The Trial of Henry Kissinger audiobook cover - The dark side of American foreign policy

The Trial of Henry Kissinger

The dark side of American foreign policy

Christopher Hitchens

4.4 / 5(126 ratings)
Start ListeningDownloadQR code that opens AudiobookHub on the App StoreTry free on iPhoneScan to start in 5 seconds
Categories:

If You're Curious About These Questions...

You should listen to this audiobook

Listen to The Trial of Henry Kissinger — Free Audiobook

Loading player...

Key Takeaways from The Trial of Henry Kissinger

Learning Tools

Reinforce what you learned from The Trial of Henry Kissinger

Mind Map

The Trial of Henry Kissinger
Public Myth vs. Dark Reality+
Sabotage of Vietnam Peace (1968)+
War Crimes in Indochina+
Genocide in Bangladesh (1971)+
Regime Change in Chile (1973)+
East Timor Massacres (1975)+
Post-Political Profiteering+
The Case for Prosecution+

Quiz — Test Your Understanding

Question 1 of 7
According to the text, why did Henry Kissinger actively sabotage the 1968 Paris peace talks designed to end the Vietnam War?
  • A. He wanted to secure a more prominent position in Richard Nixon's incoming administration.
  • B. He believed the US military needed more time to deploy advanced weaponry in South Vietnam.
  • C. He wanted to prevent the Soviet Union from claiming international credit for brokering the peace deal.
  • D. He was trying to ensure that South Vietnam received a larger share of financial reparations.
Question 2 of 7
How did Operation Menu, which Kissinger helped plan, violate international law?
  • A. It utilized chemical weapons that had been expressly banned by the Geneva Convention.
  • B. It involved the carpet bombing of neutral neighboring countries, Cambodia and Laos.
  • C. It specifically targeted hospitals, schools, and civilian infrastructure in North Vietnamese cities.
  • D. It deployed American ground troops who were illegally disguised as North Vietnamese soldiers.
Question 3 of 7
What was Kissinger's primary motivation for supporting the Pakistani military regime against Bangladeshi independence in 1971?
  • A. He believed Bangladeshi independence leader Sheik Mujib was secretly funding the Viet Cong.
  • B. The Pakistani government promised to supply the US with cheap oil in exchange for heavy weapons.
  • C. Pakistan was a close US ally and served as a vital secret communication link between the United States and China.
  • D. He wanted to provoke a larger proxy war between India and the Soviet Union over the disputed territory.
Question 4 of 7
What role did Kissinger play in the events leading up to the 1973 military coup in Chile?
  • A. He ordered the direct deployment of US Marines to overthrow the democratically elected Salvador Allende.
  • B. He organized an international trade embargo that deliberately collapsed the Chilean economy.
  • C. He personally negotiated a treaty that forced Salvador Allende to step down peacefully to avoid civil war.
  • D. He directed the CIA to supply weapons and money to kidnap General Schneider, who opposed a military coup.
Question 5 of 7
How did Kissinger respond to the Indonesian invasion of East Timor and the subsequent human rights violations?
  • A. He publicly condemned the invasion but secretly provided intelligence to Indonesian forces.
  • B. He ensured the US did not criticize the invasion and actively advocated for greater US weapon exports to Indonesia.
  • C. He immediately halted all US weapon exports to Indonesia to comply with international defense laws.
  • D. He organized a UN peacekeeping force to protect the East Timorese population from Suharto's troops.
Question 6 of 7
How does the book suggest Kissinger personally profited in his later years from his earlier political decisions regarding Indonesia?
  • A. He formed a joint venture with the Indonesian government to exploit a highly lucrative gold and copper mine in East Timor.
  • B. He received a massive pension funded by the Indonesian government in exchange for his past diplomatic services.
  • C. He sold the exclusive publishing rights of his memoirs to an Indonesian state-owned media conglomerate.
  • D. He was appointed as the permanent US ambassador to Indonesia, which came with substantial financial kickbacks.
Question 7 of 7
What historical comparison does the author use to highlight the double standard regarding Kissinger's immunity from prosecution?
  • A. The imprisonment of European leaders following the end of the Cold War.
  • B. The international tribunals held for Latin American dictators during the 1980s.
  • C. The prosecution and execution of Japanese generals by the US after the Second World War.
  • D. The impeachment and near-prosecution of Richard Nixon following the Watergate scandal.

The Trial of Henry Kissinger — Full Chapter Overview

The Trial of Henry Kissinger Summary & Overview

In The Trial of Henry Kissinger, Hitchens shows a side of Henry Kissinger few would have imagined possible. He delves into the dark side of American foreign policy and shows first-hand examples of Kissinger’s criminal activities in Vietnam, Bangladesh and East Timor, and of his human rights violations and war crimes.

Who Should Listen to The Trial of Henry Kissinger?

  • Anyone interested in the dark side of US foreign policy
  • Anyone interested in human rights
  • Anyone interested in the twentieth-century and Cold War history

About the Author: Christopher Hitchens

Christopher Hitchens was an English author, debater and journalist. A self-acclaimed socialist, he liked to take controversial stands on famous public figures. In his later years, he became famous for his anti-religious writing and his strong support of the Iraq War. He passed away in 2011.

🎧
Listen in the AppOffline playback & background play
Get App