About this episode
Tom Wells discusses his book 'The Kissinger Tapes', exploring the controversial legacy of Henry Kissinger through his recorded phone conversations.
Author and editor Tom Wells opens his 600-page book titled "The Kissinger Tapes" this way: "Henry Kissinger is one of the most polarizing figures in recent American history…He is hailed by many as a master in the art of diplomacy and realpolitik…" Tom Wells, who has a PhD in sociology from the University of California at Berkeley also writes this: "[M]any critics consider his diplomacy overhyped and some condemn him for committing war crimes…" Mr. Wells' book is subtitled "Inside His Secretly Recorded Phone Conversations." These recordings cover the years 1969 through August of 1974, the end of the Nixon presidency. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
People in this episode
Guest: Tom Wells
Topics covered
- diplomacy
- realpolitik
- American history
- war crimes
- political figures
Keywords
- Kissinger
- diplomacy
- war crimes
- politics
- American history
- Tom Wells
- sociology
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: University of California at Berkeley
Books & works: The Kissinger Tapes
More episodes of Booknotes+
- Lerone Bennett Jr., "Forced Into Glory" · June 9, 2026 · 1h 2m
- Lois Romano, "An Inconvenient Widow" · June 2, 2026 · 1h 9m
- Danny Funt, "Everybody Loses" · May 26, 2026 · 1h 28m
- Theo Baker, "How to Rule the World" · May 19, 2026 · 1h 10m
- Harvey Mansfield, "Where Harvard Went Wrong" · May 12, 2026 · 1h 8m
- Bruce Nichols, "The Emerson Circle" · May 5, 2026 · 1h 8m
Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Booknotes+ podcast page.