Henry Alfred Kissinger, (born May 27, 1923, Fürth, Germany), American political scientist, who, as adviser for national security affairs and as secretary of state, was a major influence in the shaping of U.S. foreign policy from 1969 to 1976 under Presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford. In 1973 he was jointly awarded the Nobel Prize for Peace with Le Duc Tho of North Vietnam for their efforts to negotiate a peaceful settlement of the Vietnam War.
