GMF Statement on the Passing of Henry Kissinger

Dr. Kissinger was a close friend of Guido Goldman, a GMF founder. Both men were German-Jewish refugees and emigrated to escape Nazism, building their lives in the United States. Dr. Kissinger acted as Goldman’s mentor when both men were at Harvard University, and the two often discussed the importance of German-American relations to the greater transatlantic alliance. Dr. Kissinger would often meet Goldman after his frequent trips to Germany for a debrief. In 2017, Dr. Kissinger joined then-German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Goldman at GMF’s 70th anniversary celebration in Berlin, where he spoke about the enduring need and value of close German-American relations.

Dr. Kissinger’s long career and great influence on foreign policy shape international relations today. A long-time supporter of transatlantic relations, he recently called for bringing Ukraine into NATO, seeing the alliance’s expansion as key to security in 21st-century Europe. Dr. Kissinger will be remembered for his lifelong commitment to fostering transatlantic relations, a prescient stance whose relevance is just as strong today as it was a half-century ago when GMF was founded and Dr. Kissinger directed US foreign policy.