The Predominance of Kissinger

IN its orderly march of ideas, its thoroughness and its conceptual breadth, President Nixon's wide-ranging foreign policy report demonstrates again the predominant influence of Henry Kissinger, his articulate National Security Assistant. The former Harvard professor's strength is his abhorrence of sloganeering in world affairs and his knack for breaking complex problems down to their more specific and manageable components. At one and the same time, claims one White House observer, he is "Richard Nixon's Richelieu, and his Metternich."

Kissinger began to solicit suggestions for the report last October from the Department of State, the Defense Department and the CIA. On the day after Christmas he took five of his 49 aides to San Clemente to begin drafting the document. He discussed its outlines in detail with Nixon in January. A rough draft was then circulated to the key agencies for their comments, and the National Security Council reviewed both the draft and the comments. The final policy decisions were made last month by Nixon, Kissinger and Secretary of State William Rogers at Key Biscayne.

As the drafting and the final polishing continued, Kissinger drove his staff with all the harshness of a plantation overseer. It was easy to detect which members of his staff had worked on the final drafts, Kissinger says. "They had maniacal expressions on their faces." As the deadline for the final draft approached, Kissinger kept telephoning his men with last-minute thoughts. Exasperated, they finally stopped taking his calls so that they could complete their work.

Tyrannical taskmaster that he is, Kissinger has already run through three administrative aides, who decided to escape the pressure. But the irrepressible Kissinger can readily joke about his reputation as a ruthless boss. Says he of his overworked staff: "The circles under the eyes don't bother me. It's only when I see the flecks of foam at the corners of the mouth that I worry."

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