KISSinger: Washington’s Machiavellian Dater
Read Time:4 Minute, 36 Second
By: Martin Makaryan
Edited By: Alexandra Huggins
Those of us who come from an academic background in political science probably remember our rite of passage in political theory. Niccolo Machiavelli’s The Prince may be a short book, but has definitely become a must-read for those seeking to make sense of politics and power. Machiavelli’s seminal work has been so impactful that it even gave birth to terms bearing his name — machiavellian and machiavellianism.
Typically, when we say someone is “machiavellian,” we are referring to the person as cunning, scheming or as we, SAISers would probably call it, strategic. Yet, the term is usually confined to the realm of politics.
Not for Henry Kissinger.
The late former Secretary of State and National Security Advisor to President Richard Nixon, whose wielding of tremendous power and agile, realpolitik diplomacy earned him a special place among American statesmen, was machiavellian beyond politics or foreign policy. The controversial statesman, whose policies have recently generated a growing reconsideration and shedding of light on the human rights abuses committed in various countries due to his policies, was also machiavellian in his social and romantic life.
Today, most people do not think of romance or dating when thinking of Kissinger — his name typically evokes thoughts of the U.S.-Soviet détente, the Vietnam War, or the illegal, secret bombing of Cambodia for a whole year — but one of America’s most powerful diplomats and statesmen was also a serial dater, if not a sex icon of his time. According to Walter Isaacson, who wrote the most widely known biography of Henry Kissinger, in a 1972 poll, Playboy Club bunnies ranked Kissinger first among “men I would most like to go on a date with.”
But a 1972 poll is not all that shows Kissinger’s incredible appeal as a bachelor. Women’s Wear Daily called him “Playboy of the Western Wing,” referring to the West Wing of the White House where Kissinger consolidated the nation’s foreign policy decision-making, while the New York Post dubbed him as the “swinging bachelor of the Nixon Administration.” In between his marriages (or perhaps during as well?), Kissinger dated some of the most beautiful (by the standards of the day) women and celebrities of the day, including Hollywood stars Zsa Zsa Gabor, Candice Bergen, and Jill St. John.
But what exactly was it that attracted some of Hollywood’s biggest stars and White House staffers to Kissinger?
There would probably be no need to ask Kissinger himself, as his philosophy and intellectual legacy gives an easy enough answer to the million-dollar question. “Power is the ultimate aphrodisiac,” Kissinger said. There certainly are some studies suggesting that power or perceptions of power do induce sexual desire or romantic attraction. But that can’t be all, can it?
Richard Haass, former diplomat and President of the Council on Foreign Relations, recalls Kissinger in a slightly different way: “He could connect dots and make people see things in ways they couldn’t see for themselves, and that’s valuable around a board table and around a negotiating table — and around a dinner table.” Kissinger was an avid participant in the social life of the elites, and those who had met him have confirmed his incredible social skills. For instance, even despite his hatred of liberals and intolerance of certain ideologies on the job or in the public scene, he had no issues charming both liberals and conservatives alike at parties and social functions.
People, it seems, found him uniquely convincing and charismatic, despite the growing number of casualties in Vietnam as a result of his policies or completely off-the-books bombings of Cambodia and Laos. And Kissinger liked this. The media may have added extra flavor to the stories about Kissinger, but the academic-turned-sex-idol fully embraced the persona, extending his influence and enhancing his image in the eyes of the broader public. Ask the average American who Biden’s National Security Adviser is today: I doubt most would know. If you asked the average American in 1972, especially women, the result would probably be significantly different.
And what is all this for a statesman who married twice (and seems to have had a thing for taller women — don’t lose hope short kings!) if not a strategy, a careful, tactical use of his manly charm and position of power to date the most beautiful celebrities of the day — which in turn increased his own power. What better to combat the image of a power-hungry, brutally realpolitik statesman whose policies are costing tens of thousands of lives if not the image of a smiling, charming, and sexy intellectual dating blonde Hollywood actresses?
It would seem that Kissinger’s machiavellianism extended beyond the realm of politics. Washington’s Casanova who frequently changed girlfriends clearly was not a hopeless romantic acting on the whims of a romantic heart. For those of you studying strategy at SAIS, take good notes, as what you learn in the classroom may come in handy this Valentine’s day!
This piece is a tribute to commemorate Henry Kissinger’s death at the age of 100 on November 29, 2023. A controversial figure with a dark side that cannot be forgotten, Kissinger stands as one of the most iconic figures in the history of American statecraft and foreign policy whose legacy continues to shape the world we live in today.
