Henry Kissinger
Once called "the most controversial to date," the decision to award the Nobel Peace Prize to Henry Kissinger in 1973 was fraught with debate. Critics said Kissinger's alleged involvement as Secretary of State in Operation Condor and the U.S. bombing campaigns in Cambodia made a mockery of the prize and led Tom Lehrer to quip that the award "made political satire obsolete." Further incensing the situation, North Vietnam's Le Duc Tho, who was jointly awarded the prize, declined his half of the spoils on the grounds that he didn't want to share the award with the realpolitik ringmaster. To date, his detractors continue to dispute the accolade, arguing that the prize was for efforts to conclude the Vietnam War — something that didn't actually happen until 1975.