REMARKS OF HENRY KISSINGER

FRIARS CLUB

Mr. Douglas, Ambassador Evron, Ambassador Ghorbal, Senator Javits, distinguished members and guests of the Friars Club, ladies and gentlemen....it means a great deal to me to be honored by such a group of men and women I have admired so long for their intellect, their talent and their good looks. And I know as you return my gaze you reciprocate these feelings.

I am indeed grateful for this occasion, especially as I am aware that this distinguished group could have had anybody. All the Presidential candidates would have been more than eager to come. But I am glad you followed the motto of our President: "Why Not The Best?"

[x]

2.

Indeed, as I watch the candidates on the stage, I have heard it said that I have crossed my mind so often that I might have a go at being myself. Unfortunately, according to the Constitution,

I am not qualified. You might say this is not an
insuperable obstacle considering how many men have
served who are not qualified. But there is a
groundswell to change the Constitution. An amendment
to that effect has already acquired three signatures and this
in only four years.

There has been some comment here about my Ego, which
I frankly rather resent. My wife Nancy does not agree
with it. Neither does my dog, Tyler. Nor do my
staff assistants, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.

One of the little ones
Reader - With

3.

Before I go any further let me clear up some
unpleasantness with the Program "Sixty Minutes"
this week. I was quoted as saying they were going
to do a hatchet job on me and was threatening to
sue them. It is all a terrible misunderstanding.

They claimed I was seeking editorial until.

"60 Minutes" is doing a program called

"THE SHAH - KISSINGER CONNECTION." That I cannot
accept. Anything that gives me second billing is
a hatchet job.

And I would never dream of suing so <u>defenseless</u> a
person as Mike Wallace. I simply told him that Nancy
and I invite Chief Justice Burger and his Associate
Justices over to watch television with us <u>every</u>

Sunday.

Assassination Suicide

4.

It is true I was invited to appear on the program. I knew they would edit me so I insisted they must use complete sentences. They said they would allow me up to 14 minutes. That stopped it right there. I don't have any sentences that go less than 15 minutes.

To return to the subject of the evening, I asked Dave Tebet what I should talk about to this audience which by now will be in an advanced state of dissolution.

He said:

"Talk about anything you want, pal." So instead of the usual boring late night speech, I was tempted to give this audience something you will never forget.

I decided to read my book to you. This room has no function again until next Thursday night. So I will get thru it if I cut it by a third, which I can achieve by dropping the word "I."

5.

But on second thought it occurred to me that
you might be more interested in my next volume.

I have finished 1000 manuscript pages and I am
nearly through refuting the book review in the
New York Times.

The volume begins: "After resting on the seventh
day I resumed my labors on the eighth."

The second volume goes into my origins and my
background in some detail. It is in the great
American tradition: "I was born in a log chalet
in the South German State of Bavaria, whose national
hero was King Ludwig the Mad. When I was a boy I
read Metternich and other great Americans by the
light of a kerosene lamp. The turning point in my
life, which set me on the road to politics, occurred
when I came across Lincoln's famous phrase:

6.

[Y]

'You can fool some of the people all of the time
and all of the people some of the time.'
"Hey" I said to myself. "Those are pretty good odds."

The rest is the simple story of how I saved the world.

I have in any case irrefutable proof that I have
truly written a book for the ages. The German edition
is designed to appeal to the masochistic instinct of
the people. It is 1700 pages and takes a monastic
commitment to read. In fact, Germans are planning
their vacations around it and when they come & a passage
they enjoy they forlorn

The other day when I stayed in the State Guest House
in Bonn, somebody sent me a copy to autograph. The
German Police knew a bomb when they saw one. So
they put an explosive charge to it and blew it up.
I am happy to tell you all it did was to singe the
edges. The print is unimpaired.

8

mainland one by one.

You can imagine what President Carter went through riding her on this group. At a recent NSC meeting Cy Vance spoke and the President said, "I agree." Then Brzezinski argued the opposite case, and the President said, "I agree." So Mondale leaned over and whispered in the President's ear, you can't agree with both, and Carter said, "I agree."

And then we have here the valiant fighters against inflation. The troublemaking press speaks of a rift between the Administration and Labor; especially between Alfred Kahn and George Meany. It reflects the media's penchant for misrepresentation. Actually Kahn and Meany are on a first name basis. The inflation czar calls the labor leader George. George calls Kahn Genghis.

All of this is observed by a host of Republican candidates. Connally and Reagan are in the lead in Republican preference but neither has yet cuaght up with Hoover or Dewey.

Nor should you write off Jerry Ford. Betty is ambivalent.

7.

Now, a few observations on the political scene.

First, Cy Vance resigned. People immediately started speculating that there was tension between him and Zbig Brzezinski. Cy denies that he is questioning Zbig's judgement. He says anybody could have a pet zebra and call it Spot.

In all this excitement, the economy has gotten completely out of hand. I dropped a quarter in the lobby today, and I had to tip the bellman a dollar to pick it up.

And it was announced this week that it now costs the average family 20 thousand dollars a year to live in this country. I believe it.... if they do without luxuries such as a second home, a boat or food.

8.

Jody Powell continues to work day and night on the
President's announcement of the conversion of _ocean water_ into _low cost crude oil_....which is now scheduled for the TODAY Show on the Tuesday following the first Monday in November.

And Hamilton Jordan denies that the trips the
President is now planning to make out of the Rose Garden
are in any way political. Jordan explains that the
President simply wants to go around the country and
personally explain the seating plan of this year's
Thanksgiving Dinner in the White House to the uncommitted
delegates of the Democratic National Convention.

On the other hand, things are looking up for the
Republicans. In deference to their leading candidate,
the age limit for Young Republicans has been _lowered_ to 65.

10.

Kirk Douglas, you have done a marvelous job tonight

and I know this audience joins my expression of

appreciation to you. And I am happy that you

are able to-night, so that everybody can see me as
not the same person I was

because I am constantly being mistaken for you at 2:45 until I realize I'm not

really done 9 mind since I am signing out now & will be done

Bill Buckley, who insisted on playing _all_ of the
principal parts in the film version of "God & Man At Yale,"

has the largest vocabulary of any man I know unless
you confine it to words that are in the dictionary.

I know I will appreciate everything you said tonight
once I get the German Translation.

To Barbara Walters and Mike Wallace....the Donny and

Marie

Marie of Television News......your remarks were most
generous. In your place, I would have gone much
further, but that is probably because I am basically
more objective than journalists.

11.

[y]

To Jack Valenti......your words as well as
your friendship are deeply appreciated. Knowing
Jack to be a devout Democrat, I asked him earlier
how Carter's coming out of all of this. Jack assured
me that Carter will come out of this election
smelling like a Rose. Considering where he's been
hiding the last six months, what *else* would he come
out smelling like?

Jacob Javits, when you got up to speak, I hope you
noticed I did not make a run for your seat.

Bob Anderson, Peter Nero, Lou Rawls......thank you
for giving so generously of your time and talents.

12.

My old friend, Henry Grunwald, has always been
most kind. Whenever my picture appears on the
Cover of TIME Magazine - and is recognizable -
Henry tells me due to unprecedented demand, they
always run off an extra <u>hundred thousand copies</u>.
And if you don't believe me.....ask Henry. And if
you don't believe Henry, you can come to my mother's
apartment and <u>count</u> them.

Bob Hope has been called America's foremost
Ambassador of Good Will. This infuriates my
93 year old father, who is here in the audience.

He thinks that since my NBC Specials rate below closed
circuit television in Bloomingdale's, Bob has no right
to upstage me in my field.

All I can say is that the Commander of the recent rescue
attempt in Iran knew his cover was blown when he got
there and found Bob setting up cameras for his
Christmas Show.

13.

And as for my dear friend the Abbot, Frank Sinatra,
whom I have admired since my parents took me to
hear him sing at the Paramount for my *fifth* birthday
present..........if you are ever given a choice of
reading a list of the songs he has sung or a list
of his largely anonymous contributions to society......
save yourself a lot of time and read the list of
his songs.

Frank is a man of fierce principle. He is the
inspiration of his friends and the scourge of his
enemies. Our country would be a lot better off if
the same could be said of it.

14.

Even President Sadat spoke to me about being the
recipient of Frank's help. For many years, Egypt
has been trying to attract more tourists to visit
its antiquities. And last year when Frank gave a
concert in Cairo, he finished by singing "My Way."
Sadat said he couldn't believe what happened.

As Frank sang the opening lines of the song......
the night winds carried his words across the dessert......
'And now, the end is near, it's time to face the
final curtain.'

Fifty Thousand Arabs came from all directions and ran
into the Pyramids....they thought it was the Almighty
announcing the end of the world.

[y] 16.

In conclusion, I want to express my deepest appreciation to the Friars for bringing us all together this evening. And by so doing raising an enormous amount of money that will be donated, in the Friars' tradition of Generosity, to many worthwhile charities including the Will Rogers Memorial Foundation, the Cerebral Palsy Association and to the City of Hope, among others.

I am honored to be in the presence of such Generosity and to know that an additional donation has been made to the "Friars Foundation For The Performing Arts" to establish scholarships for worthy students in my name.

["17.", "Now....the hour is late. The moment you have all\nbeen dreading has at last arrived. As I take my\nseat, unless there is tumultous applause, I shall\nreturn to the podium and begin reading the", {"category": [240, 498, 629, 526], "category": "Text", "text": "German Version of my book in German.", "Thank you and goodnight."]

[y]

FRIARS CLUB - May 3, 1980 (HAK Remarks)

There has been some comment here about my ego, which I frankly
rather resent. My wife, Nancy, does not agree with it, neither
does my dog, Tyler, nor do my staff assistants, Matthew, Mark, Luke,

. Before I go any further, let me clear
up the unpleasantness that has been mentioned here regarding
the program "Sixty Minutes". I am quoted as saying they were
going to do a hatchet job and that I was threatening to sue them.
They claim I was seeking editorial control. It is all a terrible
misunderstanding.

Sixty Minutes is doing a program called, "The Shah-Kissinger
Connection". That, I cannot accept. Anything that gives me
second billing is a hatchet job. And, I would never dream of
threatening so defenseless a person as Mike Wallace. I simply
told him that Nancy and I invite Chief Justice Burger and his
associate justices to watch television with us every Sunday night.

As for the editing, all I asked for is that they must use complete
sentences. They said they would allow me up to fourteen minutes.
That did it right there. I don't have any sentences that go less
than fifteen minutes.

But to return to the subject of the evening I asked Dave Tebet what
I should talk about to this audience which I suspected by now would
be in an advance state of disillusion. He said talk about anything
you want, pal. So instead of the usual boring late night speech,
I was tempted to give this audience something you will never

[y]

This room has no function again until next Thursday night. So
I will get through it if I cut it by a third which I can achieve
by dropping the word I. But on second thought it occurred to me
that you might be more interested in my next one. I have finished
a thousand manuscript pages and I'm nearly finished refuting
the book review in the New York Times.

The second volume goes into my origins and my background in some
detail. It is in the great American tradition and if I can just
read one key paragraph. I was born in log chalet in the south
German state of Bavaria who's national hero was King Ludwig the man?

When I was a boy I read Metternich and other great Americans by the
light of a kerosene lamp. The turning point in my life which set
me on the road to politics occurred when I came across Lincoln's
famous phrase, "you can fool some of the people all of the time,
and all of the people some of the time". Hey, I said to myself,
those are pretty good odds. The rest is a simple story of how
I saved the world. In any case, I have irreputable proof that
I have truly written a book for the ages. The German edition
is designed to appeal to the masochistic instinct of the race.
It is seventeen hundred pages and takes a monastic commitment
to read. In fact, Germans are planning their vacations around
it.

The other day, when I stayed at the state guest house in Bonn,
somebody sent me a copy to autograph. The German police knew a

bomb when they saw one. So they put an explosive charge to it
and blew it up. I am happy to tell you that all it did was to
singe the edges, the words are unimpaired.

Now, a few observations on the political scene. First, Cy Vance resigned. People immediately started speculating that there was tension between him and Zbig Brzezinski. Cy denies that he's questioning Brzezinski's judgment. He says anybody could have a pet zebra and call it Spot. On the other hand, as Bill Buckley has so eloquently pointed out. Things are looking up for the Republicans. In deference to their leading candidate. The age limit for young Republicans has been lowered to sixty-five.

And I notice that twenty thousand delegates are coming to the
Republican Convention in Detroit, putting the light to all those
who argue that there are not enough Republicans in the country
to elect a president. Because you have to remember that for every
one of those 20,000 there's probably another Republican back home.
Now in deference to the lateness of the hour I will not comment on
all the kind and moving things that have been said here. I must
say that having been mistaken for Kirk Douglas at "21" all these
years, I'm glad that I now have a stand-in at the sperm bank.

But I did want to say how very moved I have been about what my friends
have said about me this evening. I think it is important to know
that there are people one can rely on because our country is
living through perhaps the most difficult and tragic period in our
history. It is no accident that Ashraf Ghorbal wrote me a poem
ten years ago in trying to outline his vision of the future.

Nor is it an accident that I met Amb. Evron on the day that the war ended in the middle east. Neither of us will ever forget that with all the controversy over details that came later, the soldiers that greeted us at that airport and the leaders of the country who met us later, were alike: exhausted, at the end of their physical -- and even more -- their psychological endurance, not because they could not have fought on but because they needed above all at that moment some hope that this was not going to be the only purpose of their existence. These two countries, Egypt and Israel, one living in a territory in which there are no limits to the gaze of man, and the other living on a soil where every view outlines a boundary, have been properly destined to begin the work of peace in the middle east. President Sadat, whom I consider one of the great men of our period, had the inspiration to transcend the hatreds of a generation and to make a first gesture of reconciliation. But the Israeli leaders in their turn, living in a country with a premonition of catastrophe and a narrow margin of survival that permits few experiments, they have the courage to make the gamble that the territories that they gave up and the security they risked was less important than the bond of potential friendship that was developing and that too was an act of spiritual greatness.....