Henry Kissinger Net Worth

Net Worth:	$50 Million
Date of Birth:	May 27, 1923 (101 years old)
Gender:	Male
Height:	5 ft 8 in (1.75 m)
Profession:	Politician, Businessperson, Diplomat, Author, Statesman, Reconnaissance, Soldier, Teacher, Actor
Nationality:	United States of America

What is Henry Kissinger’s Net Worth?

Henry Kissinger is an American diplomat and political scientist who has a net worth of $50 million. Kissinger first came to America as a political refugee fleeing persecution of Jews in Bavaria.

After serving in the military for a while, he eventually became a citizen and went on to become one of the most important politicians and advisors of the latter 20th century.

During the administrations of Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford, he was one of the most outspoken participants in the formulation of US foreign policy.

Childhood

Heinz Alfred Kissinger was born on May 27th of 1923 in Furth, Bavaria. Heinz was a little boy when he developed a soccer obsession.

He developed into a rather competent player and eventually earned a berth on the young squad of SpVgg Furth, one of the top clubs in Germany at the time. As a result, Kissinger developed a lifetime love for the club.

Heinz left Germany with his family when he was 15 in order to flee the escalating anti-Semitism there. A violent demonstration against Jews in Germany called Kristallnacht, or “the night of the broken glass,” was started by the Nazis not long earlier.

After moving to New York City, Heinz took the name Henry, giving it an Americanized version, and completed one year of high school before starting a job as a factory worker.

After graduating from high school, he took night classes to complete his education before enrolling in college to study accounting.

Military Career

Kissinger was a bright student, but he had to forgo his post-secondary education when he was enlisted in the US Army for World War 2. Henry attained US citizenship at the age of 20 while through Army training.

Despite being originally assigned to the 84th Infantry Division, he was moved to Military Intelligence because of his quick wit and proficiency in German. As an intelligence officer, Kissinger continued to see a lot of combat and participated in the Battle of the Bulge.

His other accomplishments include forming the government of a whole German city while still private and exposing a group of Gestapo agents who were operating secretly. He eventually earned the Bronze Star and left the army, rising to the rank of Special Agent in the Counter Intelligence Corps.

Academic Career

Kissinger enrolled at Harvard after he was discharged from the military, where he graduated in 1950 with an AB in political science.

By 1954, he had completed both his MA and Ph.D. while continuing to study at Harvard. The Center for International Affairs was established by Henry when he was still a faculty member at Harvard.

He oversaw studies on nuclear weapons and foreign policy and promoted the idea that the US should aggressively employ nuclear weapons to win wars rather than depending on the supposed safety of Mutually Assured Destruction (MAD).

Before getting active in other presidential campaigns, Kissinger served as Nelson Rockefeller’s foreign policy advisor toward the conclusion of his career as an academic.

Kissinger changed sides and sided with Nixon after Nixon defeated Rockefeller for the Republican nomination, despite having previously referred to him as “the most hazardous of all persons to have as president.”

Political Career

When Nixon hired him as his National Security Advisor in 1969, Henry Kissinger’s political career really got underway. As they altered the globe with their foreign policy over the following few years, both men grew close.

Even more significant than the State Department in the formulation of foreign policy was Kissinger. Nixon’s successor made sure to preserve Kissinger in his prior role as national security adviser when Nixon resigned in the wake of the Watergate Scandal in 1974.

Kissinger helped create detente policies and forge close diplomatic ties with the Soviet Union. Additionally, he contributed to the establishment of a ceasefire in Vietnam that aided the withdrawal of US soldiers, though the truce was short-lived.

He established a backchannel to China so Nixon and Mao could communicate there as one of his first activities. However, because China was determined to destroy Taiwan, a country they viewed as illegitimate, diplomatic progress was difficult.

Nixon eventually made a deal and supported Taiwan’s departure from the UN. An anti-Soviet agreement was also formed by the US and China.

When it came to Vietnam, Kissinger and Nixon agreed with one another. While Nixon was elected on the promise of ending the war, Henry thought that victories in Vietnam were essentially pointless and would have no long-term political impact.

Although many tactics were used, they all seemed ineffective in achieving “peace with honor” in Vietnam. A gradual withdrawal of US forces got underway, and Kissinger even suggested using brutal force (like nuclear bombardment) to coerce the North Vietnamese into agreeing to a ceasefire at one point.

After Congress rejected that plan, the administration bombed Cambodia, which many regarded as illegal. As Nixon became more and more irate, he started to propose more extreme solutions, and eventually, the US invaded Cambodia.

Kissinger finally brokered a ceasefire after meeting with Lê c Th, a North Vietnamese representative, for years in secret. However, because they saw it as a betrayal, America’s allies in South Vietnam refused to accept the pact.

President Nguyn Văn Thiu of South Vietnam was eventually coerced into accepting the agreement by Nixon, and the US withdrew. Saigon fell shortly after, leaving Vietnam entirely under Communist rule.

Kissinger’s political career was dominated by the Vietnam War, but he also set foreign policy for a number of other countries. He infamously supported Pakistan in their conflict with Bangladesh.

He also masterminded a military takeover in Chile to remove a democratically elected president and replace him with a pro-US administration. These are only a few instances of the things he did while serving in politics.

After leaving US politics, Kissinger continued to serve in advisory capacities. He has a history of working with large organizations, and in 2009, Rio Tinto, a global mining firm, paid him $5 million to clear its name of claims of espionage and corruption.

According to a 1979 New York Times article, Kissinger was already making between $400,000 and $600,000 a year from speaking engagements, book royalties, and business consultancy fees. That is equivalent to earning between $1.4 and $2.1 million annually now.

He typically demanded $15–$20,000 for a single speaking event in the late 1970s and early 1980s. The current equivalent is $50,000.

He earned, according to reports, $5 million from his three-part book, which begins with “The White House Years,” in advances and royalties that same year. In modern currency, that equals $18 million.

Henry received a $1 million salary from NBC during this period to serve as a special consultant on international issues, which allowed him to appear on The Today Show.

During this time, his costs were fairly substantial. When Henry was at his wealthiest, he reportedly spent $150,000 year on security and staff. In modern currency, about $500,000.

Relationship

He earned, according to reports, $5 million from his three-part book, which begins with “The White House Years,” in advances and royalties that same year. In modern currency, that equals $18 million.

Henry received a $1 million salary from NBC during this period to serve as a special consultant on international issues, which allowed him to appear on The Today Show.

During this time, his costs were fairly substantial. When Henry was at his wealthiest, he reportedly spent $150,000 a year on security and staff. In modern currency, about $500,000.

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