Kissinger’s View of China Crisis

Kissinger’s spirited defense of Deng Xiaoping and condemnation of Congress for enacting sanctions against China raise serious questions concerning his motives and priorities.

Kissinger does not earn his keep as a journalist. His primary financial concern is Henry Kissinger Associates Inc., which from all available evidence is a very lucrative international consulting agency. As a matter of policy he declines to reveal his clients.

Thus, Kissinger’s strong advocacy position in the piece suggests at least a possibility that he could be representing the financial interests of clients with a stake in maintaining access to markets in China. The Times should alert its readers to that possibility with a label comparable to the ones it attaches to other non-journalist contributors to your pages: “Henry Kissinger is a former secretary of state who now heads Henry Kissinger Associates Inc., an international consulting agency. It is not known whether he represents clients with a financial interest in U.S. policy toward China.”

EUGENE J. CARROLL JR.

Deputy Director

Center for Defense Information

Washington, D.C.