Christopher Carbone's Reviews > The Trial of Henry Kissinger

This book is a very fast, very fluid read about the foreign policy and possible war crimes of Henry Kissinger. Hitchens does not mince words; there is no rhetorical foreplay nor long winded explanations of how Nixon came to power or Kissinger's childhood, etc. It runs the reader right into the major crimes of Kissinger, namely:

1. The fact that Kissinger most likely intentionally extended the Vietnam war in 1968 in order to defeat Herbert Humphrey and bring Richard Nixon to power, thereby needlessly extending the war four years;
2. Helped the Pakistani government ensure genocide in Indonesia;
3. Helped depose a democratically elected leader in Chile, assassinate those who were against eventual military dictator Pinochet;
4. Extended the Vietnam War, illegally, against non-combatant nations; and
5. Authorized the kidnap and potential assassination of at least one journalist living in the US.

The book is a very fast read; it streams facts, figures and dates past the reader with a staccato-type rhythm, that barely gives the reader time to breath, much less digest what he is reading. Hitchens jumps right into the story with both feet (some would say right on Kissinger) and does not let up. There is no time for pause or reflection and at times, I felt confused by what was being said. In some parts, I expected more foundation; in others, I felt Hitchens stopped half way through his narrative, only to find he was actually finished. If there is one overarching criticism of the book it is that Hitchens does not give the reader any guideposts nor back story- he assumes the reader knows where he has picked up the story and where he will end his argument. I found this ineffective. I would have liked it much better had Hitchens instead said at the beginning of each of his arguments "In this chapter, I will discuss X, Y, and Z." Instead, the reader is left no guide to what he is talking about or where it will lead.

But English being my native tongue, I could follow along well-enough.

However, he makes a deeply compelling case for war crimes against Kissinger. The book is a rude awakening to those who are not fully aware of the true damage Nixon and Kissinger did in their pursuit of global malleability. This book catalogs the crimes, shows the evidence, cross checks it with facts and figures, and then presents cogent retorts to any possible counter-arguments. It is, in a word, the opening argument in the case against Kissinger. It is great at that.

Taking the good with the bad, Hitchens even gives Kissinger time to counter-argue (by printing Kissinger's response to Hitchens' book review of the book "The Arrogance of Power" by Anthony Summers) and then making the man hang himself. In all, the book does all it can with the small pages it has (the book is a very, very past read.

I warn you- if you are closed to the idea that an American citizen can be a war criminal, this book is not for you. This book is not a "point/counter-point" debate, but a one-sided indictment of Henry Kissinger. If you are close to the idea that in the 1960's and 70's the US Government was involved in possible war crimes, this book is NOT for you. However, if you are open to that idea, this book will make you strongly question the US's actions during that time. I found the book a good, solid read, but I thought it could have used, maybe, a little LESS focus, more explanation, and could have been twice the size. Otherwise a very good read.