comprehensive history of the Nixon administration
I was really looking forward to reading this as I particularly liked `Flawed Giant' about the Johnson administration - having finished and enjoyed it, I'm also slightly... Read more
Published on 7 Aug 2007 by Overseas Reviewer
Irreconcilable Similarities
There are several excellent books already in print by or about Richard M. Nixon and/or Henry A. Kissinger, notably Memoirs of Richard Nixon and Richard Reeves' President Nixon:... Read more
Published on 30 April 2007 by Robert Morris
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