Henry Kissinger, the former U.S. secretary of state and political advisor who was lauded by some as a master statesman and branded by others as a glorified war criminal, has died aged 100.
Kissinger had been a central presence in U.S. and global political spheres for decades, having forged his name during the Cold War to establish himself as a deft statesman and a pragmatic political hawk.
Born Heinz Alfred Kissinger in the German city of Fürth on May 27, 1923, he became known as Henry after his family immigrated to the U.S. in 1938 to avoid the Nazi persecution of Jews. Like many fleeing Germany at the time, the Kissinger family settled in the New York neighborhood of Washington Heights.
In 1943 he became a U.S. citizen and shortly after served in the U.S. Army during World War II. Following the war’s conclusion, he went on to serve in the U.S.’ post-war military government in West Germany.
Read more at Newsweek.com
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