1 00:00:01,070 --> 00:00:03,243 Viewers like you make this program possible. 2 00:00:03,244 --> 00:00:05,350 Support your local PBS station. 3 00:00:27,096 --> 00:00:28,406 JOHN FARRELL: Richard Nixon is 4 00:00:28,407 --> 00:00:29,718 getting his daughter married at the White House. 5 00:00:29,719 --> 00:00:32,722 [guests applauding] 6 00:00:34,862 --> 00:00:37,140 In the meantime, behind the scenes... 7 00:00:39,522 --> 00:00:41,247 ...this fella Daniel Ellsberg has leaked 8 00:00:41,248 --> 00:00:43,663 the secret history of the Vietnam War 9 00:00:43,664 --> 00:00:45,010 to "The New York Times." 10 00:00:46,529 --> 00:00:48,909 And on the same Sunday where there's the picture 11 00:00:48,910 --> 00:00:51,360 of Tricia Nixon being married, 12 00:00:51,361 --> 00:00:54,846 there's this story about the Pentagon Papers. 13 00:00:54,847 --> 00:00:57,504 REPORTER: Daniel Ellsberg, ex-Pentagon employee, 14 00:00:57,505 --> 00:00:59,472 made history by leaking to "The New York Times" 15 00:00:59,473 --> 00:01:01,232 the Pentagon Papers, 16 00:01:01,233 --> 00:01:04,718 a top-secret study of Vietnam policy. 17 00:01:04,719 --> 00:01:06,789 HEDRICK SMITH: Pentagon Papers were 7,000 pages 18 00:01:06,790 --> 00:01:08,895 of secret history of the war in Vietnam 19 00:01:08,896 --> 00:01:12,416 commissioned by Robert McNamara, the former secretary of defense, 20 00:01:12,417 --> 00:01:15,004 who became disillusioned with the war, 21 00:01:15,005 --> 00:01:17,317 and wanted a full record 22 00:01:17,318 --> 00:01:20,907 of how we got into it and how it went wrong. 23 00:01:20,908 --> 00:01:23,530 FARRELL: Nixon reads his newspaper 24 00:01:23,531 --> 00:01:26,223 and his daily briefings, and pfft, doesn't care about it. 25 00:01:26,224 --> 00:01:29,191 Most of the Pentagon Papers are about Johnson and Kennedy. 26 00:01:29,192 --> 00:01:30,779 They're not about him. 27 00:01:30,780 --> 00:01:32,125 NIXON: Hello. SECRETARY: Mr. President, 28 00:01:32,126 --> 00:01:33,540 I have Dr. Kissinger calling you. NIXON: Okay. 29 00:01:33,541 --> 00:01:35,577 FARRELL: But for some reason, 30 00:01:35,578 --> 00:01:38,856 Henry Kissinger reads this story in "The New York Times" 31 00:01:38,857 --> 00:01:40,514 and goes ballistic. 32 00:01:50,731 --> 00:01:54,458 Kissinger is convinced that Daniel Ellsberg, 33 00:01:54,459 --> 00:01:57,081 if he had access to the Pentagon Papers, 34 00:01:57,082 --> 00:02:00,326 has access to what's going on in Cambodia, 35 00:02:00,327 --> 00:02:01,948 and he's obsessed 36 00:02:01,949 --> 00:02:05,296 that Ellsberg's next step is to release information 37 00:02:05,297 --> 00:02:08,127 about the secret bombing campaign in Cambodia. 38 00:02:08,128 --> 00:02:10,059 Ten years in prison is very cheap 39 00:02:10,060 --> 00:02:12,027 if they could contribute to ending this war. 40 00:02:12,028 --> 00:02:14,961 FARRELL: Ellsberg was a Kissinger protégé, 41 00:02:14,962 --> 00:02:17,860 and so, Kissinger is worried that the finger 42 00:02:17,861 --> 00:02:20,070 eventually is going to come back at him. 43 00:02:21,106 --> 00:02:24,627 GREG GRANDIN: Kissinger describes Ellsberg as unhinged. 44 00:02:40,298 --> 00:02:43,749 So, it's Kissinger that gins up Nixon about Ellsberg. 45 00:02:49,686 --> 00:02:52,274 Kissinger's frantic self-protective reaction 46 00:02:52,275 --> 00:02:54,863 to the exposure of the Pentagon Papers 47 00:02:54,864 --> 00:02:58,453 drives Nixon to a place which eventually 48 00:02:58,454 --> 00:03:00,180 becomes the first step towards Watergate. 49 00:03:02,147 --> 00:03:04,355 [phone ringing] 50 00:03:04,356 --> 00:03:09,223 ♪ 51 00:03:13,020 --> 00:03:16,712 ♪ 52 00:03:16,713 --> 00:03:19,958 [explosions pounding] 53 00:03:23,479 --> 00:03:27,240 ♪ 54 00:03:27,241 --> 00:03:30,348 [explosions pounding] 55 00:03:33,040 --> 00:03:35,698 [shouting] 56 00:03:45,225 --> 00:03:47,709 [helicopter blades whizzing] 57 00:03:47,710 --> 00:03:51,369 ♪ 58 00:03:59,653 --> 00:04:01,412 WINSTON LORD: From the very beginning 59 00:04:01,413 --> 00:04:03,587 of Nixon's administration, Kissinger was running 60 00:04:03,588 --> 00:04:06,246 all the major elements of foreign policy. 61 00:04:08,282 --> 00:04:10,387 The three major, immediate objectives were all 62 00:04:10,388 --> 00:04:12,769 with communist countries: China, Russia, and Vietnam. 63 00:04:14,461 --> 00:04:16,462 The broad strategy was to know 64 00:04:16,463 --> 00:04:19,188 where you want to go over the long run, 65 00:04:19,189 --> 00:04:20,604 to see how the pieces fit. 66 00:04:20,605 --> 00:04:22,088 So, what you did with one country, 67 00:04:22,089 --> 00:04:24,021 how it would affect another country? 68 00:04:24,022 --> 00:04:28,681 And I think Kissinger felt you had to reconcile 69 00:04:28,682 --> 00:04:31,029 the just with the possible. 70 00:04:36,034 --> 00:04:39,001 ♪ 71 00:04:39,002 --> 00:04:40,658 ROBERT BRIGHAM: Vietnam, to Kissinger and to Nixon, 72 00:04:40,659 --> 00:04:42,384 was a thorn in their side. 73 00:04:42,385 --> 00:04:43,937 They wanted it off page one 74 00:04:43,938 --> 00:04:46,319 so they could get to all the kind of things 75 00:04:46,320 --> 00:04:49,218 that Nixon had on his very expansive and aggressive 76 00:04:49,219 --> 00:04:51,704 foreign policy plate. 77 00:04:51,705 --> 00:04:53,430 You couldn't do those until you had 78 00:04:53,431 --> 00:04:55,329 the Vietnam question settled. 79 00:04:57,366 --> 00:05:00,816 JEREMI SURI: The United States seemed hemmed in in Vietnam. 80 00:05:00,817 --> 00:05:03,855 We seemed unable to do anything right. 81 00:05:05,201 --> 00:05:06,926 But Kissinger recognized that there was 82 00:05:06,927 --> 00:05:10,067 a lot of power in taking the initiative. 83 00:05:10,068 --> 00:05:11,862 He was willing to take risks 84 00:05:11,863 --> 00:05:15,003 and he was able to manufacture opportunities 85 00:05:15,004 --> 00:05:17,247 where they did not exist before. 86 00:05:18,697 --> 00:05:23,392 ♪ 87 00:05:25,221 --> 00:05:27,705 NIALL FERGUSON: Before they came to power, 88 00:05:27,706 --> 00:05:31,053 both Richard Nixon and Henry Kissinger thought, 89 00:05:31,054 --> 00:05:34,471 "What might be done with China?" 90 00:05:34,472 --> 00:05:36,404 I think it took 91 00:05:36,405 --> 00:05:39,199 the two of them spending time together, 92 00:05:39,200 --> 00:05:41,374 contemplating the great chessboard 93 00:05:41,375 --> 00:05:42,617 of the Cold War, 94 00:05:42,618 --> 00:05:46,068 to realize that, if we could only establish 95 00:05:46,069 --> 00:05:48,450 some communications with China, 96 00:05:48,451 --> 00:05:51,350 that could be helpful in a number of ways. 97 00:05:51,351 --> 00:05:54,629 It could help you with the Vietnam problem, 98 00:05:54,630 --> 00:05:56,216 but it could also help you 99 00:05:56,217 --> 00:05:57,702 with the Soviets. 100 00:05:58,944 --> 00:06:00,704 We had, for the last few decades, 101 00:06:00,705 --> 00:06:02,500 assumed that communism was a seamless whole. 102 00:06:03,708 --> 00:06:05,294 Well, suddenly, not so much. 103 00:06:05,295 --> 00:06:08,263 In the late '60s, you started to see friction and then clashes 104 00:06:08,264 --> 00:06:11,749 between the Soviets and the Chinese along border areas. 105 00:06:11,750 --> 00:06:14,545 And you had people in the intelligence community 106 00:06:14,546 --> 00:06:15,995 saying, "Hey, 107 00:06:15,996 --> 00:06:17,962 "rather than being on the same team, 108 00:06:17,963 --> 00:06:19,412 "these guys are on different teams. 109 00:06:19,413 --> 00:06:20,931 There's actually a split." 110 00:06:20,932 --> 00:06:23,899 Which we began to call the Sino-Soviet split. 111 00:06:23,900 --> 00:06:25,936 FILM NARRATOR: A disputed frontier between 112 00:06:25,937 --> 00:06:27,662 the dragon and the bear. 113 00:06:27,663 --> 00:06:30,043 FERGUSON: A war broke out, 114 00:06:30,044 --> 00:06:33,599 a border dispute between the Soviet Union 115 00:06:33,600 --> 00:06:35,601 and the People's Republic of China. 116 00:06:35,602 --> 00:06:36,878 [people shouting] 117 00:06:36,879 --> 00:06:39,708 More importantly, there was an ideological battle 118 00:06:39,709 --> 00:06:42,609 for leadership of the communist world. 119 00:06:43,748 --> 00:06:45,783 This was the setting 120 00:06:45,784 --> 00:06:48,959 within which Richard Nixon and Henry Kissinger 121 00:06:48,960 --> 00:06:52,100 developed perhaps the boldest ploy 122 00:06:52,101 --> 00:06:54,378 in all of Cold War statecraft. 123 00:06:54,379 --> 00:06:58,417 [band playing] 124 00:06:58,418 --> 00:06:59,694 [applauding and cheering] 125 00:06:59,695 --> 00:07:01,385 FAREED ZAKARIA: Mao's China was 126 00:07:01,386 --> 00:07:04,595 probably the most closed country in the world. 127 00:07:04,596 --> 00:07:07,529 There were very few people who went in there. 128 00:07:07,530 --> 00:07:08,944 So, it really was 129 00:07:08,945 --> 00:07:10,221 this place on the moon. 130 00:07:10,222 --> 00:07:13,053 Nobody really knew what was going on inside. 131 00:07:14,468 --> 00:07:17,505 FERGUSON: Mao's policies had reduced China 132 00:07:17,506 --> 00:07:20,749 to one of the lowest standards of living in the world. 133 00:07:20,750 --> 00:07:24,408 Wretched poverty enforced 134 00:07:24,409 --> 00:07:27,619 by the draconian measures of communist rule. 135 00:07:29,518 --> 00:07:32,761 JIANYING ZHA: I was born in late 1959, 136 00:07:32,762 --> 00:07:35,315 ten years after the communists took over China. 137 00:07:35,316 --> 00:07:36,662 [crowd cheering and applauding] 138 00:07:36,663 --> 00:07:40,838 Mao was our Red Sun, was the savior of China. 139 00:07:40,839 --> 00:07:42,081 [exclaiming] 140 00:07:42,082 --> 00:07:43,220 We were schooled 141 00:07:43,221 --> 00:07:46,637 on all this anti-Western propaganda. 142 00:07:46,638 --> 00:07:48,225 [explosion pounds] 143 00:07:48,226 --> 00:07:51,987 I grew up seeing this famous Korean War movies 144 00:07:51,988 --> 00:07:54,196 called "Heroic Children." 145 00:07:54,197 --> 00:07:55,853 [speaking Chinese] 146 00:07:55,854 --> 00:07:58,925 And in it, you see American soldiers 147 00:07:58,926 --> 00:08:00,858 played by Chinese actors 148 00:08:00,859 --> 00:08:05,484 with fake noses and white powder. 149 00:08:05,485 --> 00:08:09,142 And they were incredibly ridiculous creatures who would 150 00:08:09,143 --> 00:08:12,076 be mowed down by Chinese machine guns. 151 00:08:12,077 --> 00:08:13,077 [explosion roars] 152 00:08:13,078 --> 00:08:14,251 So that was 153 00:08:14,252 --> 00:08:17,185 the very cartoonish picture of Americans 154 00:08:17,186 --> 00:08:18,911 that we had in our head. 155 00:08:18,912 --> 00:08:20,844 [band playing "The Stars and Stripes Forever"] 156 00:08:20,845 --> 00:08:23,743 [crowd cheering and applauding] 157 00:08:23,744 --> 00:08:26,850 LORD: As we came into office, one week after his inauguration... 158 00:08:26,851 --> 00:08:29,542 Do you, Richard Milhous Nixon... 159 00:08:29,543 --> 00:08:32,027 LORD: ...Nixon sent a memo to Kissinger and said, 160 00:08:32,028 --> 00:08:34,305 "Get in touch with the Chinese, see what we can do." 161 00:08:34,306 --> 00:08:36,307 One week, and you could see his priority. 162 00:08:36,308 --> 00:08:39,552 FERGUSON: This is where the story gets 163 00:08:39,553 --> 00:08:43,832 the most cloak and the most dagger. 164 00:08:43,833 --> 00:08:46,663 The process of trying to get in touch with Beijing 165 00:08:46,664 --> 00:08:49,700 started almost immediately in 1969, 166 00:08:49,701 --> 00:08:51,357 but it was extremely difficult, 167 00:08:51,358 --> 00:08:54,498 because the Chinese were extremely hard to get to. 168 00:08:54,499 --> 00:08:56,673 The Chinese had no diplomatic representatives 169 00:08:56,674 --> 00:08:58,053 anywhere in the world. 170 00:08:58,054 --> 00:09:00,573 Even having an address 171 00:09:00,574 --> 00:09:04,473 where you could confidentially and reliably 172 00:09:04,474 --> 00:09:06,994 communicate with the Chinese didn't exist. 173 00:09:08,030 --> 00:09:11,377 So, what they had to do is find discreet intermediaries 174 00:09:11,378 --> 00:09:12,966 who could play that role. 175 00:09:14,381 --> 00:09:15,484 FERGUSON: Of all countries, 176 00:09:15,485 --> 00:09:18,695 it turned out to be Pakistan 177 00:09:18,696 --> 00:09:21,352 that made the connection happen. 178 00:09:21,353 --> 00:09:24,217 REPORTER: Today's highlight is the new ambassador from Pakistan 179 00:09:24,218 --> 00:09:26,116 and his family. 180 00:09:26,117 --> 00:09:29,257 LORD: And what would happen is that the Chinese would send 181 00:09:29,258 --> 00:09:31,328 a secret message, which would end up 182 00:09:31,329 --> 00:09:33,606 with the Pakistani ambassador in Washington, 183 00:09:33,607 --> 00:09:36,471 who would call on Kissinger with the message. 184 00:09:36,472 --> 00:09:39,543 In January 1971, 185 00:09:39,544 --> 00:09:41,441 we had sent a message, 186 00:09:41,442 --> 00:09:43,098 and we hadn't heard back for months, 187 00:09:43,099 --> 00:09:44,825 and indeed, we got quite nervous. 188 00:09:46,344 --> 00:09:49,622 FERGUSON: Mao Zedong and Zhou Enlai, the Chinese premier, 189 00:09:49,623 --> 00:09:54,144 were great believers in the subtle approach, and so, 190 00:09:54,145 --> 00:09:58,597 the faintest of signals was sent out from Beijing 191 00:09:58,598 --> 00:10:02,152 to the effect that there might possibly be 192 00:10:02,153 --> 00:10:05,327 a conversation worth having. 193 00:10:05,328 --> 00:10:07,847 [crowd cheering] 194 00:10:07,848 --> 00:10:10,401 THOMAS SCHWARTZ: April of 1971, 195 00:10:10,402 --> 00:10:13,266 in Japan, an American Ping-Pong team 196 00:10:13,267 --> 00:10:17,201 was playing in, in international Ping-Pong matches, 197 00:10:17,202 --> 00:10:19,031 and one of the participants in that 198 00:10:19,032 --> 00:10:22,517 was the People's Republic of China. 199 00:10:22,518 --> 00:10:24,312 ORVILLE SCHELL: What happened was, there was a young, 200 00:10:24,313 --> 00:10:26,417 sort of a hippie Ping-Pong player, 201 00:10:26,418 --> 00:10:29,524 with long hair, and tie-dyed shirts, 202 00:10:29,525 --> 00:10:31,146 and he got on the wrong bus-- 203 00:10:31,147 --> 00:10:32,838 it was the Chinese bus-- 204 00:10:32,839 --> 00:10:36,289 and met their star player. 205 00:10:36,290 --> 00:10:38,638 And they kind of got to be friends. 206 00:10:40,501 --> 00:10:43,883 And on the basis of that, I think Zhou Enlai saw 207 00:10:43,884 --> 00:10:45,782 a little flash of light. 208 00:10:45,783 --> 00:10:47,715 ♪ 209 00:10:47,716 --> 00:10:49,544 SCHWARTZ: One of the coaches from the People's Republic 210 00:10:49,545 --> 00:10:53,065 approached the Americans about the possibility of them coming 211 00:10:53,066 --> 00:10:54,998 to China to play exhibition. 212 00:10:54,999 --> 00:10:57,863 This was an extraordinary moment 213 00:10:57,864 --> 00:11:00,693 and received incredible coverage 214 00:11:00,694 --> 00:11:02,350 in the American media. 215 00:11:02,351 --> 00:11:04,559 NEWS ANCHOR: The first films are now coming out of Red China 216 00:11:04,560 --> 00:11:07,079 of the visit by the first U.S. group 217 00:11:07,080 --> 00:11:09,840 ever invited by the Chinese communists. 218 00:11:09,841 --> 00:11:11,531 Today, Premier Zhou Enlai met the visiting players. 219 00:11:11,532 --> 00:11:14,639 He told them their visit opens a new door. 220 00:11:15,605 --> 00:11:19,125 FERGUSON: It was a signal that, yes, 221 00:11:19,126 --> 00:11:21,162 there was an opportunity 222 00:11:21,163 --> 00:11:24,579 to send an American representative to Beijing. 223 00:11:24,580 --> 00:11:27,514 The question was, who would that be? 224 00:11:28,584 --> 00:11:31,966 Secrecy was crucial, and that meant that Nixon 225 00:11:31,967 --> 00:11:34,865 could only really entrust it to the one person 226 00:11:34,866 --> 00:11:39,352 who already knew that this was his cherished goal, 227 00:11:39,353 --> 00:11:40,700 and that was Henry Kissinger. 228 00:11:41,908 --> 00:11:44,875 KISSINGER: I knew nothing about China. 229 00:11:44,876 --> 00:11:47,360 That's a great qualification for a secret mission, 230 00:11:47,361 --> 00:11:49,155 but it happens to be true. [audience chuckling] 231 00:11:49,156 --> 00:11:52,089 I had the same thought in the '50s 232 00:11:52,090 --> 00:11:54,816 that everyone else had, that, that the Chinese 233 00:11:54,817 --> 00:11:57,923 were revolutionary near-madmen. 234 00:11:57,924 --> 00:12:01,513 ♪ 235 00:12:03,515 --> 00:12:07,691 LORD: We had to set up what the cover story would be. 236 00:12:07,692 --> 00:12:11,972 So we go on a public trip to four countries. 237 00:12:13,353 --> 00:12:17,425 And we stop, of course, in Pakistan. 238 00:12:17,426 --> 00:12:19,945 Henry's cover was going to be that he's got a stomachache. 239 00:12:19,946 --> 00:12:22,810 NEWS ANCHOR: Presidential adviser Henry Kissinger 240 00:12:22,811 --> 00:12:24,363 is staying an extra day in Pakistan 241 00:12:24,364 --> 00:12:26,228 because of an upset stomach. 242 00:12:27,816 --> 00:12:29,230 LORD: You know, and at 2:00 a.m., 243 00:12:29,231 --> 00:12:33,890 we're driven to the Islamabad airport by the defense minister. 244 00:12:33,891 --> 00:12:35,755 The four of us get on the plane. 245 00:12:37,826 --> 00:12:40,828 And so here we are, flying toward Beijing. 246 00:12:40,829 --> 00:12:43,038 None of the world knows where we are. 247 00:12:44,073 --> 00:12:46,109 We were exhilarated and anxious, I mean, 248 00:12:46,110 --> 00:12:48,043 this was a gamble; this was no sure thing. 249 00:12:49,734 --> 00:12:53,357 ♪ 250 00:12:53,358 --> 00:12:56,982 We land at a military airport in Beijing, 251 00:12:56,983 --> 00:12:59,294 and of course, we drove in automobiles 252 00:12:59,295 --> 00:13:01,539 where the curtains were down, nobody could see us. 253 00:13:04,300 --> 00:13:07,095 FERGUSON: Kissinger was deeply impressed by Zhou Enlai, 254 00:13:07,096 --> 00:13:08,683 the Chinese premier, 255 00:13:08,684 --> 00:13:12,860 and this was one of the great meetings of minds 256 00:13:12,861 --> 00:13:16,070 that happened in his career. 257 00:13:16,071 --> 00:13:19,211 KISSINGER: He was a man of extraordinary intelligence, 258 00:13:19,212 --> 00:13:22,524 one of the most intelligent people I've ever met. 259 00:13:22,525 --> 00:13:26,080 He had an extraordinarily expressive face. 260 00:13:26,081 --> 00:13:29,462 He understood English, though he did not admit it, 261 00:13:29,463 --> 00:13:33,398 so his face registered while you talked to him. 262 00:13:35,366 --> 00:13:37,677 SCHELL: The driving force was hopes 263 00:13:37,678 --> 00:13:41,302 that if we could pull China more into our orbit, 264 00:13:41,303 --> 00:13:43,718 we could resolve the Vietnam War. 265 00:13:43,719 --> 00:13:47,756 Most of the military equipment going to North Vietnam 266 00:13:47,757 --> 00:13:49,690 was coming through China. 267 00:13:50,726 --> 00:13:52,347 JOHN NEGROPONTE: I remember him telling Zhou Enlai, 268 00:13:52,348 --> 00:13:55,212 "We don't want to wake up in the morning in the second term 269 00:13:55,213 --> 00:13:57,042 "reading battlefield reports 270 00:13:57,043 --> 00:13:58,457 from Vietnam." 271 00:13:58,458 --> 00:14:00,080 One term was enough. 272 00:14:01,323 --> 00:14:03,600 LORD: The Chinese had two major goals. 273 00:14:03,601 --> 00:14:06,775 One was to balance the Soviet Union, 274 00:14:06,776 --> 00:14:08,881 which was increasingly threatening them, 275 00:14:08,882 --> 00:14:11,366 and the other was coming out of diplomatic isolation. 276 00:14:11,367 --> 00:14:14,507 The key issue, of course, we had to get around 277 00:14:14,508 --> 00:14:16,958 was the Taiwan issue. 278 00:14:16,959 --> 00:14:19,685 SCHWARTZ: And so Kissinger made it clear to the Chinese 279 00:14:19,686 --> 00:14:21,376 that the United States would withdraw 280 00:14:21,377 --> 00:14:22,895 some of its forces from Taiwan 281 00:14:22,896 --> 00:14:24,897 if the Vietnam War came to an end. 282 00:14:24,898 --> 00:14:27,383 [talking in background] 283 00:14:30,007 --> 00:14:33,181 SCHWARTZ: Toward the end of the talks, it was finally raised 284 00:14:33,182 --> 00:14:35,391 that President Nixon would come to China. 285 00:14:37,946 --> 00:14:40,913 SCHELL: I think Kissinger did have a recognition 286 00:14:40,914 --> 00:14:42,087 something big had happened. 287 00:14:42,088 --> 00:14:45,745 After all, he had gotten to the top of China. 288 00:14:45,746 --> 00:14:47,264 And he had, in effect, 289 00:14:47,265 --> 00:14:50,819 triggered an invitation for Nixon himself. 290 00:14:50,820 --> 00:14:54,927 ♪ 291 00:14:54,928 --> 00:14:57,826 DAVID KISSINGER: I do remember how jubilant he was 292 00:14:57,827 --> 00:14:59,794 when he returned from his secret trip. 293 00:14:59,795 --> 00:15:01,901 I had never seen him like that before. 294 00:15:02,936 --> 00:15:05,111 He was just vibrating with excitement. 295 00:15:07,699 --> 00:15:09,666 SCHWARTZ: Kissinger briefs Nixon, 296 00:15:09,667 --> 00:15:12,807 and Nixon schedules a national television speech. 297 00:15:12,808 --> 00:15:14,119 Good evening. 298 00:15:14,120 --> 00:15:15,327 SCHWARTZ: The secrecy was such 299 00:15:15,328 --> 00:15:18,502 that people thought it was about Vietnam. 300 00:15:18,503 --> 00:15:23,266 It hit the nation on a Sunday night as a complete surprise. 301 00:15:23,267 --> 00:15:26,510 NIXON: I have taken this action 302 00:15:26,511 --> 00:15:28,409 because of my profound conviction 303 00:15:28,410 --> 00:15:31,412 that all nations will gain 304 00:15:31,413 --> 00:15:35,968 from a reduction of tensions and a better relationship 305 00:15:35,969 --> 00:15:40,214 between the United States and the People's Republic of China. 306 00:15:40,215 --> 00:15:43,562 TOM JARRIEL: Details of Henry Kissinger's secret trip, 307 00:15:43,563 --> 00:15:45,115 which led to that announcement, 308 00:15:45,116 --> 00:15:46,737 were spelled out today in a factual account 309 00:15:46,738 --> 00:15:49,706 which makes most detective story fiction seem bland. 310 00:15:49,707 --> 00:15:51,294 REPORTER: Henry, can you just tell us, 311 00:15:51,295 --> 00:15:53,054 do you feel encouraged as a result 312 00:15:53,055 --> 00:15:54,607 of your trip to Peking? 313 00:15:54,608 --> 00:15:58,440 I think we, we made some progress. 314 00:15:59,682 --> 00:16:02,477 JARRIEL: The Taiwanese ambassador was visibly upset. 315 00:16:02,478 --> 00:16:05,308 JAMES SHEN: I got a 20 minutes' notice 316 00:16:05,309 --> 00:16:07,620 last night-- I couldn't believe it. 317 00:16:07,621 --> 00:16:11,107 We think it's not the kind of thing a friend and an ally 318 00:16:11,108 --> 00:16:13,074 should do to another. 319 00:16:13,075 --> 00:16:16,837 [crowd cheering and applauding] 320 00:16:18,632 --> 00:16:21,013 REPORTER: Observers may argue over whether Dr. Henry Kissinger 321 00:16:21,014 --> 00:16:24,499 is a secret swinger or a square masquerading as one, 322 00:16:24,500 --> 00:16:28,020 but there's no doubt he is the deputy president on this trip. 323 00:16:28,021 --> 00:16:30,022 The brilliant, elusive intellectual, 324 00:16:30,023 --> 00:16:32,611 who has structured the substance of the top-level talks, 325 00:16:32,612 --> 00:16:35,062 will be at the president's side throughout. 326 00:16:35,063 --> 00:16:36,718 [no dialogue] 327 00:16:36,719 --> 00:16:40,377 ZHA: We heard this official announcement 328 00:16:40,378 --> 00:16:42,104 that Nixon was coming to China. 329 00:16:43,140 --> 00:16:46,383 I still remember rounds of school briefings 330 00:16:46,384 --> 00:16:50,077 to prepare, in case you should encounter 331 00:16:50,078 --> 00:16:51,664 any Americans on the street. 332 00:16:51,665 --> 00:16:56,117 The correct attitude is not too arrogant 333 00:16:56,118 --> 00:16:58,361 and not too obsequious. 334 00:16:58,362 --> 00:17:01,605 [band playing] 335 00:17:01,606 --> 00:17:05,782 And I remember, when Nixon actually landed, 336 00:17:05,783 --> 00:17:08,923 somehow, I had a sense this was 337 00:17:08,924 --> 00:17:11,822 a super-important moment that's going to, 338 00:17:11,823 --> 00:17:14,342 in some ways, change your life. 339 00:17:14,343 --> 00:17:17,242 REPORTER: The first American president ever to do so 340 00:17:17,243 --> 00:17:18,760 steps onto Chinese soil. 341 00:17:18,761 --> 00:17:23,835 [band playing] 342 00:17:25,251 --> 00:17:27,010 SCHELL: The meetings with Mao Zedong took place 343 00:17:27,011 --> 00:17:30,117 in an area adjacent to the Forbidden City 344 00:17:30,118 --> 00:17:31,497 called Zhongnanhai. 345 00:17:31,498 --> 00:17:33,982 And that's where Mao held court. 346 00:17:33,983 --> 00:17:36,261 REPORTER: The fact that Chairman Mao arranged an immediate meeting 347 00:17:36,262 --> 00:17:38,401 with the American chief of state in his home 348 00:17:38,402 --> 00:17:41,852 is considered significant by diplomatic observers. 349 00:17:41,853 --> 00:17:45,063 SCHELL: Just to be there was to be 350 00:17:45,064 --> 00:17:48,514 in the most forbidden, inaccessible place on Earth. 351 00:17:48,515 --> 00:17:51,139 I think it must have been quite exhilarating. 352 00:17:52,692 --> 00:17:55,176 KISSINGER: It's one of those few experiences 353 00:17:55,177 --> 00:17:57,489 you have when you are an adult 354 00:17:57,490 --> 00:18:00,768 which have some of the quality of childhood about them, 355 00:18:00,769 --> 00:18:03,082 that everything is totally new. 356 00:18:04,738 --> 00:18:05,980 LORD: We were used 357 00:18:05,981 --> 00:18:09,535 to these elegant Mandarin discourses by Zhou Enlai. 358 00:18:09,536 --> 00:18:14,678 What we got from Mao was laconic phrases, allegories, 359 00:18:14,679 --> 00:18:16,266 either that were brilliant, 360 00:18:16,267 --> 00:18:18,786 and we stupid Westerners couldn't understand, 361 00:18:18,787 --> 00:18:20,651 or he was slightly senile. [chuckles] 362 00:18:22,170 --> 00:18:24,585 ZHA: Mao was a great performer. 363 00:18:24,586 --> 00:18:27,139 He says a Chinese phrase. 364 00:18:27,140 --> 00:18:31,005 He said, "The wind and, and rain are coming, 365 00:18:31,006 --> 00:18:33,041 so the swallows are busy." 366 00:18:33,042 --> 00:18:35,320 Kissinger's reaction was, 367 00:18:35,321 --> 00:18:38,840 "Oh, that was so deep, it would take me several days 368 00:18:38,841 --> 00:18:40,911 to fully grasp that." 369 00:18:40,912 --> 00:18:42,982 But in fact, it's a very 370 00:18:42,983 --> 00:18:46,883 tacky, trite Chinese, you know, sort of saying. 371 00:18:46,884 --> 00:18:49,128 Kissinger ate it right up. 372 00:18:50,888 --> 00:18:52,889 REPORTER: Zhou and Nixon sit down for conversations 373 00:18:52,890 --> 00:18:55,512 which last for more than 30 hours. 374 00:18:55,513 --> 00:18:58,584 The result is the Shanghai Communiqué. 375 00:18:58,585 --> 00:19:00,966 ZAKARIA: You can see the mastery of Kissinger's diplomacy 376 00:19:00,967 --> 00:19:04,245 by looking at what's called the Shanghai Communiqué, 377 00:19:04,246 --> 00:19:06,351 which is, how do you get around the problem 378 00:19:06,352 --> 00:19:09,148 that the United States basically thinks Taiwan is the real China? 379 00:19:10,459 --> 00:19:14,186 SCHELL: So what did they do to put the Taiwan question aside? 380 00:19:14,187 --> 00:19:17,776 They agreed on this very guileful solution 381 00:19:17,777 --> 00:19:19,295 where the United States... 382 00:19:19,296 --> 00:19:21,573 And there's a word in Chinese, 383 00:19:21,574 --> 00:19:23,333 they said was "ren shi dao." 384 00:19:23,334 --> 00:19:25,542 "We, we acknowledge," 385 00:19:25,543 --> 00:19:28,511 "we take note of the fact" 386 00:19:28,512 --> 00:19:32,204 that China says Taiwan is part of China. 387 00:19:32,205 --> 00:19:33,792 [talking in background] 388 00:19:33,793 --> 00:19:37,830 [chuckles]: It's masterful in its obfuscation and vagueness, 389 00:19:37,831 --> 00:19:40,005 but it somehow satisfied everyone. 390 00:19:40,006 --> 00:19:41,835 ♪ 391 00:19:44,252 --> 00:19:48,531 FERGUSON: It was a dream come true for Richard Nixon himself 392 00:19:48,532 --> 00:19:50,465 and also for Henry Kissinger. 393 00:19:51,707 --> 00:19:53,984 This was good news 394 00:19:53,985 --> 00:19:56,953 after an unremitting diet of bad news 395 00:19:56,954 --> 00:19:59,783 over Vietnam and over Cambodia. 396 00:19:59,784 --> 00:20:03,477 It felt as though they were changing the subject 397 00:20:03,478 --> 00:20:05,894 of the American conversation. 398 00:20:07,171 --> 00:20:08,792 SPIRO AGNEW: We have witnessed, 399 00:20:08,793 --> 00:20:12,348 through the miracle of satellite television, 400 00:20:12,349 --> 00:20:16,006 the sights and sounds of a society 401 00:20:16,007 --> 00:20:20,219 that has been closed to Americans for over two decades. 402 00:20:21,530 --> 00:20:24,670 SAM HOSKINSON: The opening to China was maybe, in the 20th century, 403 00:20:24,671 --> 00:20:29,503 the most strategic move that any president has ever made. 404 00:20:29,504 --> 00:20:31,229 It was the height of the Cold War, 405 00:20:31,230 --> 00:20:35,233 China and the Soviet Union were allies, 406 00:20:35,234 --> 00:20:38,547 and we peeled off China-- it was that simple. 407 00:20:39,928 --> 00:20:43,551 ZHA: I think to see the realpolitik played out 408 00:20:43,552 --> 00:20:45,726 was very sobering. 409 00:20:45,727 --> 00:20:49,281 The whole thing was part of a geopolitical game 410 00:20:49,282 --> 00:20:52,526 to balance the Soviet Union. 411 00:20:52,527 --> 00:20:55,874 Nixon and Kissinger had no interest 412 00:20:55,875 --> 00:20:58,359 in helping improve 413 00:20:58,360 --> 00:21:01,742 the political situation in China. 414 00:21:01,743 --> 00:21:06,505 They had no thoughts, not a iota of thoughts, 415 00:21:06,506 --> 00:21:08,921 about human rights. 416 00:21:08,922 --> 00:21:10,440 At one level, 417 00:21:10,441 --> 00:21:13,479 how could I expect anything more? 418 00:21:14,825 --> 00:21:18,310 ALVANDI: I think it's a mistake to see Kissinger's realpolitik 419 00:21:18,311 --> 00:21:20,416 as an absence of morality. 420 00:21:20,417 --> 00:21:23,453 What he sees as the moral good 421 00:21:23,454 --> 00:21:27,664 is the preservation of American security. 422 00:21:27,665 --> 00:21:30,564 Where I think we begin to enter 423 00:21:30,565 --> 00:21:33,567 into a moral gray area for Kissinger 424 00:21:33,568 --> 00:21:35,879 is, what means are acceptable 425 00:21:35,880 --> 00:21:38,054 in order to achieve that end? 426 00:21:38,055 --> 00:21:42,646 And I think he had very few limits. 427 00:21:44,199 --> 00:21:48,029 FERGUSON: Every president, every national security adviser, 428 00:21:48,030 --> 00:21:51,757 takes decisions in which there are priorities 429 00:21:51,758 --> 00:21:53,483 accorded to countries 430 00:21:53,484 --> 00:21:55,554 and in which evils are ranked 431 00:21:55,555 --> 00:21:58,730 not just according to their moral magnitude, 432 00:21:58,731 --> 00:22:03,390 but, more importantly, according to their strategic magnitude. 433 00:22:03,391 --> 00:22:06,428 ♪ 434 00:22:09,362 --> 00:22:14,573 KISSINGER: The East Pakistan crisis erupted 435 00:22:14,574 --> 00:22:16,506 at the time that Pakistan 436 00:22:16,507 --> 00:22:19,924 was our only channel of communication to China. 437 00:22:20,994 --> 00:22:25,584 We were in the process of arranging my secret trip 438 00:22:25,585 --> 00:22:29,277 in the precise period that West Pakistan 439 00:22:29,278 --> 00:22:32,108 was trying to put down the uprising 440 00:22:32,109 --> 00:22:33,490 in East Pakistan. 441 00:22:35,354 --> 00:22:38,045 FERGUSON: The partition of British India had produced 442 00:22:38,046 --> 00:22:40,392 a strange situation in which there were 443 00:22:40,393 --> 00:22:43,153 essentially two parts to Pakistan. 444 00:22:43,154 --> 00:22:47,123 What we know today as Pakistan was West Pakistan. 445 00:22:47,124 --> 00:22:51,059 What we know today as Bangladesh was East Pakistan. 446 00:22:52,232 --> 00:22:54,441 RAAD RAHMAN: East Pakistan and West Pakistan did not 447 00:22:54,442 --> 00:22:55,890 share a language, 448 00:22:55,891 --> 00:22:57,927 they did not share culture, they did not share history. 449 00:22:57,928 --> 00:23:00,585 It's a complete recipe for conflict. 450 00:23:00,586 --> 00:23:02,552 [protesters shouting] 451 00:23:02,553 --> 00:23:04,209 SCHWARTZ: In 1970, 452 00:23:04,210 --> 00:23:07,902 the residents of East Pakistan voted overwhelmingly 453 00:23:07,903 --> 00:23:10,733 for a different government from the West Pakistanis. 454 00:23:10,734 --> 00:23:12,010 [shouting] 455 00:23:12,011 --> 00:23:14,771 ROGER MORRIS: The eastern portion is beginning 456 00:23:14,772 --> 00:23:16,532 to revolt against the authority 457 00:23:16,533 --> 00:23:18,638 of the West Pakistani government. 458 00:23:19,674 --> 00:23:21,364 It's got its own elected parliament, 459 00:23:21,365 --> 00:23:25,575 its own elected leadership, a man named Mujib, 460 00:23:25,576 --> 00:23:27,232 and it's on the verge of civil war. 461 00:23:27,233 --> 00:23:32,341 [chanting, cheering] 462 00:23:33,342 --> 00:23:35,413 ALVANDI: Yahya Khan is the channel 463 00:23:35,414 --> 00:23:36,793 through which Nixon and Kissinger 464 00:23:36,794 --> 00:23:39,486 are communicating with China, 465 00:23:39,487 --> 00:23:42,247 and it's absolutely vital that he remain in power. 466 00:23:42,248 --> 00:23:45,043 President Yahya Khan of Pakistan 467 00:23:45,044 --> 00:23:47,355 flies to East Pakistan tomorrow 468 00:23:47,356 --> 00:23:48,909 to try to talk his opposition 469 00:23:48,910 --> 00:23:50,600 into obeying the central government. 470 00:23:50,601 --> 00:23:52,257 [protesters shouting] 471 00:23:52,258 --> 00:23:54,881 W. SCOTT BUTCHER: In Dhaka, I was the junior political officer. 472 00:23:56,331 --> 00:24:01,473 At 1:26 in the morning of the 26th of March, 473 00:24:01,474 --> 00:24:03,718 all hell broke loose. 474 00:24:05,064 --> 00:24:07,893 The West Pakistani military were unleashed 475 00:24:07,894 --> 00:24:09,308 with a vengeance. 476 00:24:09,309 --> 00:24:12,415 Automatic weapons right outside of our bedroom. 477 00:24:12,416 --> 00:24:15,142 ♪ 478 00:24:15,143 --> 00:24:16,764 MORRIS: The Pakistanis murdered 479 00:24:16,765 --> 00:24:19,526 large numbers of the opposition politicians 480 00:24:19,527 --> 00:24:22,701 in their beds at night, killed their families, 481 00:24:22,702 --> 00:24:27,844 raked Dhaka-- the capital of East Pakistan-- with artillery, 482 00:24:27,845 --> 00:24:30,676 wantonly killing innocent civilians. 483 00:24:33,023 --> 00:24:37,544 RAHMAN: The Pakistani army went into Dhaka University 484 00:24:37,545 --> 00:24:41,271 and just rounded up academics, including my uncles, 485 00:24:41,272 --> 00:24:42,514 and disappeared them. 486 00:24:42,515 --> 00:24:44,999 [people shouting in background] 487 00:24:45,000 --> 00:24:46,691 HOSKINSON: I mean, what was happening was 488 00:24:46,692 --> 00:24:49,245 genocide before our very eyes. 489 00:24:49,246 --> 00:24:50,902 [people calling in background] 490 00:24:50,903 --> 00:24:52,973 KISSINGER: We are in the process of attempting 491 00:24:52,974 --> 00:24:55,769 to negotiate a ceasefire in the Dhaka area 492 00:24:55,770 --> 00:24:59,048 in order to be able to evacuate the Americans. 493 00:24:59,049 --> 00:25:01,429 GARY BASS: The Nixon administration 494 00:25:01,430 --> 00:25:04,122 had lots of information 495 00:25:04,123 --> 00:25:05,503 about what's happening. 496 00:25:05,504 --> 00:25:07,608 They're getting real-time reporting 497 00:25:07,609 --> 00:25:11,060 from the U.S. consulate in Dhaka. 498 00:25:11,061 --> 00:25:12,682 These Foreign Service officers 499 00:25:12,683 --> 00:25:14,960 have seen that kind of violence before, 500 00:25:14,961 --> 00:25:16,134 and they're saying, 501 00:25:16,135 --> 00:25:19,896 "This is in a completely different category. 502 00:25:19,897 --> 00:25:22,554 We've never seen anything like this." 503 00:25:22,555 --> 00:25:23,969 NIXON: None of them reliable. 504 00:25:23,970 --> 00:25:26,800 ALVANDI: There's enormous pressure on Nixon and Kissinger 505 00:25:26,801 --> 00:25:31,874 to cut aid and military support for Pakistan. 506 00:25:31,875 --> 00:25:33,739 But they choose not to do that. 507 00:25:34,947 --> 00:25:37,914 BUTCHER: We were absolutely mortified that our government 508 00:25:37,915 --> 00:25:41,884 was not responding in what was a, 509 00:25:41,885 --> 00:25:44,887 a humanitarian disaster inflicted by a government 510 00:25:44,888 --> 00:25:46,198 that we supported. 511 00:25:46,199 --> 00:25:49,754 So, a number of us, especially younger officers, 512 00:25:49,755 --> 00:25:53,759 felt that we needed to send in this, an expression of dissent. 513 00:25:55,623 --> 00:25:57,382 "Our government has failed to denounce 514 00:25:57,383 --> 00:25:59,004 "the suppression of democracy. 515 00:25:59,005 --> 00:26:03,526 "Our government has failed to denounce atrocities. 516 00:26:03,527 --> 00:26:05,183 "Our government has evidenced 517 00:26:05,184 --> 00:26:08,704 what many will consider moral bankruptcy." 518 00:26:08,705 --> 00:26:10,533 NIXON: We've been in touch, 519 00:26:10,534 --> 00:26:11,810 of course, with the Pakistanis 520 00:26:11,811 --> 00:26:15,193 through messages we've sent to President Yahya. 521 00:26:15,194 --> 00:26:17,609 And incidentally, he's been very forthcoming. 522 00:26:17,610 --> 00:26:19,059 Well, we can't be blamed for it. 523 00:26:19,060 --> 00:26:20,716 There are many, many areas of the world 524 00:26:20,717 --> 00:26:23,684 that, that we just can't, 525 00:26:23,685 --> 00:26:25,617 we can't be responsible for. 526 00:26:25,618 --> 00:26:27,999 HOSKINSON: I was shocked by the lack 527 00:26:28,000 --> 00:26:31,623 of reaction from Kissinger and Nixon. 528 00:26:31,624 --> 00:26:35,489 They seemed, uh, unaffected by it, 529 00:26:35,490 --> 00:26:39,977 except in, in the sense that they wanted it to go away. 530 00:26:41,254 --> 00:26:43,704 RAHMAN: As far as Kissinger was concerned, 531 00:26:43,705 --> 00:26:47,433 these lives in South Asia, they just didn't matter. 532 00:26:48,848 --> 00:26:51,817 We've never recovered the bodies of my uncles. 533 00:26:53,888 --> 00:26:55,440 SCHWARTZ: There could have been an arms cutoff, 534 00:26:55,441 --> 00:26:58,961 there could have been stronger measures taken against Pakistan 535 00:26:58,962 --> 00:27:00,032 which were not taken. 536 00:27:01,827 --> 00:27:02,965 BARBARA KEYS: Ultimately, it comes down 537 00:27:02,966 --> 00:27:04,587 to Kissinger's assessment 538 00:27:04,588 --> 00:27:07,590 that what matters is China, 539 00:27:07,591 --> 00:27:10,041 and what happens in East Pakistan 540 00:27:10,042 --> 00:27:15,426 is almost a footnote relative to these larger objectives. 541 00:27:16,462 --> 00:27:18,290 KISSINGER: There are governments in power 542 00:27:18,291 --> 00:27:22,467 that may not meet all our criteria 543 00:27:22,468 --> 00:27:25,159 for democratic principles, 544 00:27:25,160 --> 00:27:26,609 but the alternative to which 545 00:27:26,610 --> 00:27:30,371 are likely to be positively hostile to our interests. 546 00:27:30,372 --> 00:27:33,409 To manipulate the domestic politics 547 00:27:33,410 --> 00:27:34,721 of another country 548 00:27:34,722 --> 00:27:38,621 is always an extremely complicated matter. 549 00:27:38,622 --> 00:27:41,210 And you can start a process which you cannot control, 550 00:27:41,211 --> 00:27:43,005 and you may not know how to do it. 551 00:27:43,006 --> 00:27:46,837 ♪ 552 00:27:48,528 --> 00:27:49,736 JUAN GABRIEL VALDÉS: My first encounter 553 00:27:49,737 --> 00:27:51,703 with the "great man" 554 00:27:51,704 --> 00:27:56,604 was when there was a luncheon at our residence. 555 00:27:56,605 --> 00:27:59,193 My father was foreign affairs minister. 556 00:27:59,194 --> 00:28:03,370 And in this luncheon, there was a big debate, 557 00:28:03,371 --> 00:28:07,477 and Kissinger says, "Look, I don't care about Latin America. 558 00:28:07,478 --> 00:28:10,273 "I don't care about your development. 559 00:28:10,274 --> 00:28:13,207 "History doesn't go through the South. 560 00:28:13,208 --> 00:28:16,763 "History comes from Russia to Japan 561 00:28:16,764 --> 00:28:18,592 "to Europe and to the United States. 562 00:28:18,593 --> 00:28:20,836 The South has no importance." 563 00:28:20,837 --> 00:28:23,010 ♪ 564 00:28:23,011 --> 00:28:25,116 [bell ringing] 565 00:28:25,117 --> 00:28:26,634 KEYS: Kissinger called Chile 566 00:28:26,635 --> 00:28:29,707 "a dagger pointed at the heart of Antarctica." 567 00:28:29,708 --> 00:28:31,570 He did not think that Latin America 568 00:28:31,571 --> 00:28:33,020 was important. 569 00:28:33,021 --> 00:28:35,506 He, in fact, said, "Latin America is not important." 570 00:28:36,818 --> 00:28:38,612 VALDÉS: Chile was probably the country 571 00:28:38,613 --> 00:28:41,720 that first had a stable democracy in the region. 572 00:28:42,824 --> 00:28:45,758 We had a democracy even before some European countries. 573 00:28:46,794 --> 00:28:50,486 Salvador Allende was a person who had represented 574 00:28:50,487 --> 00:28:54,076 the hopes of the poor in Chile for decades. 575 00:28:54,077 --> 00:28:58,459 And poor people felt that he was their leader. 576 00:28:58,460 --> 00:28:59,944 [people chanting] 577 00:28:59,945 --> 00:29:02,049 PETER KORNBLUH: Allende was head of the Socialist Party. 578 00:29:02,050 --> 00:29:05,777 He believed in the need for social change, 579 00:29:05,778 --> 00:29:07,261 redistribution of wealth, 580 00:29:07,262 --> 00:29:10,126 and that this could be done through the, the ballot box. 581 00:29:10,127 --> 00:29:12,819 ARIEL DORFMAN: There is a sense in Kissinger 582 00:29:12,820 --> 00:29:15,235 that Allende's example 583 00:29:15,236 --> 00:29:17,927 could proliferate all over the continent. 584 00:29:17,928 --> 00:29:22,450 And he considers that one must stop the contagion. 585 00:29:23,451 --> 00:29:27,834 Allende made no secret of his determination 586 00:29:27,835 --> 00:29:31,389 to bring about a revolutionary transformation. 587 00:29:31,390 --> 00:29:34,426 FERGUSON: Nobody wanted another Cuba. 588 00:29:34,427 --> 00:29:37,326 And so, when any left-wing leader showed signs 589 00:29:37,327 --> 00:29:41,123 of coming to power in a Latin American country, 590 00:29:41,124 --> 00:29:43,401 the red lights started flashing 591 00:29:43,402 --> 00:29:45,817 on the dashboard in the Situation Room. 592 00:29:45,818 --> 00:29:49,165 ♪ 593 00:29:49,166 --> 00:29:52,928 KEYS: In the Cold War, every inch of territory matters. 594 00:29:52,929 --> 00:29:55,137 It's a zero-sum game. 595 00:29:55,138 --> 00:29:58,934 Any victory for the communists is a loss 596 00:29:58,935 --> 00:30:00,488 for the United States. 597 00:30:02,076 --> 00:30:03,939 KORNBLUH: And so, all eyes were on Chile 598 00:30:03,940 --> 00:30:08,322 on September 4, 1970, as this election took place. 599 00:30:08,323 --> 00:30:11,118 [people talking in background] 600 00:30:11,119 --> 00:30:15,813 ♪ 601 00:30:15,814 --> 00:30:18,643 KEYS: The presidential election in Chile in 1970 602 00:30:18,644 --> 00:30:22,440 is a three-way race in which Salvador Allende wins 603 00:30:22,441 --> 00:30:25,374 36.6% of the vote. 604 00:30:25,375 --> 00:30:27,376 [people cheering, car horns honking] 605 00:30:27,377 --> 00:30:30,724 DORFMAN: But this must be ratified by Congress. 606 00:30:30,725 --> 00:30:33,002 So, there is a chance for those who are against Allende 607 00:30:33,003 --> 00:30:37,318 to try to find a way to stop Allende from becoming president. 608 00:30:39,147 --> 00:30:41,597 KORNBLUH: Kissinger talks to C.I.A. director Richard Helms 609 00:30:41,598 --> 00:30:43,150 on the phone and basically says, 610 00:30:43,151 --> 00:30:45,187 "We cannot let Chile go down the drain." 611 00:30:45,188 --> 00:30:47,637 And Helms says, "I'm with you." 612 00:30:47,638 --> 00:30:50,192 And they start to plot out how they're going 613 00:30:50,193 --> 00:30:51,883 to keep Allende 614 00:30:51,884 --> 00:30:54,748 from actually being inaugurated as president. 615 00:30:54,749 --> 00:30:57,924 [chanting]: Allende! Allende! 616 00:30:57,925 --> 00:31:00,167 KEYS: Kissinger says, "I don't see why we should 617 00:31:00,168 --> 00:31:01,548 "let a country go communist 618 00:31:01,549 --> 00:31:03,101 "just because of the irresponsibility 619 00:31:03,102 --> 00:31:04,240 of its own people." 620 00:31:04,241 --> 00:31:07,969 [crowd clamoring] 621 00:31:08,936 --> 00:31:11,178 KORNBLUH: President Nixon called in to Richard Helms 622 00:31:11,179 --> 00:31:13,594 and Kissinger to the Oval Office, 623 00:31:13,595 --> 00:31:17,081 and Helms took handwritten notes on Nixon's orders. 624 00:31:17,082 --> 00:31:18,668 "Save Chile. 625 00:31:18,669 --> 00:31:20,325 "Don't tell the ambassador. 626 00:31:20,326 --> 00:31:21,948 "Make the economy scream. 627 00:31:21,949 --> 00:31:23,846 48-hour game plan." 628 00:31:23,847 --> 00:31:26,953 KEYS: Nixon authorizes two tracks, 629 00:31:26,954 --> 00:31:29,334 and then Kissinger carries these out. 630 00:31:29,335 --> 00:31:31,371 Track one is essentially an attempt 631 00:31:31,372 --> 00:31:33,649 to bribe the Chilean members of Congress 632 00:31:33,650 --> 00:31:36,203 from ratifying Allende. 633 00:31:36,204 --> 00:31:38,412 Track two is what becomes infamous. 634 00:31:38,413 --> 00:31:42,900 It is an effort to help the Chilean military 635 00:31:42,901 --> 00:31:45,765 institute a coup against Allende. 636 00:31:47,250 --> 00:31:50,079 VALDÉS: The Chilean "consultants" 637 00:31:50,080 --> 00:31:54,152 that the C.I.A. had and Kissinger had at the time 638 00:31:54,153 --> 00:31:56,637 recommended the kidnapping 639 00:31:56,638 --> 00:31:59,295 of the commander-in-chief of the armed forces. 640 00:31:59,296 --> 00:32:01,954 That meant General Schneider. 641 00:32:03,266 --> 00:32:04,645 KORNBLUH: General René Schneider, 642 00:32:04,646 --> 00:32:06,406 head of the Chilean armed forces, 643 00:32:06,407 --> 00:32:08,408 was pro-constitution. 644 00:32:08,409 --> 00:32:11,204 He was the principal obstacle to any coup plot 645 00:32:11,205 --> 00:32:12,964 involving the military, 646 00:32:12,965 --> 00:32:17,382 and so he had to be removed, neutralized, eliminated. 647 00:32:17,383 --> 00:32:19,729 [teletype machine clacking] 648 00:32:19,730 --> 00:32:21,352 VALDÉS: They sent machine guns 649 00:32:21,353 --> 00:32:23,388 through the pouch of the American embassy 650 00:32:23,389 --> 00:32:26,253 and $30,000 for the general 651 00:32:26,254 --> 00:32:28,774 who was in charge of Santiago. 652 00:32:31,121 --> 00:32:32,708 KORNBLUH: On October 22, 653 00:32:32,709 --> 00:32:35,504 General Schneider got into his car. 654 00:32:35,505 --> 00:32:38,058 The car drove three or four blocks. 655 00:32:38,059 --> 00:32:40,992 It was intercepted by several other vehicles 656 00:32:40,993 --> 00:32:43,270 filled with thugs. 657 00:32:43,271 --> 00:32:44,892 One thug got out with a sledgehammer 658 00:32:44,893 --> 00:32:46,723 and started smashing in the windows. 659 00:32:48,104 --> 00:32:51,451 VALDÉS: General Schneider had a, a gun, 660 00:32:51,452 --> 00:32:53,454 and he tried to defend himself, and they killed him. 661 00:32:54,627 --> 00:32:56,628 KORNBLUH: Henry Kissinger... [phone ringing] 662 00:32:56,629 --> 00:32:57,871 ...gets on the phone with Richard Nixon 663 00:32:57,872 --> 00:33:01,116 as General René Schneider lies dying 664 00:33:01,117 --> 00:33:02,496 in a military hospital, 665 00:33:02,497 --> 00:33:03,946 and he says, 666 00:33:03,947 --> 00:33:06,811 "The first step of the coup plot took place, 667 00:33:06,812 --> 00:33:10,090 "but, such an incompetent bunch, these Chilean military officers, 668 00:33:10,091 --> 00:33:12,714 that the rest of the plot is not going forward." 669 00:33:14,095 --> 00:33:16,994 [crowd murmuring] 670 00:33:16,995 --> 00:33:19,030 [bell ringing] 671 00:33:19,031 --> 00:33:20,342 VALDÉS: The shock 672 00:33:20,343 --> 00:33:23,621 that this murder produced in Chilean society, 673 00:33:23,622 --> 00:33:27,038 instead of weakening Allende, 674 00:33:27,039 --> 00:33:29,661 gave an enormous strength to the election of Allende. 675 00:33:29,662 --> 00:33:31,525 [crowd chanting] 676 00:33:31,526 --> 00:33:33,596 Allende, therefore, was proclaimed president 677 00:33:33,597 --> 00:33:35,219 ten days later. 678 00:33:35,220 --> 00:33:37,324 [crowd cheering and applauding] 679 00:33:37,325 --> 00:33:40,189 KEYS: Kissinger does not give up. 680 00:33:40,190 --> 00:33:42,122 He wants Allende out of there. 681 00:33:42,123 --> 00:33:45,540 So there's an American effort to undermine his government. 682 00:33:46,990 --> 00:33:50,027 And that includes cutting off loans and aid, 683 00:33:50,028 --> 00:33:54,479 funding opposition parties, opposition media, 684 00:33:54,480 --> 00:33:57,310 and fomenting strikes. 685 00:33:57,311 --> 00:33:59,484 VALDÉS: The first thing that Nixon said 686 00:33:59,485 --> 00:34:01,590 after the election of Allende was, 687 00:34:01,591 --> 00:34:02,936 "Make the economy scream." 688 00:34:02,937 --> 00:34:04,973 In fact, the economy screamed. 689 00:34:06,423 --> 00:34:10,081 A country becomes tense, becomes polarized, 690 00:34:10,082 --> 00:34:13,050 and then you have a society which was a healthy society 691 00:34:13,051 --> 00:34:14,499 in political terms 692 00:34:14,500 --> 00:34:18,124 that becomes absolutely out of control. 693 00:34:18,125 --> 00:34:20,160 [people shouting, weapons firing] 694 00:34:20,161 --> 00:34:24,026 REPORTER: Army, navy, air force, and national police 695 00:34:24,027 --> 00:34:26,201 staged the coup that ends 46 years 696 00:34:26,202 --> 00:34:28,306 of democratic rule in Chile. 697 00:34:28,307 --> 00:34:31,897 The military moves in, the palace is surrounded. 698 00:34:33,105 --> 00:34:35,175 KORNBLUH: September 11, 1973, 699 00:34:35,176 --> 00:34:39,490 the Chilean military undertook a very violent coup. 700 00:34:39,491 --> 00:34:41,561 They launched rocket attacks, 701 00:34:41,562 --> 00:34:43,632 bombarding the Moneda Palace. 702 00:34:43,633 --> 00:34:45,876 [explosions pound] 703 00:34:53,953 --> 00:34:56,507 VALDÉS: Allende was in the presidential palace. 704 00:34:56,508 --> 00:34:58,510 He began talking on the radio. 705 00:35:01,547 --> 00:35:03,238 VALDÉS: He persuaded the rest of the people who were inside 706 00:35:03,239 --> 00:35:05,103 to leave the palace. 707 00:35:07,277 --> 00:35:08,726 When they were leaving the palace, 708 00:35:08,727 --> 00:35:10,555 one of the doctors of Allende 709 00:35:10,556 --> 00:35:13,593 decided that he would come back 710 00:35:13,594 --> 00:35:15,733 to where the office of the president was, 711 00:35:15,734 --> 00:35:17,631 and he saw Allende sitting 712 00:35:17,632 --> 00:35:20,808 with a machine gun here, and he shot himself. 713 00:35:24,191 --> 00:35:26,226 KEYS: There is no direct evidence 714 00:35:26,227 --> 00:35:30,989 that Nixon and Kissinger knew about that coup in advance, 715 00:35:30,990 --> 00:35:33,647 and there's no evidence that they helped plan it. 716 00:35:33,648 --> 00:35:37,099 But they were thrilled that Allende was gone, 717 00:35:37,100 --> 00:35:41,172 and they immediately threw U.S. support behind Pinochet. 718 00:35:41,173 --> 00:35:42,829 [band playing] 719 00:35:42,830 --> 00:35:44,002 VALDÉS: Augusto Pinochet 720 00:35:44,003 --> 00:35:45,901 was the commander-in-chief of the army 721 00:35:45,902 --> 00:35:47,558 at the moment in which the coup happened. 722 00:35:47,559 --> 00:35:48,628 [shouts in Spanish] 723 00:35:48,629 --> 00:35:50,008 [respond in Spanish] 724 00:35:50,009 --> 00:35:52,701 VALDÉS: Pinochet came late to the conspiracy 725 00:35:52,702 --> 00:35:56,567 to organize a coup, and in order to persuade 726 00:35:56,568 --> 00:35:58,983 those who had been from the first moment 727 00:35:58,984 --> 00:36:00,536 in favor of the coup, 728 00:36:00,537 --> 00:36:04,161 he had to be more brutal than them when he took power. 729 00:36:04,162 --> 00:36:07,750 ♪ 730 00:36:07,751 --> 00:36:10,028 KYLE BURKE: Pinochet began rounding up 731 00:36:10,029 --> 00:36:13,135 leftists and suspected subversives, 732 00:36:13,136 --> 00:36:16,897 gathered them up in a series of detention centers, 733 00:36:16,898 --> 00:36:19,314 including the national soccer stadium, 734 00:36:19,315 --> 00:36:23,594 and began the process of executing many of them. 735 00:36:23,595 --> 00:36:26,217 Many were tortured for information. 736 00:36:26,218 --> 00:36:30,048 Many more were tortured simply for the purpose 737 00:36:30,049 --> 00:36:32,259 of instilling the Chilean population with fear. 738 00:36:34,364 --> 00:36:35,916 VALDÉS: There were thousands of people killed, 739 00:36:35,917 --> 00:36:37,504 thousands of people tortured, 740 00:36:37,505 --> 00:36:40,438 thousands of people who had to live abroad forever. 741 00:36:40,439 --> 00:36:42,923 I would say that it is incomparable 742 00:36:42,924 --> 00:36:46,721 to any other event in, in our history. 743 00:36:48,136 --> 00:36:51,173 KORNBLUH: After the coup, Nixon seems preoccupied 744 00:36:51,174 --> 00:36:53,486 that the United States might be exposed, 745 00:36:53,487 --> 00:36:56,213 and Kissinger says, we didn't do it. 746 00:36:56,214 --> 00:36:59,802 I mean, we helped them "create the conditions 747 00:36:59,803 --> 00:37:02,047 as best as possible." 748 00:37:04,498 --> 00:37:07,810 KEYS: You would think that as a refugee from Nazi Germany, 749 00:37:07,811 --> 00:37:12,056 that Kissinger would be deeply committed to democracy. 750 00:37:12,057 --> 00:37:14,748 But he seemed to think that it was not a problem at all 751 00:37:14,749 --> 00:37:16,750 to have dictators be on the side of the U.S. 752 00:37:16,751 --> 00:37:17,856 in the struggle against communism. 753 00:37:18,960 --> 00:37:20,547 And in cases like Chile, 754 00:37:20,548 --> 00:37:24,413 he was clearly willing to subvert democracy. 755 00:37:24,414 --> 00:37:27,416 The argument that Kissinger makes is 756 00:37:27,417 --> 00:37:29,453 that everything that he is doing is in the service 757 00:37:29,454 --> 00:37:31,696 of the best outcome for the world. 758 00:37:31,697 --> 00:37:34,906 He's thinking about the global chessboard. 759 00:37:34,907 --> 00:37:36,908 And the fact that there are gonna be people suffering, 760 00:37:36,909 --> 00:37:38,531 dying on the ground, 761 00:37:38,532 --> 00:37:41,188 that to him is a necessary consequence 762 00:37:41,189 --> 00:37:43,294 of pursuing policies that are going 763 00:37:43,295 --> 00:37:45,020 to result in global stability. 764 00:37:45,021 --> 00:37:50,301 ♪ 765 00:37:50,302 --> 00:37:52,924 REPORTER: Russia puts on its annual May Day show of strength 766 00:37:52,925 --> 00:37:55,100 in these just-released films from Moscow. 767 00:37:56,722 --> 00:37:59,724 FERGUSON: The Soviet Union at the beginning 768 00:37:59,725 --> 00:38:01,312 of the Nixon administration 769 00:38:01,313 --> 00:38:04,039 had good reason to think that they were winning the Cold War. 770 00:38:04,040 --> 00:38:05,523 ♪ 771 00:38:05,524 --> 00:38:08,595 The United States was bogged down in Vietnam, 772 00:38:08,596 --> 00:38:09,942 but that wasn't its only problem. 773 00:38:11,254 --> 00:38:12,668 With every passing year, 774 00:38:12,669 --> 00:38:15,809 the Soviets built more nuclear weapons 775 00:38:15,810 --> 00:38:17,673 until they achieved parity, 776 00:38:17,674 --> 00:38:19,503 and then overtook the United States 777 00:38:19,504 --> 00:38:21,540 in terms of the size of their nuclear arsenal. 778 00:38:23,301 --> 00:38:26,406 SURI: From 1945, from Hiroshima, 779 00:38:26,407 --> 00:38:29,202 until the early '70s, 780 00:38:29,203 --> 00:38:30,928 it's a breakneck race to build 781 00:38:30,929 --> 00:38:32,101 more nuclear weapons. 782 00:38:32,102 --> 00:38:34,345 This was a very unstable situation, 783 00:38:34,346 --> 00:38:36,174 and there was no obvious end to it. 784 00:38:36,175 --> 00:38:37,797 [explosion roars] 785 00:38:37,798 --> 00:38:40,006 KISSINGER: When the decision of peace and war involves 786 00:38:40,007 --> 00:38:43,078 the survival of tens of millions of people, 787 00:38:43,079 --> 00:38:45,149 you're no longer playing power politics 788 00:38:45,150 --> 00:38:46,530 in the traditional sense. 789 00:38:46,531 --> 00:38:49,153 To conduct confrontation politics 790 00:38:49,154 --> 00:38:52,501 when the stakes are going to be determined 791 00:38:52,502 --> 00:38:54,331 by nuclear weapons 792 00:38:54,332 --> 00:38:55,815 is the height of irresponsibility. 793 00:38:55,816 --> 00:38:57,782 This is what we mean by "détente." 794 00:38:57,783 --> 00:38:59,025 [people exclaiming] 795 00:38:59,026 --> 00:39:01,752 FERGUSON: "Détente" is a French word 796 00:39:01,753 --> 00:39:04,996 that really just meant improving relations. 797 00:39:04,997 --> 00:39:08,379 It was about buying some time, 798 00:39:08,380 --> 00:39:11,244 reducing the risk of World War III, 799 00:39:11,245 --> 00:39:12,901 and trying to recover 800 00:39:12,902 --> 00:39:14,834 from what was becoming 801 00:39:14,835 --> 00:39:17,940 the insolvable problem of Vietnam. 802 00:39:17,941 --> 00:39:20,357 [crowd talking in background] 803 00:39:20,358 --> 00:39:21,944 CAROLYN EISENBERG: Kissinger definitely saw 804 00:39:21,945 --> 00:39:25,465 a role for the Soviet Union in the resolution of Vietnam, 805 00:39:25,466 --> 00:39:30,332 and he is very clear 806 00:39:30,333 --> 00:39:32,403 that he's interested in getting help from them 807 00:39:32,404 --> 00:39:34,406 in bringing this to a close. 808 00:39:35,511 --> 00:39:37,408 FERGUSON: Kissinger would creatively suggest 809 00:39:37,409 --> 00:39:39,410 the possibility of a summit meeting, 810 00:39:39,411 --> 00:39:42,965 and the Soviets would say, "Nyet." 811 00:39:42,966 --> 00:39:48,281 This changed with the opening to China. 812 00:39:48,282 --> 00:39:50,041 KISSINGER: When we opened to China, 813 00:39:50,042 --> 00:39:53,251 the Soviets suddenly realized that we had 814 00:39:53,252 --> 00:39:57,463 a bigger canvas to paint on than they had calculated. 815 00:39:57,464 --> 00:39:59,742 And in that sense, there was leverage. 816 00:40:01,226 --> 00:40:03,503 SMITH: The Soviets who are looking at the world stage 817 00:40:03,504 --> 00:40:04,849 are saying, "Wait a minute. 818 00:40:04,850 --> 00:40:06,989 "We've just been outflanked. 819 00:40:06,990 --> 00:40:10,234 "And if we don't get into talks with the Americans 820 00:40:10,235 --> 00:40:14,411 "and strike a deal that makes us an equal superpower, 821 00:40:14,412 --> 00:40:17,172 the Chinese are gonna replace us." 822 00:40:17,173 --> 00:40:19,070 Good evening. 823 00:40:19,071 --> 00:40:20,762 President Nixon has announced that he'll be going 824 00:40:20,763 --> 00:40:22,280 to Moscow next May 825 00:40:22,281 --> 00:40:24,593 for a summit conference with Soviet leaders. 826 00:40:24,594 --> 00:40:26,906 It'll be the first trip to the Soviet Union 827 00:40:26,907 --> 00:40:29,426 by an American president since Franklin Roosevelt 828 00:40:29,427 --> 00:40:32,187 journeyed to Yalta in the waning days of World War II. 829 00:40:32,188 --> 00:40:35,362 ♪ 830 00:40:35,363 --> 00:40:37,088 NEGROPONTE: Kissinger and Nixon 831 00:40:37,089 --> 00:40:39,850 accepted an invitation to stay in the Kremlin. 832 00:40:39,851 --> 00:40:42,093 I mean, 833 00:40:42,094 --> 00:40:43,992 whether you, as president of the United States, 834 00:40:43,993 --> 00:40:45,890 would have wanted everything you did... 835 00:40:45,891 --> 00:40:49,342 [chuckling]: ...in your guest room bugged and photographed, 836 00:40:49,343 --> 00:40:50,688 I don't know. 837 00:40:50,689 --> 00:40:53,208 But that's, that's what Henry agreed to do. 838 00:40:53,209 --> 00:40:56,592 So they stayed in the Kremlin. 839 00:40:58,456 --> 00:41:02,355 ALVANDI: The Soviet leadership had installed Leonid Brezhnev. 840 00:41:02,356 --> 00:41:03,805 Not the sharpest knife in the drawer 841 00:41:03,806 --> 00:41:05,428 intellectually, let's put it that way. 842 00:41:06,567 --> 00:41:10,190 SMITH: Brezhnev is a classic Communist Party apparatchik 843 00:41:10,191 --> 00:41:12,020 who has risen to the top 844 00:41:12,021 --> 00:41:17,405 by being very careful at playing all sides against each other. 845 00:41:18,406 --> 00:41:20,442 He's not a thug, 846 00:41:20,443 --> 00:41:22,307 but he's not very far from a thug. [chuckling] 847 00:41:24,551 --> 00:41:27,587 ♪ 848 00:41:27,588 --> 00:41:30,659 FERGUSON: The most surreal moment in their relationship 849 00:41:30,660 --> 00:41:34,421 must have been when Brezhnev treated Kissinger to a visit 850 00:41:34,422 --> 00:41:37,115 to his hunting lodge. 851 00:41:38,599 --> 00:41:41,359 Henry Kissinger was not the kind of person 852 00:41:41,360 --> 00:41:45,951 who goes shooting wild boar as a recreational pastime. 853 00:42:07,214 --> 00:42:09,387 NEGROPONTE: I participated in the meeting with Brezhnev 854 00:42:09,388 --> 00:42:10,596 at his dacha. 855 00:42:10,597 --> 00:42:13,185 It was an evening devoted to Vietnam. 856 00:42:14,290 --> 00:42:16,878 LORD: The meeting was just three or four top Soviet leaders, 857 00:42:16,879 --> 00:42:17,982 including Brezhnev, 858 00:42:17,983 --> 00:42:20,571 took turns lambasting Nixon 859 00:42:20,572 --> 00:42:23,574 about his Vietnam policy, 860 00:42:23,575 --> 00:42:26,612 all of which was to show Hanoi how tough they were. 861 00:42:26,613 --> 00:42:29,373 NEGROPONTE: And we met for four hours! 862 00:42:29,374 --> 00:42:32,410 And I remember Nixon leaning over to Kissinger saying, 863 00:42:32,411 --> 00:42:34,930 you know, "Jesus Christ, we gotta get out of here." 864 00:42:34,931 --> 00:42:36,587 [chuckling]: At that point, Brezhnev says, 865 00:42:36,588 --> 00:42:38,382 "Well, now we're going upstairs for dinner." 866 00:42:38,383 --> 00:42:40,315 [people talking in background] 867 00:42:40,316 --> 00:42:42,593 LORD: The whole mood changed, 868 00:42:42,594 --> 00:42:44,595 everyone got half-drunk. 869 00:42:44,596 --> 00:42:47,736 And then, toward the end of that dinner, 870 00:42:47,737 --> 00:42:50,049 Brezhnev says to Nixon, "I think Kissinger should go off 871 00:42:50,050 --> 00:42:53,294 and negotiate with my people on, on the SALT agreement." 872 00:42:55,158 --> 00:42:59,610 FERGUSON: SALT was the first treaty ever negotiated 873 00:42:59,611 --> 00:43:01,578 to limit the growth 874 00:43:01,579 --> 00:43:06,513 of what were euphemistically called "strategic arms." 875 00:43:06,514 --> 00:43:09,240 ♪ 876 00:43:09,241 --> 00:43:10,828 NEGROPONTE: We go back to Moscow. 877 00:43:10,829 --> 00:43:14,073 We needed to Xerox the SALT treaty, 878 00:43:14,074 --> 00:43:15,661 because it was being signed. 879 00:43:15,662 --> 00:43:19,285 And suddenly, the Xerox machine wouldn't work anymore. 880 00:43:19,286 --> 00:43:22,219 And so Henry goes to the Xerox machine, 881 00:43:22,220 --> 00:43:25,878 he grabs the treaty, he holds it up to the chandelier. 882 00:43:25,879 --> 00:43:29,813 And he says, "General Antonov"-- Antonov was our KGB minder. 883 00:43:29,814 --> 00:43:31,331 [laughing]: He said, "General Antonov, 884 00:43:31,332 --> 00:43:33,817 can I have six copies of this, please?" 885 00:43:33,818 --> 00:43:36,199 [laughs] 886 00:43:37,476 --> 00:43:39,581 REPORTER: SALT I was signed. 887 00:43:39,582 --> 00:43:42,239 One of the results was the anti-ballistic missile treaty 888 00:43:42,240 --> 00:43:45,000 and agreement to shelve the elaborate and expensive 889 00:43:45,001 --> 00:43:46,830 anti-ballistic missile apparatus in the U.S. 890 00:43:46,831 --> 00:43:48,246 and the Soviet Union. 891 00:43:49,903 --> 00:43:52,249 FERGUSON: The first SALT agreement 892 00:43:52,250 --> 00:43:55,252 was not a trivial achievement. 893 00:43:55,253 --> 00:43:57,599 Of course, it didn't stop the Soviets 894 00:43:57,600 --> 00:43:59,981 building nuclear warheads, 895 00:43:59,982 --> 00:44:02,639 but I think, from Kissinger's point of view, 896 00:44:02,640 --> 00:44:05,814 you'd created a new basis for the relationship, 897 00:44:05,815 --> 00:44:08,679 and you'd at least created a mode within which 898 00:44:08,680 --> 00:44:13,615 arms limitation could be achieved. 899 00:44:13,616 --> 00:44:15,030 ♪ 900 00:44:15,031 --> 00:44:18,378 SMITH: The psychological impact was powerful. 901 00:44:18,379 --> 00:44:21,036 Powerful because we're acknowledging 902 00:44:21,037 --> 00:44:23,660 we're vulnerable to each other, and we're saying, 903 00:44:23,661 --> 00:44:26,732 "Hey, this is crazy to keep spending money this way 904 00:44:26,733 --> 00:44:28,630 and threatening each other." 905 00:44:28,631 --> 00:44:30,218 ♪ 906 00:44:30,219 --> 00:44:31,702 My recollection is, 907 00:44:31,703 --> 00:44:34,256 they let Nixon go on Soviet television, 908 00:44:34,257 --> 00:44:37,674 which was unheard of-- we couldn't believe it. 909 00:44:37,675 --> 00:44:39,468 NIXON: Dobry vecher. 910 00:44:39,469 --> 00:44:42,126 I deeply appreciate this opportunity 911 00:44:42,127 --> 00:44:44,715 your government has given me to speak directly 912 00:44:44,716 --> 00:44:47,684 with the people of the Soviet Union, 913 00:44:47,685 --> 00:44:49,547 to bring you a message of friendship 914 00:44:49,548 --> 00:44:51,860 from all the people of the United States. 915 00:44:51,861 --> 00:44:53,586 SCHWARTZ: The SALT agreement at the time 916 00:44:53,587 --> 00:44:55,865 was seen almost as the end of the Cold War. 917 00:44:57,142 --> 00:44:59,454 To many Americans, the idea that the Soviets 918 00:44:59,455 --> 00:45:01,594 and the Americans could actually meet 919 00:45:01,595 --> 00:45:03,976 and negotiate about their arms 920 00:45:03,977 --> 00:45:05,632 signaled that we were not headed 921 00:45:05,633 --> 00:45:07,394 toward nuclear destruction. 922 00:45:09,534 --> 00:45:12,018 ALVANDI: What it really did was establish a relationship of trust. 923 00:45:12,019 --> 00:45:15,815 They weren't two enemies 924 00:45:15,816 --> 00:45:17,887 on either sides of the barricades anymore. 925 00:45:19,578 --> 00:45:23,029 But détente did not end the Vietnam War. 926 00:45:23,030 --> 00:45:26,032 The Vietnamese Communist Party was not going to abandon 927 00:45:26,033 --> 00:45:30,347 the idea of reunifying Vietnam simply because Moscow said so. 928 00:45:30,348 --> 00:45:33,522 I think Nixon and Kissinger and a lot of other people 929 00:45:33,523 --> 00:45:37,009 saw the North Vietnamese as being linked to 930 00:45:37,010 --> 00:45:40,460 and run by the Russians and the Chinese, and they weren't. 931 00:45:40,461 --> 00:45:42,773 They were running the war themselves 932 00:45:42,774 --> 00:45:45,742 for their own national mission. 933 00:45:45,743 --> 00:45:50,332 ♪ 934 00:45:50,333 --> 00:45:52,576 REPORTER: This was the 17th private meeting 935 00:45:52,577 --> 00:45:54,371 and the fourth time in the last two months 936 00:45:54,372 --> 00:45:58,030 that Kissinger has met secretly with Le Duc Tho and Xuan Thuy. 937 00:45:58,031 --> 00:46:00,377 He left the meeting grim-faced and solemn, 938 00:46:00,378 --> 00:46:02,068 without answering questions, 939 00:46:02,069 --> 00:46:04,762 giving no indication of what happened inside. 940 00:46:06,211 --> 00:46:08,281 FERGUSON: The pace of negotiations 941 00:46:08,282 --> 00:46:13,424 with the North Vietnamese picked up in 1971-72. 942 00:46:13,425 --> 00:46:18,223 A big question was what exactly Kissinger was playing for. 943 00:46:19,397 --> 00:46:23,193 Was he playing for the long-term survival 944 00:46:23,194 --> 00:46:25,816 of South Vietnam? 945 00:46:25,817 --> 00:46:28,198 Or was he playing for a decent interval, 946 00:46:28,199 --> 00:46:30,372 a respectable amount of time 947 00:46:30,373 --> 00:46:33,444 that South Vietnam would survive, 948 00:46:33,445 --> 00:46:37,897 long enough for, say, Richard Nixon to get re-elected? 949 00:46:37,898 --> 00:46:39,692 [cheering and applauding] 950 00:46:39,693 --> 00:46:41,901 REPORTER: Mr. Nixon is running for a second term, 951 00:46:41,902 --> 00:46:43,938 but as he does, 952 00:46:43,939 --> 00:46:46,699 what happens in the war is his responsibility. 953 00:46:46,700 --> 00:46:49,150 CROWD: Four more years! 954 00:46:49,151 --> 00:46:52,118 FERGUSON: Nixon and Kissinger could sometimes sound as if they 955 00:46:52,119 --> 00:46:55,018 were focused on getting through the '72 election, 956 00:46:55,019 --> 00:46:57,123 and after that, the fate of South Vietnam 957 00:46:57,124 --> 00:46:59,609 would really not be their problem. 958 00:47:00,645 --> 00:47:02,784 NEGROPONTE: If you read some of the tapes, 959 00:47:02,785 --> 00:47:05,200 there's one place where Nixon and Kissinger are talking, 960 00:47:05,201 --> 00:47:07,030 and Kissinger says to Nixon, 961 00:47:07,031 --> 00:47:09,584 "Well, Mr. President, if Saigon collapses 962 00:47:09,585 --> 00:47:12,138 "before the election, you really have a problem. 963 00:47:12,139 --> 00:47:15,315 But if it collapses afterwards, it doesn't really matter." 964 00:47:31,918 --> 00:47:35,541 LORD: The North Vietnamese worried about Nixon getting re-elected. 965 00:47:35,542 --> 00:47:37,232 Their latest offensive had been 966 00:47:37,233 --> 00:47:39,890 blunted by our military response. 967 00:47:39,891 --> 00:47:42,375 They thought Nixon might be anxious 968 00:47:42,376 --> 00:47:44,862 for a settlement before the election. 969 00:47:45,897 --> 00:47:47,898 The breakthrough came in early October 970 00:47:47,899 --> 00:47:51,591 when Le Duc Tho handed us a counter-proposal 971 00:47:51,592 --> 00:47:54,387 which essentially left the South Vietnamese government in place. 972 00:47:54,388 --> 00:47:55,941 [speaking indistinctly] 973 00:47:55,942 --> 00:47:59,634 LORD: As soon as Le Duc Tho read out his proposal to us, 974 00:47:59,635 --> 00:48:02,292 we called for a break in the negotiations, 975 00:48:02,293 --> 00:48:05,226 and Henry and I went outside in the Paris garden, 976 00:48:05,227 --> 00:48:06,883 and we shook hands 977 00:48:06,884 --> 00:48:08,988 and smiled at each other and said, "We've done it!" 978 00:48:08,989 --> 00:48:10,990 ♪ 979 00:48:10,991 --> 00:48:13,096 SCHWARTZ: Kissinger was overjoyed. 980 00:48:13,097 --> 00:48:17,031 And he was absolutely convinced that the October Agreement 981 00:48:17,032 --> 00:48:19,103 was the real achievement for American diplomacy. 982 00:48:21,070 --> 00:48:23,244 NEGROPONTE: Kissinger went back to Washington, 983 00:48:23,245 --> 00:48:25,349 and, on the 26th of October, 984 00:48:25,350 --> 00:48:27,213 had a famous press conference 985 00:48:27,214 --> 00:48:30,665 where he said peace was at hand. 986 00:48:30,666 --> 00:48:32,391 REPORTER: Months of secret meetings, 987 00:48:32,392 --> 00:48:35,118 days of persistent rumors, reached their climax 988 00:48:35,119 --> 00:48:39,777 as presidential adviser Henry Kissinger met with reporters. 989 00:48:39,778 --> 00:48:43,851 We believe that peace is at hand. 990 00:48:45,819 --> 00:48:47,268 SCHWARTZ: What he overlooked, of course, 991 00:48:47,269 --> 00:48:49,685 was whether he could get the South Vietnamese to agree. 992 00:48:51,411 --> 00:48:53,653 LORD: Henry and I were quite optimistic 993 00:48:53,654 --> 00:48:56,070 that, with some nudging and reassurance 994 00:48:56,071 --> 00:48:57,692 about support in the future, 995 00:48:57,693 --> 00:49:00,039 that President Thieu would be so pleased 996 00:49:00,040 --> 00:49:01,489 that we'd get him aboard. 997 00:49:01,490 --> 00:49:05,493 But we went in there, and we ran into a buzzsaw. 998 00:49:05,494 --> 00:49:08,013 REPORTER: The Saigon government-controlled radio 999 00:49:08,014 --> 00:49:09,531 says any separate agreement 1000 00:49:09,532 --> 00:49:11,809 between North Vietnam and the United States 1001 00:49:11,810 --> 00:49:14,779 will not concern South Vietnam in any way. 1002 00:49:16,022 --> 00:49:18,540 SCHWARTZ: There were about 100,000 North Vietnamese troops 1003 00:49:18,541 --> 00:49:20,439 in South Vietnam at the time, 1004 00:49:20,440 --> 00:49:24,098 and the South Vietnamese government wanted them out. 1005 00:49:24,099 --> 00:49:26,031 But the agreement 1006 00:49:26,032 --> 00:49:27,998 did not insist that North Vietnamese troops 1007 00:49:27,999 --> 00:49:29,587 withdraw from South Vietnam. 1008 00:49:31,692 --> 00:49:33,831 EISENBERG: The South Vietnamese government blows up. 1009 00:49:33,832 --> 00:49:35,661 They're absolutely furious. 1010 00:49:35,662 --> 00:49:38,457 And they make that clear immediately, 1011 00:49:38,458 --> 00:49:40,873 that they, this is completely unacceptable, 1012 00:49:40,874 --> 00:49:42,220 it's a sellout. 1013 00:49:43,670 --> 00:49:45,395 NEGROPONTE: We excluded them entirely 1014 00:49:45,396 --> 00:49:48,881 from the negotiation of their own fate. 1015 00:49:48,882 --> 00:49:50,158 I mean, this is a negotiation 1016 00:49:50,159 --> 00:49:51,677 about the future of South Vietnam. 1017 00:49:51,678 --> 00:49:55,474 REPORTER: Henry Kissinger confirming Radio Hanoi's claim 1018 00:49:55,475 --> 00:49:57,648 that October 31 had been tentatively agreed upon 1019 00:49:57,649 --> 00:50:00,065 as the date for signing a Vietnam ceasefire. 1020 00:50:00,066 --> 00:50:02,999 But Kissinger went on to say Saigon's President Thieu 1021 00:50:03,000 --> 00:50:05,829 declined to go along until more guarantees were given. 1022 00:50:05,830 --> 00:50:09,039 SCHWARTZ: I think he believed that we had 1023 00:50:09,040 --> 00:50:11,697 such leverage on the South Vietnamese, 1024 00:50:11,698 --> 00:50:14,149 and that they didn't really have a choice. 1025 00:50:15,874 --> 00:50:18,290 [band playing "Hail to the Chief"] 1026 00:50:18,291 --> 00:50:20,706 REPORTER: Richard Nixon, re-elected president 1027 00:50:20,707 --> 00:50:22,846 by one of the largest margins in history. 1028 00:50:22,847 --> 00:50:25,780 The mandate he sought he got. 1029 00:50:25,781 --> 00:50:28,300 [crowd cheering and applauding, music ends] 1030 00:50:28,301 --> 00:50:29,956 LORD: After the election, 1031 00:50:29,957 --> 00:50:33,443 we re-engaged the North Vietnamese in negotiations. 1032 00:50:33,444 --> 00:50:35,755 And not only did we not make progress, 1033 00:50:35,756 --> 00:50:37,895 but they began to, to slip back 1034 00:50:37,896 --> 00:50:39,864 on some of the concessions they had made. 1035 00:50:40,899 --> 00:50:42,831 KISSINGER: I was extremely depressed, 1036 00:50:42,832 --> 00:50:45,869 because things had reached the point where we were so close 1037 00:50:45,870 --> 00:50:47,836 to a settlement, and the thing blew up again. 1038 00:50:47,837 --> 00:50:49,942 I warned Hanoi that we would do something. 1039 00:50:49,943 --> 00:50:51,323 I didn't tell them what, 1040 00:50:51,324 --> 00:50:53,395 because I didn't know what we were going to do. 1041 00:50:54,672 --> 00:50:57,398 BRIGHAM: Kissinger said repeatedly, "This raggedy-ass 1042 00:50:57,399 --> 00:50:59,365 "fourth-rate country has a breaking point. 1043 00:50:59,366 --> 00:51:00,504 I'm going to find it." 1044 00:51:00,505 --> 00:51:03,680 KISSINGER: Nixon was of the view 1045 00:51:03,681 --> 00:51:06,201 that something shocking had to be done. 1046 00:51:07,374 --> 00:51:09,997 And I think Nixon turned out to be right. 1047 00:51:14,278 --> 00:51:18,936 SCHWARTZ: Nixon and Kissinger decide on a massive bombing campaign: 1048 00:51:18,937 --> 00:51:20,973 the so-called Christmas bombing. 1049 00:51:20,974 --> 00:51:26,496 [explosions pounding] 1050 00:51:26,497 --> 00:51:28,636 NEWS ANCHOR: North Vietnam has gone through another day 1051 00:51:28,637 --> 00:51:30,120 of the most intense bombing 1052 00:51:30,121 --> 00:51:31,501 in the history of the Indochina war. 1053 00:51:31,502 --> 00:51:33,572 REPORTER: North Vietnamese officials claim 1054 00:51:33,573 --> 00:51:35,884 that thousands of civilians have been killed 1055 00:51:35,885 --> 00:51:37,265 or wounded, 1056 00:51:37,266 --> 00:51:39,198 and that large sections of Hanoi have been wiped out. 1057 00:51:39,199 --> 00:51:41,097 [people calling, crying in background] 1058 00:51:41,098 --> 00:51:45,101 EISENBERG: The Christmas bombing inflicted tremendous damage 1059 00:51:45,102 --> 00:51:47,414 not only to their soldiers, but to civilians. 1060 00:51:48,622 --> 00:51:51,038 It was just inflicting as much damage as you could. 1061 00:51:52,626 --> 00:51:54,834 LORD: A lot of people said, "Oh, this was heartless 1062 00:51:54,835 --> 00:51:57,423 and lots of innocent people were killed." 1063 00:51:57,424 --> 00:52:00,392 Now, I'm sure there was some collateral damage. 1064 00:52:00,393 --> 00:52:02,635 But basically, we did hit military targets. 1065 00:52:02,636 --> 00:52:06,881 ♪ 1066 00:52:06,882 --> 00:52:09,332 BRIGHAM: Kissinger believed the Christmas bombings 1067 00:52:09,333 --> 00:52:12,163 actually drove Hanoi back to the bargaining table. 1068 00:52:13,371 --> 00:52:14,613 Good morning from New York. 1069 00:52:14,614 --> 00:52:16,822 Peace is not only at hand, it is here. 1070 00:52:16,823 --> 00:52:20,205 KISSINGER: There is to be issued a new order 1071 00:52:20,206 --> 00:52:23,587 on the ceasefire, which is to go into effect 1072 00:52:23,588 --> 00:52:26,866 roughly 36 hours from now, 1073 00:52:26,867 --> 00:52:30,215 and which we hope, and expect, 1074 00:52:30,216 --> 00:52:33,735 will be implemented fully. 1075 00:52:33,736 --> 00:52:35,185 ♪ 1076 00:52:35,186 --> 00:52:36,980 LIEN-HANG NGUYEN: The Paris agreement to end the war 1077 00:52:36,981 --> 00:52:39,431 and restore the peace failed to do either. 1078 00:52:39,432 --> 00:52:40,984 It did not end the war, it did not end the fighting, 1079 00:52:40,985 --> 00:52:44,161 and it did not bring about peace and stability to Vietnam. 1080 00:52:46,163 --> 00:52:48,854 All that it achieved was allowing the United States 1081 00:52:48,855 --> 00:52:51,271 to withdraw militarily from Vietnam. 1082 00:52:52,479 --> 00:52:54,860 Kissinger knew full well 1083 00:52:54,861 --> 00:52:57,690 that the fighting would resume 1084 00:52:57,691 --> 00:53:00,487 even before the ink would dry on the piece of paper. 1085 00:53:02,248 --> 00:53:04,387 FARRELL: Nixon and Kissinger definitely knew 1086 00:53:04,388 --> 00:53:08,322 the deal they signed in January 1973 would condemn 1087 00:53:08,323 --> 00:53:11,740 South Vietnam to eventual defeat. 1088 00:53:17,263 --> 00:53:19,229 [band playing "Hail to the Chief"] 1089 00:53:19,230 --> 00:53:21,093 [crowd cheering and applauding] 1090 00:53:21,094 --> 00:53:23,060 ANNOUNCER: Ladies and gentlemen, 1091 00:53:23,061 --> 00:53:25,235 the president of the United States. 1092 00:53:25,236 --> 00:53:27,273 [band resumes song, crowd cheering and applauding] 1093 00:53:29,447 --> 00:53:32,069 NIXON: We stand on the threshold 1094 00:53:32,070 --> 00:53:35,452 of a new era of peace in the world. 1095 00:53:35,453 --> 00:53:37,143 [crowd cheers and applauds] 1096 00:53:37,144 --> 00:53:41,113 MORRIS: 1972 was a landslide victory. 1097 00:53:41,114 --> 00:53:43,080 But Watergate, of course, 1098 00:53:43,081 --> 00:53:46,325 begins to sink Nixon despite the massive re-election 1099 00:53:46,326 --> 00:53:50,295 and begins to erode that landslide support 1100 00:53:50,296 --> 00:53:52,367 almost immediately. 1101 00:53:53,747 --> 00:53:56,232 FARRELL: There's this tick-tick-ticking 1102 00:53:56,233 --> 00:54:01,478 coming from closets and file cabinets in the White House, 1103 00:54:01,479 --> 00:54:04,861 because a bunch of ding-dongs had been caught burglarizing 1104 00:54:04,862 --> 00:54:07,243 the Democratic National Committee headquarters. 1105 00:54:07,244 --> 00:54:10,384 NEWS ANCHOR: The Watergate bugging case involves a bizarre break-in 1106 00:54:10,385 --> 00:54:13,835 at the Democratic Party headquarters in which two men 1107 00:54:13,836 --> 00:54:16,631 connected with the Nixon re-election campaign 1108 00:54:16,632 --> 00:54:18,150 were arrested. 1109 00:54:18,151 --> 00:54:19,565 FARRELL: From that point on, 1110 00:54:19,566 --> 00:54:22,706 everything else goes on back burners, 1111 00:54:22,707 --> 00:54:25,191 while Nixon focuses almost exclusively 1112 00:54:25,192 --> 00:54:29,714 on dealing with this threat to his presidency. 1113 00:54:31,198 --> 00:54:34,546 FERGUSON: When he came under attack for Watergate, 1114 00:54:34,547 --> 00:54:36,375 Richard Nixon hoped that his way out 1115 00:54:36,376 --> 00:54:38,965 was yet more foreign policy success. 1116 00:54:39,966 --> 00:54:42,312 And if Kissinger could deliver success, 1117 00:54:42,313 --> 00:54:46,937 somehow, Nixon could extricate himself from the scandal. 1118 00:54:46,938 --> 00:54:50,009 SCHWARTZ: This was the moment when Nixon decides 1119 00:54:50,010 --> 00:54:53,254 to appoint Kissinger to secretary of state. 1120 00:54:53,255 --> 00:54:55,187 NEWS ANCHOR: The Senate today approved the nomination 1121 00:54:55,188 --> 00:54:57,948 of Henry Kissinger as secretary of state. 1122 00:54:57,949 --> 00:55:00,572 So a country boy from Fürth, Germany, 1123 00:55:00,573 --> 00:55:02,677 becomes the first American secretary of state 1124 00:55:02,678 --> 00:55:04,334 ever born in another country. 1125 00:55:04,335 --> 00:55:05,749 ♪ 1126 00:55:05,750 --> 00:55:07,786 KISSINGER: By the time I became secretary of state, 1127 00:55:07,787 --> 00:55:09,822 the executive authority of the president 1128 00:55:09,823 --> 00:55:12,549 was eroding at an alarming rate. 1129 00:55:12,550 --> 00:55:16,001 One of my jobs was to give the impression 1130 00:55:16,002 --> 00:55:18,866 that we were capable of a purposeful foreign policy 1131 00:55:18,867 --> 00:55:21,351 in this miasma of a president 1132 00:55:21,352 --> 00:55:24,147 who was on the verge of being indicted or impeached. 1133 00:55:24,148 --> 00:55:26,149 ♪ 1134 00:55:26,150 --> 00:55:29,048 MORRIS: If you're going to have a crisis in which you face 1135 00:55:29,049 --> 00:55:30,740 the possibility of impeachment, 1136 00:55:30,741 --> 00:55:33,536 Kissinger is the one firm thing. 1137 00:55:33,537 --> 00:55:36,609 He becomes the indispensable man. 1138 00:55:38,300 --> 00:55:40,646 FILM NARRATOR: October 6, 1973. 1139 00:55:40,647 --> 00:55:43,892 A surprise attack on the holiest of days. 1140 00:55:45,583 --> 00:55:48,033 FERGUSON: With the outbreak of the Yom Kippur War, 1141 00:55:48,034 --> 00:55:53,418 Kissinger faced the most complex problem of his career. 1142 00:55:53,419 --> 00:55:56,386 ♪ 1143 00:55:56,387 --> 00:55:58,837 SCHWARTZ: The Yom Kippur War began with an attack 1144 00:55:58,838 --> 00:56:02,875 by the Egyptian army crossing the Suez Canal 1145 00:56:02,876 --> 00:56:05,395 and the Syrian army attacking in the Golan Heights. 1146 00:56:05,396 --> 00:56:07,190 [firing] 1147 00:56:07,191 --> 00:56:10,918 SALIM YAQUB: The Israelis had an inkling that something might occur. 1148 00:56:10,919 --> 00:56:13,161 But they did not realize how effective 1149 00:56:13,162 --> 00:56:15,717 the Egyptian and Syrian assaults would be. 1150 00:56:17,650 --> 00:56:21,653 KISSINGER: 6:30 on October 6, 1973, 1151 00:56:21,654 --> 00:56:25,484 my assistant secretary woke me up and said, 1152 00:56:25,485 --> 00:56:27,831 "There's some trouble on the Suez Canal, 1153 00:56:27,832 --> 00:56:29,937 "and if you get on the phone right away, 1154 00:56:29,938 --> 00:56:32,665 you can get it under control." 1155 00:56:34,114 --> 00:56:37,358 HOSKINSON: We're in the Situation Room with the secretary of defense, 1156 00:56:37,359 --> 00:56:38,635 and the director of C.I.A., 1157 00:56:38,636 --> 00:56:40,706 and everybody's wringing their hands, 1158 00:56:40,707 --> 00:56:43,329 including me, on the back bench. 1159 00:56:43,330 --> 00:56:46,056 Henry, chairing the meeting, says, 1160 00:56:46,057 --> 00:56:47,369 "There's an opportunity here." 1161 00:56:48,508 --> 00:56:51,166 Henry always was looking for the opportunity. 1162 00:56:52,201 --> 00:56:54,789 LORD: He immediately saw that we could use this, 1163 00:56:54,790 --> 00:56:57,930 if we'd play our cards right, to begin negotiations 1164 00:56:57,931 --> 00:57:01,071 between Israel and some of its neighbors, 1165 00:57:01,072 --> 00:57:03,798 and also to begin to displace Soviet influence 1166 00:57:03,799 --> 00:57:05,386 in that region. 1167 00:57:05,387 --> 00:57:09,252 [guns firing, explosions pounding] 1168 00:57:09,253 --> 00:57:11,911 YAQUB: There was panic inside the Israeli government. 1169 00:57:12,912 --> 00:57:15,396 The Israelis were running short of ammunition, 1170 00:57:15,397 --> 00:57:17,329 and so they appealed desperately 1171 00:57:17,330 --> 00:57:20,367 for resupply from the United States. 1172 00:57:21,886 --> 00:57:25,303 Kissinger wanted to ensure that Israel got the upper hand. 1173 00:57:27,789 --> 00:57:29,548 KISSINGER: We were trying to prevent 1174 00:57:29,549 --> 00:57:31,793 a military victory achieved by Soviet arms. 1175 00:57:32,863 --> 00:57:34,242 So, we started an airlift 1176 00:57:34,243 --> 00:57:38,765 and put an overwhelming amount of arms. 1177 00:57:39,973 --> 00:57:42,113 REPORTER: Now the counter-offensive has begun. 1178 00:57:43,356 --> 00:57:45,184 The Israelis claim to have knocked out 1179 00:57:45,185 --> 00:57:48,118 most of the bridges the Egyptians laid across the canal. 1180 00:57:48,119 --> 00:57:50,396 YAQUB: By the middle of October, 1181 00:57:50,397 --> 00:57:54,298 the momentum had shifted in favor of Israel. 1182 00:57:56,542 --> 00:57:58,681 LORD: The Israelis had struck back 1183 00:57:58,682 --> 00:58:01,235 and they had surrounded the Egyptian army. 1184 00:58:01,236 --> 00:58:04,963 Kissinger knew that if we could freeze that moment, 1185 00:58:04,964 --> 00:58:08,414 you might have a psychological impetus on both sides 1186 00:58:08,415 --> 00:58:10,314 to finally talk to each other. 1187 00:58:11,488 --> 00:58:13,627 WILLIAM QUANDT: Kissinger said to the Israelis, 1188 00:58:13,628 --> 00:58:16,043 "You're in a very strong position right now, 1189 00:58:16,044 --> 00:58:17,907 "but don't overdo it. 1190 00:58:17,908 --> 00:58:19,425 "Take your win, 1191 00:58:19,426 --> 00:58:22,739 and then we get serious about the diplomacy." 1192 00:58:22,740 --> 00:58:24,776 ♪ 1193 00:58:24,777 --> 00:58:28,987 FERGUSON: Kissinger gets a ceasefire just in time 1194 00:58:28,988 --> 00:58:32,577 for the Egyptian position not to collapse. 1195 00:58:32,578 --> 00:58:34,889 He can then embark on a negotiation. 1196 00:58:34,890 --> 00:58:38,893 ♪ 1197 00:58:38,894 --> 00:58:41,275 YAQUB: You get this phenomenon that becomes 1198 00:58:41,276 --> 00:58:43,554 known as "shuttle diplomacy." 1199 00:58:44,590 --> 00:58:46,522 Kissinger is going back and forth 1200 00:58:46,523 --> 00:58:48,938 between various Middle Eastern capitals 1201 00:58:48,939 --> 00:58:51,942 to meet separately with Middle East leaders. 1202 00:58:53,737 --> 00:58:55,151 LORD: He knew 1203 00:58:55,152 --> 00:58:57,740 you could only make progress if you talked to each side, 1204 00:58:57,741 --> 00:59:00,466 understood its needs, 1205 00:59:00,467 --> 00:59:02,330 that it wouldn't work just through cables. 1206 00:59:02,331 --> 00:59:04,747 This was too emotional, too precarious. 1207 00:59:04,748 --> 00:59:07,784 You had to go in person to Sadat, 1208 00:59:07,785 --> 00:59:10,407 and go in person to Golda Meir, 1209 00:59:10,408 --> 00:59:13,859 and then go back to the other and explain 1210 00:59:13,860 --> 00:59:15,792 where they were willing to move ahead 1211 00:59:15,793 --> 00:59:18,347 and where they really had a need to dig in. 1212 00:59:20,246 --> 00:59:22,350 SCHWARTZ: They negotiated with Kissinger. 1213 00:59:22,351 --> 00:59:24,387 They didn't negotiate with each other. 1214 00:59:24,388 --> 00:59:27,666 And Kissinger frequently used American guarantees 1215 00:59:27,667 --> 00:59:30,670 to get the parties to agree. 1216 00:59:31,706 --> 00:59:33,327 DICK CAVETT: Were you ever so tired, you couldn't remember 1217 00:59:33,328 --> 00:59:36,606 whether you were talking to Sadat or Barbara Walters? 1218 00:59:36,607 --> 00:59:39,402 That distinction I never lost. [Cavett murmurs] 1219 00:59:39,403 --> 00:59:41,232 [audience laughs] But... 1220 00:59:42,889 --> 00:59:46,892 There's one thing that keeps you going, 1221 00:59:46,893 --> 00:59:48,687 which is that you know there's nothing more important 1222 00:59:48,688 --> 00:59:50,137 you could possibly be doing. 1223 00:59:50,138 --> 00:59:53,486 And that has an exhilarating effect. 1224 00:59:55,764 --> 00:59:59,422 SURI: Kissinger literally spends most of two years 1225 00:59:59,423 --> 01:00:03,806 going from Damascus to Cairo to Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, 1226 01:00:03,807 --> 01:00:06,187 meeting with one leader after another, 1227 01:00:06,188 --> 01:00:09,984 cajoling them, negotiating at a detailed level. 1228 01:00:09,985 --> 01:00:12,090 And as he himself says, it's literally 1229 01:00:12,091 --> 01:00:14,713 a Middle Eastern bazaar. 1230 01:00:14,714 --> 01:00:17,164 ANWAR SADAT: Henry, when I met him for the first time 1231 01:00:17,165 --> 01:00:22,203 in November '73, I found him quite acquainted 1232 01:00:22,204 --> 01:00:25,862 with the minute detail of all the dimensions. 1233 01:00:25,863 --> 01:00:29,452 For that, we, we didn't spend except one hour, 1234 01:00:29,453 --> 01:00:31,696 and after that, we felt that we are friends 1235 01:00:31,697 --> 01:00:34,146 since years and years before. 1236 01:00:34,147 --> 01:00:36,045 [people talking in background] 1237 01:00:36,046 --> 01:00:37,322 ALVANDI: The massive achievement for Kissinger 1238 01:00:37,323 --> 01:00:39,048 was Sadat's decision 1239 01:00:39,049 --> 01:00:42,051 to essentially throw the Soviets out of Egypt 1240 01:00:42,052 --> 01:00:45,882 and to take Egypt, the most important, biggest Arab state, 1241 01:00:45,883 --> 01:00:48,885 essentially out of the conflict 1242 01:00:48,886 --> 01:00:51,405 and into friendship with the United States, 1243 01:00:51,406 --> 01:00:53,234 and eventually, a few years later, 1244 01:00:53,235 --> 01:00:54,857 into peace with Israel. 1245 01:00:54,858 --> 01:00:58,274 Now, that came at the expense 1246 01:00:58,275 --> 01:01:00,829 of the Palestinian question. 1247 01:01:01,830 --> 01:01:04,383 He left this issue of the Palestinians 1248 01:01:04,384 --> 01:01:06,904 to kind of fester away, unaddressed. 1249 01:01:08,388 --> 01:01:11,460 KISSINGER: Whatever you solve in foreign policy is not final. 1250 01:01:12,738 --> 01:01:16,051 It is simply an admissions ticket for some other crisis. 1251 01:01:19,330 --> 01:01:20,710 NEWS ANCHOR: Good evening. 1252 01:01:20,711 --> 01:01:23,851 The news is dominated tonight by one explosive story. 1253 01:01:23,852 --> 01:01:27,234 REPORTER: The White House mounted an elaborate cover-up operation 1254 01:01:27,235 --> 01:01:29,443 in the Watergate affair. 1255 01:01:29,444 --> 01:01:30,927 JEB MAGRUDER: And there was, of course, the projects 1256 01:01:30,928 --> 01:01:32,653 including wiretap, tapping, 1257 01:01:32,654 --> 01:01:35,518 electronic surveillance, and photography. 1258 01:01:35,519 --> 01:01:37,554 NEWS ANCHOR: The number-two man in the Nixon re-election campaign 1259 01:01:37,555 --> 01:01:39,073 today admitted his own guilt 1260 01:01:39,074 --> 01:01:41,800 in the planning and cover-up of Watergate. 1261 01:01:41,801 --> 01:01:43,491 REPORTER: Sources say there is no question 1262 01:01:43,492 --> 01:01:45,597 that the president knew of the cover-up operation, 1263 01:01:45,598 --> 01:01:48,670 which may be the most damning accusation of all. 1264 01:01:50,637 --> 01:01:53,018 KEYS: As the Watergate scandal dragged on, 1265 01:01:53,019 --> 01:01:56,090 it seemed like the president and his closest aides 1266 01:01:56,091 --> 01:01:58,059 were being drawn into the mire. 1267 01:01:59,232 --> 01:02:02,648 And Americans were relieved to see 1268 01:02:02,649 --> 01:02:04,133 that at least Kissinger was untainted 1269 01:02:04,134 --> 01:02:05,307 by the scandal. 1270 01:02:06,377 --> 01:02:08,171 GRANDIN: He survived Watergate largely 1271 01:02:08,172 --> 01:02:11,623 because he was seen as the only adult in the room. 1272 01:02:11,624 --> 01:02:15,454 ♪ 1273 01:02:15,455 --> 01:02:17,663 FERGUSON: This was the height of Kissinger's fame. 1274 01:02:17,664 --> 01:02:20,356 This was when he was, like, a kind of 1275 01:02:20,357 --> 01:02:24,463 diplomatic version of Superman. 1276 01:02:24,464 --> 01:02:28,398 KEYS: Kissinger was the most admired man in the United States. 1277 01:02:28,399 --> 01:02:30,401 He was tremendously popular. 1278 01:02:31,713 --> 01:02:33,990 ELIZABETH BECKER: The world was so happy 1279 01:02:33,991 --> 01:02:36,959 that the United States was finally getting out of Vietnam 1280 01:02:36,960 --> 01:02:41,239 that Henry Kissinger received the Nobel Peace Prize. 1281 01:02:41,240 --> 01:02:43,862 But his Vietnamese colleague, Le Duc Tho, 1282 01:02:43,863 --> 01:02:45,657 said, "This is not the end of the war, 1283 01:02:45,658 --> 01:02:48,765 and I'm not accepting the peace prize." 1284 01:02:50,801 --> 01:02:52,319 In Oslo, 1285 01:02:52,320 --> 01:02:54,700 several thousand Norwegian students demonstrated today 1286 01:02:54,701 --> 01:02:56,702 against the awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize 1287 01:02:56,703 --> 01:02:59,257 to Secretary of State Henry Kissinger. 1288 01:02:59,258 --> 01:03:02,501 [chanting in Norwegian] 1289 01:03:02,502 --> 01:03:04,814 DAVID KISSINGER: I was on the playground, 1290 01:03:04,815 --> 01:03:06,678 and some kid came up to me and said, 1291 01:03:06,679 --> 01:03:08,749 "You know, my parents don't think your father 1292 01:03:08,750 --> 01:03:11,131 should have won the Nobel Peace Prize." 1293 01:03:11,132 --> 01:03:13,823 And I apparently replied, 1294 01:03:13,824 --> 01:03:16,136 "That's okay, neither does my mother." 1295 01:03:16,137 --> 01:03:17,965 [audience applauding] 1296 01:03:17,966 --> 01:03:19,967 KISSINGER: That's the most important goal 1297 01:03:19,968 --> 01:03:22,107 any administration can set itself, 1298 01:03:22,108 --> 01:03:26,525 is to work for a world in which the award 1299 01:03:26,526 --> 01:03:29,632 will become irrelevant, 1300 01:03:29,633 --> 01:03:32,946 because peace will have become so normal. 1301 01:03:32,947 --> 01:03:36,363 DAVID KISSINGER: Of course, he was deeply honored, 1302 01:03:36,364 --> 01:03:39,124 but I think it also presented 1303 01:03:39,125 --> 01:03:40,746 a huge headache for him, 1304 01:03:40,747 --> 01:03:43,404 because he knew that it would not be 1305 01:03:43,405 --> 01:03:45,752 well received by President Nixon. 1306 01:03:47,202 --> 01:03:51,447 FARRELL: Knowing Richard Nixon, it must have driven him crazy 1307 01:03:51,448 --> 01:03:54,934 that Kissinger was the one awarded the peace prize. 1308 01:03:56,315 --> 01:04:00,249 He managed to keep his jealousy under control, 1309 01:04:00,250 --> 01:04:02,216 to a great extent, 1310 01:04:02,217 --> 01:04:04,702 in part because he needed Kissinger more and more. 1311 01:04:06,463 --> 01:04:08,188 SCHWARTZ: The relationship between Nixon and Kissinger 1312 01:04:08,189 --> 01:04:10,949 begins to reverse-- there is a way 1313 01:04:10,950 --> 01:04:13,055 in which Nixon now is almost pleading 1314 01:04:13,056 --> 01:04:15,713 for reassurance and support from Kissinger. 1315 01:04:42,948 --> 01:04:46,226 FERGUSON: Henry Kissinger often said to me that there was 1316 01:04:46,227 --> 01:04:50,956 a Shakespearean quality to Richard Nixon's presidency. 1317 01:04:52,198 --> 01:04:54,165 The culmination of the tragedy 1318 01:04:54,166 --> 01:05:00,482 is Nixon's final, agonized decision to resign. 1319 01:05:01,828 --> 01:05:04,140 FARRELL: One day, Kissinger goes over to the White House, 1320 01:05:04,141 --> 01:05:09,594 and they talk, and there's this moment where Nixon says, 1321 01:05:09,595 --> 01:05:13,529 "Henry, I'm not a praying man, but pray with me." 1322 01:05:13,530 --> 01:05:16,842 And you have this amazing scene of the two of them 1323 01:05:16,843 --> 01:05:19,812 on their knees, praying, in the White House. 1324 01:05:21,434 --> 01:05:24,264 DAVID KISSINGER: I remember him coming home that night, 1325 01:05:24,265 --> 01:05:27,853 and the sense of sorrow and compassion 1326 01:05:27,854 --> 01:05:30,927 that he had for Nixon at that moment. 1327 01:05:32,342 --> 01:05:34,584 KISSINGER: The human problem of a man 1328 01:05:34,585 --> 01:05:36,966 who had spent all of his life 1329 01:05:36,967 --> 01:05:39,589 trying to become president, 1330 01:05:39,590 --> 01:05:44,077 whose personality really did not lend itself to politics-- 1331 01:05:44,078 --> 01:05:46,044 he didn't like to meet new people, 1332 01:05:46,045 --> 01:05:48,529 he didn't like to give direct orders-- 1333 01:05:48,530 --> 01:05:51,981 he made himself do all these things, 1334 01:05:51,982 --> 01:05:54,052 and everything collapsed on him. 1335 01:05:54,053 --> 01:05:55,985 [crowd applauding] 1336 01:05:55,986 --> 01:05:59,990 ♪ 1337 01:06:05,513 --> 01:06:07,997 WARREN BURGER: ...and repeat after me: I, Gerald R. Ford, 1338 01:06:07,998 --> 01:06:09,447 do solemnly swear... 1339 01:06:09,448 --> 01:06:12,277 I, Gerald R. Ford, do solemnly swear... 1340 01:06:12,278 --> 01:06:14,624 ...that I will support and defend the constitution... 1341 01:06:14,625 --> 01:06:17,075 FERGUSON: Gerald Ford was as different 1342 01:06:17,076 --> 01:06:21,045 in personal, temperamental terms from Richard Nixon 1343 01:06:21,046 --> 01:06:23,219 as it's possible to imagine. 1344 01:06:23,220 --> 01:06:25,601 ...against all enemies, foreign and domestic. 1345 01:06:25,602 --> 01:06:28,259 FERGUSON: And yet, 1346 01:06:28,260 --> 01:06:30,364 when Ford became president, 1347 01:06:30,365 --> 01:06:33,333 one of the very first decisions that he took 1348 01:06:33,334 --> 01:06:37,164 was to keep Kissinger on in both roles, 1349 01:06:37,165 --> 01:06:41,342 national security adviser and secretary of state. 1350 01:06:42,481 --> 01:06:44,689 Somebody said that as soon as Nixon was gone, 1351 01:06:44,690 --> 01:06:48,072 Kissinger would lose his Teflon position 1352 01:06:48,073 --> 01:06:52,145 and become the lightning rod in turn. 1353 01:06:52,146 --> 01:06:53,663 And so it proved. 1354 01:06:53,664 --> 01:06:56,770 Good evening to all of you from California. 1355 01:06:56,771 --> 01:07:00,325 FERGUSON: Within a relatively short time of Nixon's departure, 1356 01:07:00,326 --> 01:07:04,502 the attacks on Kissinger began. 1357 01:07:04,503 --> 01:07:06,745 Dr. Kissinger is quoted as saying 1358 01:07:06,746 --> 01:07:09,921 that he thinks of the United States as Athens 1359 01:07:09,922 --> 01:07:12,682 and the Soviet Union as Sparta. 1360 01:07:12,683 --> 01:07:14,822 The day of the U.S. is past 1361 01:07:14,823 --> 01:07:17,135 and today is the day of the Soviet Union. 1362 01:07:17,136 --> 01:07:21,415 But peace does not come from weakness or from retreat. 1363 01:07:21,416 --> 01:07:24,798 DAVID KISSINGER: My father had played such a dominant role 1364 01:07:24,799 --> 01:07:29,561 for six years that in the nature of American politics, 1365 01:07:29,562 --> 01:07:33,151 it's almost inevitable that you become a focal point, 1366 01:07:33,152 --> 01:07:34,773 and that the, uh, 1367 01:07:34,774 --> 01:07:36,672 the worm turns. 1368 01:07:36,673 --> 01:07:43,748 ♪ 1369 01:07:43,749 --> 01:07:47,441 JOHN PILGER: At 7:30 a.m. on April the 17th, 1975, 1370 01:07:47,442 --> 01:07:50,306 the war in Cambodia was over. 1371 01:07:50,307 --> 01:07:53,516 It was a unique war, for no country has ever 1372 01:07:53,517 --> 01:07:56,554 experienced such concentrated bombing. 1373 01:07:56,555 --> 01:07:59,350 On this, perhaps the most gentle and graceful land 1374 01:07:59,351 --> 01:08:01,006 in all of Asia, 1375 01:08:01,007 --> 01:08:03,699 President Nixon and Mr. Kissinger 1376 01:08:03,700 --> 01:08:05,770 unleashed 100,000 tons of bombs, 1377 01:08:05,771 --> 01:08:09,670 the equivalent of five Hiroshimas. 1378 01:08:09,671 --> 01:08:13,122 Then, out of the forest, came the victors, 1379 01:08:13,123 --> 01:08:14,675 the Khmer Rouge, 1380 01:08:14,676 --> 01:08:18,024 whose power had grown out of all proportion to their numbers. 1381 01:08:19,267 --> 01:08:21,268 KHATHARYA UM: The Khmer Rouge was essentially 1382 01:08:21,269 --> 01:08:26,101 an insignificant movement up until 1970. 1383 01:08:26,102 --> 01:08:28,068 And the question is, 1384 01:08:28,069 --> 01:08:31,140 how is it that this relatively marginal force were able 1385 01:08:31,141 --> 01:08:33,730 to seize power in five years? 1386 01:08:35,007 --> 01:08:37,319 The bombing did not create the Khmer Rouge, 1387 01:08:37,320 --> 01:08:39,459 but it was a powerful recruitment tool. 1388 01:08:39,460 --> 01:08:40,908 ♪ 1389 01:08:40,909 --> 01:08:43,083 PILGER: The horror began almost immediately. 1390 01:08:43,084 --> 01:08:46,155 Phnom Penh, a city of two-and-a-half million people, 1391 01:08:46,156 --> 01:08:50,401 was forcibly emptied within hours of their coming. 1392 01:08:50,402 --> 01:08:52,334 SOPHAL EAR: Within 24 hours, 1393 01:08:52,335 --> 01:08:56,786 they announced that the city would have to be evacuated. 1394 01:08:56,787 --> 01:08:58,547 They emptied the hospitals while people 1395 01:08:58,548 --> 01:09:00,169 were still in the middle of surgery. 1396 01:09:00,170 --> 01:09:03,586 Patients were left to die on the gurneys. 1397 01:09:03,587 --> 01:09:07,212 And that was just the beginning of the killing. 1398 01:09:08,454 --> 01:09:12,871 PILGER: The Khmer Rouge interrogated and then exterminated 1399 01:09:12,872 --> 01:09:14,942 anyone they suspected of opposing them. 1400 01:09:14,943 --> 01:09:20,189 ♪ 1401 01:09:20,190 --> 01:09:22,709 UM: I have yet to find anyone who have not 1402 01:09:22,710 --> 01:09:26,057 been affected by a loss. 1403 01:09:26,058 --> 01:09:27,886 We have a Khmer word, which is baksbat. 1404 01:09:27,887 --> 01:09:29,854 It's the broken spirit. 1405 01:09:29,855 --> 01:09:34,099 It's, like, when the spirit has been so broken under fear, 1406 01:09:34,100 --> 01:09:36,274 under terror, 1407 01:09:36,275 --> 01:09:37,897 that it doesn't recover. 1408 01:09:39,382 --> 01:09:41,245 MORRIS: I think the tragedy of Cambodia 1409 01:09:41,246 --> 01:09:43,074 is directly attributable 1410 01:09:43,075 --> 01:09:46,112 to the policies of Kissinger and Nixon. 1411 01:09:47,252 --> 01:09:48,459 There's no question 1412 01:09:48,460 --> 01:09:50,702 that our continued bombing of the countryside, 1413 01:09:50,703 --> 01:09:52,877 which was savage and relentless, 1414 01:09:52,878 --> 01:09:55,121 led to the rise of the Khmer Rouge. 1415 01:09:56,157 --> 01:09:57,364 LORD: The North Vietnamese, 1416 01:09:57,365 --> 01:10:00,988 they had bases in not only Cambodia, but Laos. 1417 01:10:00,989 --> 01:10:03,543 They were coming over, killing American troops 1418 01:10:03,544 --> 01:10:05,510 and South Vietnamese, and then retreating. 1419 01:10:05,511 --> 01:10:07,236 So they spread the war to these countries. 1420 01:10:07,237 --> 01:10:08,273 We did not spread it. 1421 01:10:09,274 --> 01:10:11,240 DAVID FROST: You say in your book 1422 01:10:11,241 --> 01:10:12,483 that you considered bombing North Vietnam, 1423 01:10:12,484 --> 01:10:13,794 so that you had the alternative 1424 01:10:13,795 --> 01:10:17,419 of bombing North Vietnam and not embroiling Cambodia. 1425 01:10:17,420 --> 01:10:19,421 Cambodia was embroiled! 1426 01:10:19,422 --> 01:10:22,562 It is an absurdity to say that a country can occupy 1427 01:10:22,563 --> 01:10:25,565 a part of another country, kill your people, 1428 01:10:25,566 --> 01:10:27,912 and that then you are violating its neutrality 1429 01:10:27,913 --> 01:10:31,502 when you respond against the foreign troops 1430 01:10:31,503 --> 01:10:33,331 that are on that neutral territory. 1431 01:10:33,332 --> 01:10:35,678 - I, I... - It is total hypocrisy! 1432 01:10:35,679 --> 01:10:39,682 EAR: They were all supposed to be well-intended decisions. 1433 01:10:39,683 --> 01:10:43,065 My father, who died, my oldest brother, who's still missing 1434 01:10:43,066 --> 01:10:46,275 to this day, are they the victims of geopolitics 1435 01:10:46,276 --> 01:10:49,105 and of decisions made with good intentions, 1436 01:10:49,106 --> 01:10:51,107 but that led to disaster? 1437 01:10:51,108 --> 01:10:52,524 Yes, absolutely. 1438 01:10:53,490 --> 01:10:56,078 UM: Sometime it makes me wonder 1439 01:10:56,079 --> 01:10:58,356 about the hierarchy of suffering, 1440 01:10:58,357 --> 01:11:00,013 and the unequal value 1441 01:11:00,014 --> 01:11:02,257 that's attributed to people's lives. 1442 01:11:02,258 --> 01:11:04,776 Some lives are worth more than others, right? 1443 01:11:04,777 --> 01:11:06,951 Some countries are worth sacrificing 1444 01:11:06,952 --> 01:11:09,643 in order that others can prosper. 1445 01:11:09,644 --> 01:11:13,371 ♪ 1446 01:11:13,372 --> 01:11:14,683 NEWS ANCHOR: Good evening. 1447 01:11:14,684 --> 01:11:15,994 The fighting is over 1448 01:11:15,995 --> 01:11:18,376 for American ground soldiers in Vietnam. 1449 01:11:18,377 --> 01:11:21,552 REPORTER: The extraction of the last combat soldiers 1450 01:11:21,553 --> 01:11:23,450 is a slow process. 1451 01:11:23,451 --> 01:11:26,246 While the men wait, they happily donate 1452 01:11:26,247 --> 01:11:28,248 some of their leftover ammunition 1453 01:11:28,249 --> 01:11:30,664 to their South Vietnamese replacements. 1454 01:11:30,665 --> 01:11:32,978 It is now their war. 1455 01:11:34,359 --> 01:11:36,049 BURKE: Ultimately, when the United States 1456 01:11:36,050 --> 01:11:39,017 extricated itself from the Vietnam War, 1457 01:11:39,018 --> 01:11:40,916 the South Vietnamese government 1458 01:11:40,917 --> 01:11:42,607 hobbled along for two years. 1459 01:11:42,608 --> 01:11:45,783 So great was the South Vietnamese entire dependence 1460 01:11:45,784 --> 01:11:47,371 upon the United States 1461 01:11:47,372 --> 01:11:49,442 that in no way, shape, or form 1462 01:11:49,443 --> 01:11:51,686 could it stand on its own. 1463 01:11:59,280 --> 01:12:00,694 REPORTER: Sir, Mr. Kissinger said today 1464 01:12:00,695 --> 01:12:01,902 that if that aid is not approved, 1465 01:12:01,903 --> 01:12:03,973 the collapse of your country is inevitable. 1466 01:12:03,974 --> 01:12:05,493 Do you share that assessment? 1467 01:12:06,598 --> 01:12:07,909 [stammering] 1468 01:12:12,742 --> 01:12:16,331 ♪ 1469 01:12:16,332 --> 01:12:18,678 DAVID KISSINGER: If my father had one regret 1470 01:12:18,679 --> 01:12:21,059 that he often expressed to me, 1471 01:12:21,060 --> 01:12:24,891 it was that Congress prevented the United States 1472 01:12:24,892 --> 01:12:28,584 from having an ongoing military role 1473 01:12:28,585 --> 01:12:30,794 after the peace accords. 1474 01:12:31,830 --> 01:12:35,902 He believed that there was a path for at least preventing 1475 01:12:35,903 --> 01:12:38,180 the human catastrophe 1476 01:12:38,181 --> 01:12:41,804 that occurred in Vietnam after we withdrew, 1477 01:12:41,805 --> 01:12:43,497 and that we failed to do that. 1478 01:12:45,533 --> 01:12:47,396 KISSINGER: We consider we have a moral obligation 1479 01:12:47,397 --> 01:12:51,296 to the tens of thousands of people who worked with us, 1480 01:12:51,297 --> 01:12:55,266 relying on us for 15 years, 1481 01:12:55,267 --> 01:12:57,026 and we are positive that the American people 1482 01:12:57,027 --> 01:12:58,303 will fulfill that obligation. 1483 01:12:58,304 --> 01:12:59,304 Thank you, Mr. Secretary. 1484 01:12:59,305 --> 01:13:03,170 [planes roar overhead] 1485 01:13:03,171 --> 01:13:04,309 BURKE: When the North Vietnamese 1486 01:13:04,310 --> 01:13:07,243 began the final assault in April of 1975, 1487 01:13:07,244 --> 01:13:10,386 the regime basically disappeared overnight. 1488 01:13:11,766 --> 01:13:14,837 REPORTER: Saigon, April the 30th, 8:00. 1489 01:13:14,838 --> 01:13:16,425 The last American helicopter on the roof 1490 01:13:16,426 --> 01:13:18,841 of the American embassy prepares to lift off 1491 01:13:18,842 --> 01:13:20,049 the last of the evacuees 1492 01:13:20,050 --> 01:13:24,329 fleeing before the advancing communist armies. 1493 01:13:24,330 --> 01:13:26,504 [car horns honking] 1494 01:13:26,505 --> 01:13:29,024 MORRIS: I felt great anger 1495 01:13:29,025 --> 01:13:31,613 at the United States government. 1496 01:13:31,614 --> 01:13:34,961 We had deceived and misled not only ourselves, 1497 01:13:34,962 --> 01:13:40,311 but we had deceived and misled a whole people in South Vietnam. 1498 01:13:40,312 --> 01:13:44,591 ♪ 1499 01:13:44,592 --> 01:13:47,352 There was a chance, given his talents, 1500 01:13:47,353 --> 01:13:51,115 that Henry alone might have been able to end that war 1501 01:13:51,116 --> 01:13:52,497 much, much earlier. 1502 01:13:54,740 --> 01:13:58,536 That he did not, I find that, like the rest of the war, 1503 01:13:58,537 --> 01:14:00,401 rather unforgivable. 1504 01:14:02,576 --> 01:14:04,024 HANG: At the end of the day, 1505 01:14:04,025 --> 01:14:06,302 when Kissinger was alone with his own thoughts, 1506 01:14:06,303 --> 01:14:10,410 I think he would've admitted to himself 1507 01:14:10,411 --> 01:14:12,239 that South Vietnam did not have 1508 01:14:12,240 --> 01:14:14,208 the ability to defend itself. 1509 01:14:15,623 --> 01:14:17,521 I think all of the allegations, 1510 01:14:17,522 --> 01:14:19,592 to say that Congress lost the will to fight, 1511 01:14:19,593 --> 01:14:21,835 that the American people lost the will to fight, 1512 01:14:21,836 --> 01:14:24,389 that the media misreported that war, 1513 01:14:24,390 --> 01:14:25,839 was a way for him 1514 01:14:25,840 --> 01:14:27,463 to assuage his guilt. 1515 01:14:29,292 --> 01:14:32,156 KISSINGER: The collapse of South Vietnam 1516 01:14:32,157 --> 01:14:34,434 and the evacuation of Saigon 1517 01:14:34,435 --> 01:14:36,781 was, without doubt, 1518 01:14:36,782 --> 01:14:41,130 the saddest moment of my governmental experience. 1519 01:14:41,131 --> 01:14:46,135 I am unreconstructed in my conviction 1520 01:14:46,136 --> 01:14:48,448 that Vietnam did not have to fall, 1521 01:14:48,449 --> 01:14:50,519 that we did that to ourselves. 1522 01:14:50,520 --> 01:14:53,626 [crowd cheering] 1523 01:14:53,627 --> 01:14:55,455 LAKE: He was not a monster. 1524 01:14:55,456 --> 01:14:57,250 But he was wrong, 1525 01:14:57,251 --> 01:15:00,115 and the result was millions of people, 1526 01:15:00,116 --> 01:15:02,911 not just American soldiers, 55,000-plus, 1527 01:15:02,912 --> 01:15:04,878 but millions of Indochinese-- 1528 01:15:04,879 --> 01:15:08,537 Laos, Cambodia, South Vietnam, North Vietnam-- 1529 01:15:08,538 --> 01:15:10,884 died as a result of this horrendous, 1530 01:15:10,885 --> 01:15:13,060 horrendous mistaken effort. 1531 01:15:14,820 --> 01:15:17,857 [crowd cheering and applauding] 1532 01:15:17,858 --> 01:15:19,893 REPORTER: With 272 electoral votes, 1533 01:15:19,894 --> 01:15:24,898 James Earl Carter is the next president of the United States. 1534 01:15:24,899 --> 01:15:27,280 [cheers and applause continue] 1535 01:15:27,281 --> 01:15:31,318 KISSINGER: Our new president and secretary of state deserve 1536 01:15:31,319 --> 01:15:35,012 the understanding and the support of all Americans. 1537 01:15:35,013 --> 01:15:38,705 I expect to lead 1538 01:15:38,706 --> 01:15:41,846 a happy and full life 1539 01:15:41,847 --> 01:15:43,434 once I leave the government. 1540 01:15:43,435 --> 01:15:44,747 [audience laughs] 1541 01:15:46,472 --> 01:15:49,198 KEYS: One of Kissinger's most impressive achievements 1542 01:15:49,199 --> 01:15:52,236 was staying famous for 50 years. 1543 01:15:52,237 --> 01:15:53,375 GILDA RADNER [imitating Barbara Walters]: Secretary of State 1544 01:15:53,376 --> 01:15:56,240 Dr. Henry Kissinger. [audience laughs] 1545 01:15:56,241 --> 01:15:58,898 Have you any final words for the American public? 1546 01:15:58,899 --> 01:16:01,728 No. [audience laughs] 1547 01:16:01,729 --> 01:16:02,729 He institutes this kind of 1548 01:16:02,730 --> 01:16:04,559 remarkable self-levitation feat, 1549 01:16:04,560 --> 01:16:06,284 where he stays in the public eye 1550 01:16:06,285 --> 01:16:08,597 for nearly half a century. 1551 01:16:08,598 --> 01:16:10,599 Partly because he devotes his entire life 1552 01:16:10,600 --> 01:16:11,946 to foreign policy. 1553 01:16:13,189 --> 01:16:15,673 He's advising leaders. 1554 01:16:15,674 --> 01:16:17,192 You know, I'm here as a private citizen. 1555 01:16:17,193 --> 01:16:19,574 I'm here as a private citizen. 1556 01:16:19,575 --> 01:16:21,990 KISSINGER: I'm now speaking of my personal view, 1557 01:16:21,991 --> 01:16:24,164 not necessarily Governor Reagan's. 1558 01:16:24,165 --> 01:16:26,201 KEYS: He's giving speeches, 1559 01:16:26,202 --> 01:16:28,272 going to conferences. 1560 01:16:28,273 --> 01:16:30,930 He's a ubiquitous presence on television. 1561 01:16:30,931 --> 01:16:33,967 He was always invited to opine on whatever crisis 1562 01:16:33,968 --> 01:16:35,382 is happening at the moment. 1563 01:16:35,383 --> 01:16:37,522 KISSINGER: I think that the warning of the president 1564 01:16:37,523 --> 01:16:39,386 that a continuation of repression 1565 01:16:39,387 --> 01:16:42,355 could harm U.S.-Chinese relations was correct. 1566 01:16:42,356 --> 01:16:45,323 KEYS: He publishes hundreds of articles and op-eds, 1567 01:16:45,324 --> 01:16:47,084 and many books, 1568 01:16:47,085 --> 01:16:48,741 putting out his own version of history. 1569 01:16:48,742 --> 01:16:52,607 HOST: Dr. Kissinger has a new book hitting bookstores tomorrow. 1570 01:16:52,608 --> 01:16:55,782 ZAKARIA: If you looked at his schedule on any given day, 1571 01:16:55,783 --> 01:16:58,785 it was packed with meetings, 1572 01:16:58,786 --> 01:17:01,512 breakfasts, lunches, TV interviews. 1573 01:17:01,513 --> 01:17:04,998 He stayed in the game because he loved 1574 01:17:04,999 --> 01:17:06,759 international relations. 1575 01:17:06,760 --> 01:17:08,796 And he loved power. 1576 01:17:10,833 --> 01:17:14,180 FERGUSON: Throughout the long years out of government, 1577 01:17:14,181 --> 01:17:15,768 Henry Kissinger fought 1578 01:17:15,769 --> 01:17:19,357 to uphold his reputation against all comers. 1579 01:17:19,358 --> 01:17:23,396 WILLIAM F. BUCKLEY: If an Allende were to come to power tomorrow, you would not 1580 01:17:23,397 --> 01:17:26,226 feel that you could recommend such action 1581 01:17:26,227 --> 01:17:27,952 as you thought appropriate in 1970? 1582 01:17:27,953 --> 01:17:29,540 No, I'm not saying that. 1583 01:17:29,541 --> 01:17:31,680 FERGUSON: No criticism went unanswered. 1584 01:17:31,681 --> 01:17:34,579 CHRISTOPHER HITCHENS: The statement "Henry Kissinger is a war criminal" 1585 01:17:34,580 --> 01:17:37,479 is not a piece of rhetoric, it's not a metaphor, 1586 01:17:37,480 --> 01:17:39,101 it's a job description. 1587 01:17:39,102 --> 01:17:41,138 And it might feature on an indictment. 1588 01:17:41,139 --> 01:17:42,933 MAN: I want to know how you would amend 1589 01:17:42,934 --> 01:17:44,211 your testimony today. 1590 01:17:45,557 --> 01:17:48,628 Uh, why should I amend my testimony? 1591 01:17:48,629 --> 01:17:49,629 [audience chuckles] 1592 01:17:49,630 --> 01:17:51,873 ALVANDI: He was determined 1593 01:17:51,874 --> 01:17:55,186 that he would be the one to write his own history. 1594 01:17:55,187 --> 01:17:57,913 But it really was a double-edged sword, 1595 01:17:57,914 --> 01:18:01,883 because he kind of made himself a big target, 1596 01:18:01,884 --> 01:18:04,851 and in many ways became a kind of scapegoat 1597 01:18:04,852 --> 01:18:07,198 for all the failures of American foreign policy. 1598 01:18:07,199 --> 01:18:11,099 PROTESTERS [chanting]: Arrest Henry Kissinger for war crimes! 1599 01:18:11,100 --> 01:18:15,897 Arrest Henry Kissinger for war crimes! 1600 01:18:15,898 --> 01:18:17,726 LORD: When people attack Kissinger 1601 01:18:17,727 --> 01:18:19,970 by saying, "You're dealing with tyrants," 1602 01:18:19,971 --> 01:18:22,317 or, "You're ignoring human rights," 1603 01:18:22,318 --> 01:18:23,559 they, they don't remember 1604 01:18:23,560 --> 01:18:26,286 the agonizing choices that had to be made. 1605 01:18:26,287 --> 01:18:28,633 After all, preserving civilization 1606 01:18:28,634 --> 01:18:30,428 is a human right, as well. 1607 01:18:30,429 --> 01:18:33,052 KISSINGER: The average person thinks 1608 01:18:33,053 --> 01:18:37,332 that morality can be applied as directly 1609 01:18:37,333 --> 01:18:39,783 to the conduct of states to each other 1610 01:18:39,784 --> 01:18:43,165 as it can to human relations. 1611 01:18:43,166 --> 01:18:46,790 That is not always the case, 1612 01:18:46,791 --> 01:18:48,481 because sometimes statesmen 1613 01:18:48,482 --> 01:18:50,587 have to choose among evils. 1614 01:18:51,830 --> 01:18:54,590 MORRIS: I think he thought whatever he was sacrificing 1615 01:18:54,591 --> 01:18:56,213 of American values, 1616 01:18:56,214 --> 01:18:58,630 he was doing so for American interests. 1617 01:19:00,218 --> 01:19:03,772 My view of that is that the sacrifice of, of values 1618 01:19:03,773 --> 01:19:07,569 was intrinsically a sacrifice of interests. 1619 01:19:07,570 --> 01:19:11,021 BEN RHODES: One of the sources of strength that the United States has 1620 01:19:11,022 --> 01:19:12,712 is the story that we've been telling around the world, 1621 01:19:12,713 --> 01:19:15,163 which is a story about freedom 1622 01:19:15,164 --> 01:19:18,753 and equality of peoples and nations. 1623 01:19:18,754 --> 01:19:21,100 Yeah, I think Kissinger's theory was, 1624 01:19:21,101 --> 01:19:24,137 it's the credibility of being willing to use power, 1625 01:19:24,138 --> 01:19:26,139 being willing to kill a lot of people, 1626 01:19:26,140 --> 01:19:28,832 being willing to destroy countries 1627 01:19:28,833 --> 01:19:31,973 to send a message to other potential adversaries, 1628 01:19:31,974 --> 01:19:33,802 "This is what happens 1629 01:19:33,803 --> 01:19:35,978 if you challenge the will of the United States." 1630 01:19:37,496 --> 01:19:39,532 I think the fundamental problem with that is, 1631 01:19:39,533 --> 01:19:41,706 it just obliterates the credibility 1632 01:19:41,707 --> 01:19:42,950 of the story that we tell. 1633 01:19:44,400 --> 01:19:46,953 DAVID KISSINGER: My father was a realist, 1634 01:19:46,954 --> 01:19:51,268 but it was realism in the cause of principles 1635 01:19:51,269 --> 01:19:54,271 that he believed in deeply. 1636 01:19:54,272 --> 01:19:56,825 He was not just trying to advance the power 1637 01:19:56,826 --> 01:19:58,033 of the United States 1638 01:19:58,034 --> 01:20:01,623 in some kind of Darwinian struggle. 1639 01:20:01,624 --> 01:20:06,352 He was advancing the strength of the United States, in his mind, 1640 01:20:06,353 --> 01:20:10,943 because America was the last, best hope of humanity, 1641 01:20:10,944 --> 01:20:13,911 and he had experienced that personally. 1642 01:20:13,912 --> 01:20:15,775 ♪ 1643 01:20:15,776 --> 01:20:20,987 The final days of his life were deeply revealing. 1644 01:20:20,988 --> 01:20:24,819 He was transported back to the trauma of his childhood. 1645 01:20:24,820 --> 01:20:27,581 He was right back there. 1646 01:20:28,547 --> 01:20:30,169 He was speaking German. 1647 01:20:30,170 --> 01:20:34,001 He was afraid that pogroms were at the door. 1648 01:20:35,382 --> 01:20:38,384 He was showing the deep-seated injury 1649 01:20:38,385 --> 01:20:41,145 that he had experienced as a child. 1650 01:20:41,146 --> 01:20:45,080 But there was also a tremendously moving 1651 01:20:45,081 --> 01:20:49,153 final hallucination. 1652 01:20:49,154 --> 01:20:51,638 ♪ 1653 01:20:51,639 --> 01:20:55,332 He was lying in a bed looking out on this garden 1654 01:20:55,333 --> 01:20:57,506 that he loved in Connecticut, 1655 01:20:57,507 --> 01:21:00,026 and he imagined that his brother, 1656 01:21:00,027 --> 01:21:03,788 who had died a couple of years earlier, was outside 1657 01:21:03,789 --> 01:21:06,101 building a platform. 1658 01:21:06,102 --> 01:21:09,864 It wasn't clear whether this was some kind of train stop, 1659 01:21:09,865 --> 01:21:14,661 or a platform for my father to ascend onto, 1660 01:21:14,662 --> 01:21:16,940 but it seemed to give him a great deal of peace. 1661 01:21:16,941 --> 01:21:19,563 [audience cheers and whistles] 1662 01:21:19,564 --> 01:21:21,289 KISSINGER: At an early age, 1663 01:21:21,290 --> 01:21:24,775 I have seen what can happen to a society 1664 01:21:24,776 --> 01:21:27,916 that is based on hatred 1665 01:21:27,917 --> 01:21:30,919 and strength and distrust, 1666 01:21:30,920 --> 01:21:34,198 and that I experienced then 1667 01:21:34,199 --> 01:21:38,168 what America means to other people: 1668 01:21:38,169 --> 01:21:42,551 its hope and its idealism. 1669 01:21:42,552 --> 01:21:46,587 ♪