Product Description

More than thirty years after working side by side in the White House, Richard Nixon and Henry Kissinger still stand as two of the most compelling, contradictory, and powerful leaders in America in the second half of the twentieth century. Both were largely self-made men, brimming with ambition, driven by their own inner demons, and often ruthless in pursuit of their goals. From January 1969 to August 1974, their collaboration and rivalry resulted in the making of foreign policy that would leave a defining mark on the Nixon presidency.

Tapping into a wealth of recently declassified documents and tapes, Robert Dallek uncovers fascinating details about Nixon and Kissinger's tumultuous personal relationship and the extent to which they struggled to outdo each other in the reach for foreign policy achievements. With unprecedented detail, Dallek reveals Nixon's erratic behavior during Watergate and the extent to which Kissinger was complicit in trying to help Nixon use national security to prevent his impeachment or resignation.

Illuminating, authoritative, revelatory, and utterly engrossing, Nixon and Kissinger provides a startling new picture of the immense power and sway these two men held in affecting world history.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #870521 in Books
• Published on: 2007-04-12
• Formats: Abridged, Audiobook
• Original language: English
• Binding: Audio CD

From Publishers Weekly
This abridged version of Dallek's study of the relationship between a president and his powerful secretary of state is read with precision by Conger. Dallek approved the audiobook's abridgment, which hits the high points of his 750-page doorstopper. Conger hints at imitating the deeply familiar voices of Dallek's twin protagonists without sliding into all-out parody. He drops his voice to a semigrowl for Nixon and adds a muted Central European flavor for Kissinger. For the most part, Conger hits the expected notes, emphasizing and underlining Dallek's narrative with understated flair. Those expecting spine-tingling excitement from the meeting and collision of these two powerful, ultimately destructive political forces may be disappointed by Conger's staid reading, but its allure lies in its solid, unobtrusive nature. Conger pulls listeners into Nixon and Kissinger's struggle by ceding center stage to them.
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From AudioFile
Two of historys most distinctive voices--literally and politically--clash while working for the same goals. The deep-voiced Eric Conger delivers a flat yet consistent tone to the historical narrative. Disappointingly, he uses no variation to differentiate the oft-imitated president or the German-American diplomatic advisor. Such vocal characterization would have enhanced the experience of hearing this solid, well-researched summary of the political challenges facing Nixon--China, Russia, Vietnam, and the ever-present Watergate. Even slight imitations would have added color. Still, listeners glean a decent understanding of Nixons demeaning and suspicious ways, Kissingers ego and interests in world negotiations, and the pivotal crises they faced. M.B. © AudioFile 2007, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine

About the Author

Robert Dallek is the author of Nixon and Kissinger, a Pulitzer Prize finalist, and An Unfinished Life: John F. Kennedy, 1917-1963, among other books. An elected fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and of the Society of American Historians, for which he served as president from 2004 to 2005, Dallek lives in Washington, D.C.