'Blood must be spilled': How Kissinger nearly triggered a war with North Korea



Features ‘Blood must be spilled’: How Kissinger nearly triggered a war with North Korea The former US Secretary of State wanted to retaliate when the DPRK killed Americans, despite concerns of escalation James Fretwell December 1, 2023 SHARE COPY LINK FACEBOOK X LINKEDIN MASTODON Henry Kissinger and U.S. President Gerald Ford \| Image: U.S. Department of State (Aug. 16, 1974) Henry Kissinger, the powerful but controversial U.S. Secretary of State who died at age 100 on Wednesday, is perhaps most famous for orchestrating America’s rapprochement with Communist China, and most notorious for ordering bombings of Cambodia during the Vietnam War. But the statesman who reigned over U.S. foreign policy for a decade also played a less remarked upon role in shaping American action on the Korean Peninsula — and at one point was only a hair’s breath away from lashing out against North Korea. Henry Kissinger, the powerful but controversial U.S. Secretary of State who died at age 100 on Wednesday, is perhaps most famous for orchestrating America’s rapprochement with Communist China, and most notorious for ordering bombings of Cambodia during the Vietnam War. But the statesman who reigned over U.S. foreign policy for a decade also played a less remarked upon role in shaping American action on the Korean Peninsula — and at one point was only a hair’s breath away from lashing out against North Korea. Try unlimited access Only $1 for four weeks Unlimited access to all of NK News: reporting, investigations, analysis Year-one discount if you continue past $1 trial period The NK News Daily Update, an email newsletter to keep you in the loop Searchable archive of all content, photo galleries, special columns Contact NK News reporters with tips or requests for reporting Get unlimited access to all NK News content, including original reporting, investigations, and analyses by our team of DPRK experts. Subscribe now All major cards accepted. No commitments – you can cancel any time. © Korea Risk Group. All rights reserved. No part of this content may be reproduced, distributed, or used for commercial purposes without prior written permission from Korea Risk Group. Get the Daily Update Start your day with the North Korea stories that matter most – as selected by And how should we address you in correspondence? One more step! Please check your inbox, for an email we just sent you, and click on the confirmation message in it to get subscribed to our Daily News Update. Trending

Features

‘Blood must be spilled’: How Kissinger nearly triggered a war with North Korea

The former US Secretary of State wanted to retaliate when the DPRK killed Americans, despite concerns of escalation

James Fretwell December 1, 2023

‘Blood must be spilled’: How Kissinger nearly triggered a war with North Korea

Henry Kissinger and U.S. President Gerald Ford | Image: U.S. Department of State (Aug. 16, 1974)

Henry Kissinger, the powerful but controversial U.S. Secretary of State who died at age 100 on Wednesday, is perhaps most famous for orchestrating America’s rapprochement with Communist China, and most notorious for ordering bombings of Cambodia during the Vietnam War.

But the statesman who reigned over U.S. foreign policy for a decade also played a less remarked upon role in shaping American action on the Korean Peninsula — and at one point was only a hair’s breath away from lashing out against North Korea.

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‘Blood must be spilled’: How Kissinger nearly triggered a war with North Korea

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