(2 of 2)
Accolades for Kissinger flowed like the heady Beaujolais nouveau that has just arrived in Brussels. Portuguese Foreign Minister Jose Ferreira lauded the Secretary's "indelible imprint on the work of our council." NATO Secretary-General Joseph Luns hailed him as "one of the most effective Foreign Ministers of our century" and "a man to whom the adjective 'great' can be applied with sincerity." Belgian Foreign Minister Renaat van Elslande presented Kissinger with a reproduction of a Latin encyclopedia from the year 1120; West German Foreign Minister Hans-Dietrich Genscher gave him a 1642 engraving of Kissinger's birthplace, Fuerth, Germany.
Amidst the ringing praise for his wisdom and charm, darker moments in the complex relationship between the European-born U.S. Secretary and the Continent's leaders were mostly forgotten. The much-vaunted Year of Europe that Kissinger had advocated in 1973, without prior consultation, had outraged the allies. In the oil crisis and embargo of the same year, Kissinger privately described the Europeans as "craven" for failing to stand up to the oil producers. He exacerbated troubled U.S. relations with Greece and Turkey during the Cyprus invasion of 1974. Yet, as the Europeans well—and gratefully—realized, he had boldly assumed the role of U.S. President for foreign policy and symbolized America's steady resolve during a profound domestic crisis. He could threaten, he could promise—and he could deliver. As secret negotiator, summiteer and diplomat extraordinaire, Kissinger had fascinated the Europeans.
Decent Interval. On his final official trip, Kissinger resisted any temptation to grow maudlin. Instead, he spoke of how the fundamentals of American foreign policy, which he had helped establish, would endure. He foresaw no radical change in the U.S. policy of detente toward Moscow; he urged NATO ministers to create incentives for the Soviet Union to seek responsible courses of action. He was optimistic about Middle East negotiations now that the influence of the Palestine Liberation Organization has "been reduced" and relations between Syria and the Soviet Union have chilled.
Concluding his farewell appearance in Brussels, Kissinger stopped off in London in a final effort to salvage the deadlocked Rhodesian talks, to dine with Prime Minister Callaghan and attend a soccer match. Then he left for Washington, to sort out his plans for the future. There will be a "decent interval" of a year for work on his memoirs. And what then? When newsmen teased him, Henry Kissinger replied—some would say with a Mona Lisa smile—"I'll be back in 1985."