Kissinger Speaks at Nixon Library

The man who helped end America’s involvement in the Vietnam War autographed his new book for Yorba Linda resident Ted Wells on Wednesday.

“I think he’s a genius,” said Wells, 38, a real estate broker, clutching two signed copies of former Secretary of State Henry A. Kissinger’s $35 book. “This is a major event and I wouldn’t have missed it.”

Wells was among hundreds of people who stood in line at the Richard Nixon Library & Birthplace waiting for Kissinger to scrawl his signature on copies of “Diplomacy,” his new 835-page opus.

Earlier, the Nobel Peace Prize winner spoke to about 300 people in the library auditorium, where he paid tribute to former President Richard Nixon and castigated what he views as the media-driven Clinton Administration for its “wishy-washy” foreign policy.

In his first return to Yorba Linda since eulogizing Nixon in April, Kissinger again praised the late President’s skill and foresight in conducting U.S. foreign policy, even in the face of unprecedented “concentrated hostility” at home.

“The last time I was here was at the funeral of Richard Nixon,” Kissinger said. “It was a sad and moving and inspiring event. It brought together Americans like nothing else that I can remember in recent years.

“Even he would have been astonished at the outpouring of affection and unifying impact his death had on America,” he said. “He was a patriot.”

Unlike the Clinton Administration, the Nixon presidency was marked by clearly defined foreign policy objectives, said Kissinger, who served as national security adviser and secretary of state under Nixon. Clinton’s use of military force in Somalia was a mistake, especially in view of a U.S. withdrawal from the African nation after 18 casualties, Kissinger said.

“Before we commit U.S. forces, we have to know the outcome we want and we have to be able to define the national interest,” he said.

Likewise, Kissinger said, dispatching U.S. soldiers to Haiti, as Clinton has threatened to do in past weeks, would be equally unwise. “I do not favor a military invasion because I can’t describe the threat Haiti presents to the United States,” he said.

Kissinger said the Clinton Administration must also develop a strategy for dealing with the post-Cold War world, which the President Clinton has failed to do thus far. Clinton must pay special attention to fostering good relations with the Russia on the one hand, but also insuring ensure the superpower doesn’t resume its 400-year policy of imperialism. , said Kissinger. Also, said Kissinger, Clinton must work to prevent nuclear proliferation in Asia, particularly by North Korea.

Compounding the difficulty in fashioning a coherent U.S. foreign policy, Kissinger said, is the enormous detrimental impact of television. He blamed TV for eroding the national intellect, especially among the young.

“Our generation, Richard Nixon’s generation, grew up on books,” he said. “We could form concepts. The television generation is brought up on pictures and they react to sentiment and emotion and therefore it becomes very difficult to develop a long-range (foreign) policy.”

After his address, a smiling Kissinger signed hundreds of books for those who purchased the tomes in the Nixon library store. Wednesday’s sales of the bestseller, which contrasts the foreign policies of the United States during World War I and 17th-Century European powers, goes toward supporting the library.

On the whole, visitors who eagerly awaited Kissinger’s signature in their new books agreed with his remarks.

“He’s a brilliant speaker,” said Jim Fish, a 60-year-old film producer from Corona del Mar. “I’m just excited to be here to listen to him.”

Even younger people, who took a knock for their television viewing habits, applauded Kissinger.

“I like the fact he was talking about our generation watching too much TV,” said 16-year-old Kyle Vaughn of Modesto. “We aren’t able to conceptualize things. That’s the problem.”

“He sees the whole (global) picture,” Vaughn said.

Not everyone hailed Kissinger’s appearance. Outside the library grounds, John Eisloeffel, a government teacher at Irvine High School, conducted a lone peaceful protest. Eisloeffel criticized what he said was Kissinger’s role in launching secret bombings in Cambodia and undermining a democratically elected government in Chile nearly two decades ago.

Nevertheless, the high school teacher said he plans to read Kissinger’s book.

“I’ll probably buy it, but I’ll wait for the paperback. It’s cheaper.”