12 1 23 1 43 PM Fact Check Did Henry Kissinger Say He'd Be Antisemitic if Not Jewish SUBSCRIBE FOR $1 Fact Check Henry Kissinger Anti-Semitism Jewish Israel Fact Check Did Henry Kissinger Say He'd Be Antisemitic if Not Jewish Nov 30 2023 at 9 45 AM EST By Tom Norton FOLLOW 6 F ormer U S Secretary of State Henry Kissinger who died Wednesday at the age of 100 has left a divisive legacy of political and foreign policy maneuvering that was both lauded and derided across the globe Seen by some as a pragmatic diplomat awarded a Nobel prize for reaching a ceasefire and peace agreement to the Vietnam War he has also been accused of enabling war crimes including his involvement in the orchestration of U S bombing in Cambodia Among the conversations reflecting on his legacy was one quote that appeared to suggest Kissinger would have been antisemitic had it not been for his Jewish birth https www newsweek com henry-kissinger-say-i-would-antisemitic-jewish-something-wrong-1848303 1 14 12 1 23 1 43 PM Fact Check Did Henry Kissinger Say He'd Be Antisemitic if Not Jewish SUBSCRIBE FOR $1 Henry Kissinger at Museum of Jewish Heritage on May 13 2015 in New York City Kissinger who has died at the age of 100 was quoted as saying he'd be antisemitic if he had not been born Jewish STEVE MACK GETTY IMAGES The Claim A post on X formerly Twitter by user @hannahgais viewed 905 000 times stated Kissinger 'If it were not for the accident of my birth I would be antisemitic Any people who has been persecuted for two thousand years must be doing something wrong ' NEWSLETTER The Bulletin Your daily briefing of everything you need to know SIGN UP Email address The Facts The quote is taken from Walter Isaacson's 1992 biography Kissinger Isaacson described the book as neither an authorized nor unauthorized biography stating that while Kissinger did not approve the book before publication he provided two dozen formal interviews access to public and private papers and asked family members former aides business associates and past presidents to contribute Isaacson spoke not only to Kissinger but dozens of colleagues and bosses including late former President Richard Nixon https www newsweek com henry-kissinger-say-i-would-antisemitic-jewish-something-wrong-1848303 2 14 12 1 23 1 43 PM Fact Check Did Henry Kissinger Say He'd Be Antisemitic if Not Jewish The quote on X appears in a section of the book describing Kissinger's attitude toward his Judaism and how FOR his faith was viewed by SUBSCRIBE $1 Nixon According to Kissinger Nixon felt Jewish people put the interests of Israel above everything else and that their control of the media made them dangerous allies Sign up for Newsweek’s daily headlines Isaacson wrote that following Israel's violation of a 1973 ceasefire with Egypt Kissinger grumbled at one WSAG meeting 'If it were not for the accident of my birth I would be anti-Semitic ' In other moments of exasperation he would note that any people who have been persecuted for two thousand years must be doing something wrong ' The Washington Special Actions Group or WSAG was a high-level U S government crisis committee formed under the Nixon administration Notably the National Security Archive later discovered that Kissinger gave a green light for Israel to breach the 1973 ceasefire What was not mentioned alongside the citation on X was Isaacson's suggestion that Kissinger's comments may have not been intended seriously In the same paragraph as the quote attributed to Kissinger the book states As was often the case Kissinger's attitude toward his Jewishness was reflected in his humor much of it directed at the pressure on him from 'my coreligionists' to forgive any Israeli sin While this does not alter what Isaacson said or verifiably confirm his intent this argument is absent from the citation on X This same section of the biography also notes the commitments Kissinger made to his religion insisting Isaacson writes that his son had a bar mitzvah and his emotional commitment to the survival of Israel quoting Kissinger telling Jewish leaders 'How can I as a Jew who lost thirteen relatives in the holocaust do anything that would betray Israel ' READ MORE Henry Kissinger controversial former US Secretary of State Dies Aged 100 The source of the quote is attributed only to a Washington Special Actions Group meeting although Isaacson states that most documentary material came from the Nixon Presidential Papers Project While Isaacson did not state where Kissinger was quoted the conversation took place while Kissinger was U S secretary of state Isaacson notes that while in office Kissinger had secretaries and aides listen in on his phone conversations and take notes which evolved into a full-fledged taping system with a battery of secretaries who would transcribe the talks overnight The Ruling Needs context The quote is taken from Walter Isaacson's 1992 biography Kissinger attributed to a meeting Kissinger held in 1973 after Israel breached a ceasefire between it and Egypt While it was accurately quoted Kissinger's comments were according to Isaacson intended with humor also noting the late secretary of state's commitments to his faith FACT CHECK BY Newsweek's Fact Check team For more information about this ranking please click on this LINK Request Reprint Licensing Submit Correction View Editorial Guidelines https www newsweek com henry-kissinger-say-i-would-antisemitic-jewish-something-wrong-1848303 3 14