Vance v Kissinger: A Matter of Style

When Henry Kissinger talked with reporters on a diplomatic shuttle, he was like a wise, witty potentate holding a levee for his courtiers. When Cyrus Vance unbends with newsmen on a mission abroad, it is more like a corporation lawyer at a court recess commenting discreetly on the intricacies of an antitrust case sub judice. TIME Correspondent Christopher Ogden, who has traveled with both Secretaries of State, last week cabled this commentary on their differing styles:

Whenever he traveled, Henry Kissinger took the State Department with him. When he went to Latin America last year, he took along an expert on the Middle East just in case something happened in that area. Although the Middle East was expected to be one of the major topics of Vance's talks in Moscow, the new Secretary did not have a specialist along.

Long Hours. Virtually all the major State Department cable traffic went to the touring Kissinger, creating an enormous logistical burden for his staffs. Vance lets Deputy Secretary Warren Christopher run the department while he is away. As a result, he gets only about one-fifth of the messages demanded by Kissinger, who usually asked for several a day, each running about five to six pages. After two days of getting roughly the same number, Vance sent out an order restricting them to no more than a page and a half.

Like Kissinger, Vance has no problem making decisions, but he does not like to be flooded with them. "He is very methodical and prefers focusing on one issue at a time," says a State Department Soviet specialist. He works hard, putting in long hours, but is not as tireless as Kissinger was. Vance will take naps when he can. Kissinger would regularly give an aide a fistful of memos for action at 2 a.m. and ask that they be returned--with completed action--at 6 a.m. When Kissinger traveled, secretaries and aides scurried constantly, taking dictation, typing, reproducing material. Some aides who traveled with him to a city three or four times never got outside their hotel. With Vance, some of these assistants were startled at the amount of free time they had.

Vance appreciates good work and thanks assistants when they produce well. Kissinger was never satisfied with the best efforts of his aides. He would throw back speech drafts two or three times, calling them "junk" or worse. Kissinger was notorious for his tantrums. Vance is even-tempered.

On the road, Vance has so far been content to use Kissinger's back-up Boeing 707. It is less comfortable than the plane regularly used by his predecessor, which is now part of the Administration's fleet. Kissinger spent a good deal of time in the rear of the plane talking off the record to reporters, even as the jet rocketed down the runway. He would return two or three times during a trip to chat, quip, tell jokes and stories about foreign leaders or spin out grand stratagems while nibbling peanuts or candy. Vance is more reserved and is still feeling his way. He rarely comes back to chat, but he invites the press forward for regular news conferences.

According to some who have seen both men in action, Kissinger was far more expansive in talks with heads of government. As with reporters, he would tell stories, crack jokes--often at the expense of his aides--and spin out involved arguments to prove a point. Vance sits and listens. He is less lively, but also more straightforward.

Is Vance too nice for the job? Some think so. "He really may be too much of a gentleman," insists a Middle East expert in Washington. "He may not be able to survive the cutthroat atmosphere." But gentlemen can be tough, as well as patient; Vance may yet demonstrate that he has both these qualities, along with his undoubted intelligence.

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