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Nixon and Kissinger

Partners in Power

Audiobook
1 of 1 copy available
1 of 1 copy available

More than thirty years after working side by side in the White House, Richard Nixon and Henry Kissinger still stand as two of the most compelling, contradictory, and powerful leaders in America in the second half of the twentieth century. Both were largely self-made men, brimming with ambition, driven by their own inner demons, and often ruthless in pursuit of their goals. From January 1969 to August 1974, their collaboration and rivalry resulted in the making of foreign policy that would leave a defining mark on the Nixon presidency.

Tapping into a wealth of recently declassified documents and tapes, Robert Dallek uncovers fascinating details about Nixon and Kissinger's tumultuous personal relationship and the extent to which they struggled to outdo each other in the reach for foreign policy achievements. With unprecedented detail, Dallek reveals Nixon's erratic behavior during Watergate and the extent to which Kissinger was complicit in trying to help Nixon use national security to prevent his impeachment or resignation.

Illuminating, authoritative, revelatory, and utterly engrossing, Nixon and Kissinger provides a startling new picture of the immense power and sway these two men held in affecting world history.

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    • AudioFile Magazine
      Two of history's most distinctive voices--literally and politically--clash while working for the same goals. The deep-voiced Eric Conger delivers a flat yet consistent tone to the historical narrative. Disappointingly, he uses no variation to differentiate the oft-imitated president or the German-American diplomatic advisor. Such vocal characterization would have enhanced the experience of hearing this solid, well-researched summary of the political challenges facing Nixon--China, Russia, Vietnam, and the ever-present Watergate. Even slight imitations would have added color. Still, listeners glean a decent understanding of Nixon's demeaning and suspicious ways, Kissinger's ego and interests in world negotiations, and the pivotal crises they faced. M.B. (c) AudioFile 2007, Portland, Maine
    • Publisher's Weekly

      Starred review from March 12, 2007
      Bestselling author Dallek (An Unfinished Life: John F. Kennedy
      ) delivers what will quickly become recognized as a classic of modern history: the definitive analysis of Richard Nixon and Henry Kissinger's complex, often troubled partnership in running American foreign policy from January 1969 through August 1974. Dallek has had unprecedented access to major new resources, including transcriptions (20,000 pages) of Kissinger's telephone conversations as secretary of state, unreleased audio files of key Nixon telephone conversations and Oval Office discussions, and previously unexamined documents from the archives of Nixon, Kissinger (who served first as national security adviser, then as secretary of state) and White House hands Alexander Haig and H.R. Haldeman.
      Dallek's eloquent portrait of power depicts two men who were remarkably alike in important ways. Both harbored ravenous personal ambitions. Both suffered from (and operated out of) profound insecurities and low self-esteem. Both were deeply resentful (to the point of paranoia) of criticisms and challenges. Digging deep into the various archives, Dallek artfully fills in the back stories behind such debacles as the pair's policies in Vietnam, Cambodia and the Middle East, as well as such triumphs as the opening to China.
      In what many will consider the book's darkest moment, Dallek reveals for the first time the discussions and strategic thinking that led to the U.S.-orchestrated coup d'état against Chile's democratically elected president Salvador Allende in September of 1973. As he did with his Kennedy biography, Dallek finds important new material that will revise our thinking about a president and the man the author terms "a kind of co-president." 16 pages of b&w photos.

    • AudioFile Magazine
      It's a daunting prospect to think that one will need nearly a full workweek to listen to this historical account of Nixon and Kissinger. The book examines one of the most complex and, in many ways, successful relationships in modern diplomatic history. With new information garnered from the recently declassified transcripts of Henry Kissinger's phone conversations as secretary of state, author Robert Dallek offers listeners a piercing look at Kissinger's fragile ego, his frustration with Nixon's distraction and heavy drinking during the Watergate affair, and his ability to outmaneuver his counterparts in a three-way diplomatic chess match with the Soviets and Chinese. The combination of Dallek's superbly detailed text and a consistently well-paced narration by Nelson Runger makes this the audiobook equivalent of a page-turner. J.B.B. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award (c) AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine
    • Publisher's Weekly

      July 30, 2007
      This abridged version of Dallek's study of the relationship between a president and his powerful secretary of state is read with precision by Conger. Dallek approved the audiobook's abridgment, which hits the high points of his 750-page doorstopper. Conger hints at imitating the deeply familiar voices of Dallek's twin protagonists without sliding into all-out parody. He drops his voice to a semigrowl for Nixon and adds a muted Central European flavor for Kissinger. For the most part, Conger hits the expected notes, emphasizing and underlining Dallek's narrative with understated flair. Those expecting spine-tingling excitement from the meeting and collision of these two powerful, ultimately destructive political forces may be disappointed by Conger's staid reading, but its allure lies in its solid, unobtrusive nature. Conger pulls listeners into Nixon and Kissinger's struggle by ceding center stage to them. Simultaneous release with the HarperCollins hardcover (Reviews, Mar. 12).

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  • OverDrive Listen audiobook

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  • English

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