The irrepressible Dr K
by Sam Roggeveen
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18 February 2010 9:15AM
I've just started a new book called 1989: The Struggle to create post-Cold War Europe, by Mary Elise Sarotte.
Best line so far comes in a passage describing President Bush's use of Henry Kissinger as an envoy to Mikhail Gorbachev in January 1989. It soon becomes clear to Dr K that his reports from Moscow are not being well received by new Secretary of State, James Baker, leading Kissinger to send Baker a groveling note in order to salvage his reputation with the new Administration. Sarotte writes:
Kissinger promised that he would resist future meddling: "I have a firm policy never to volunteer policy advice to already overburdened senior officials." He did not specify at what point in his life he had implemented that policy.
Speaking of anecdotes about '80s European politics, here's a good one about how Thatcher handled Prime Minister's Question Time.
Photo by Flickr user darthdowney, used under a Creative Commons license.
