Kissinger has died not Schlesinger (died in 2007)

Dec 05, 2023 Letters

Dear Editor,

Well known PPP stalwart Hydar Ally (writing in KN Dec 2) made a faux pas, mistaking Dr. Arthur Schlesinger for Dr. Henry Kissinger who died a few days ago at 100. Schlesinger passed away in 2007. Both were outstanding Harvard scholars and advisors to Presidents — Schlesinger a Democrat Advisor and Kissinger a Republican and Secretary of State during different periods — Schlesinger in the 1960s and Kissinger in the 1970s. They were academic competitors and I gathered from classroom discussions with Prof Schlesinger, he was not fond of Kissinger. Schlesinger, a giant in his field, who was Professor for several courses I took towards the PhD during the 1980s, some six years senior to Kissinger, never mentioned anything laudatory and was very critical about his junior scholar. Schlesinger never prescribed any books from Kissinger for the several courses he taught including on the Cold War and in diplomacy. Of hundreds of books prescribed for several courses, Kissinger was not on any reading list.; VS Naipaul‘s novels were in the reading list. That suggests the nature of the relationship between the duo.

Schlesinger was an academic who spent decades in the classroom. He was brilliant and the best Professor I had in hundreds of courses I took for multiple degrees. He was very profound in his views and analyses and was a perfectionist in demands in assigned reports and oral presentations from students.

Hydar Ally is of the view that Schlesinger damaged Cheddi Jagan and Guyana, referring to American actions in Guyana during the 1960s. Hydar, among Guyana’s finest media writers, did not mention that Jagan was removed from office in 1964 because it was felt his communism posed a serious threat to American security interests at the height of the Cold War between capitalist West and Communist East Europe. Jagan and PPP were earlier removed from office in 1953 at the start of the Cold War. Regrettably, Jagan didn’t learn a lesson that communism (called by Socialism or any other name) would not survive in Guyana. The introduction of communism in Guyana was one of the precursors of the rise of the Burnham dictatorship that would destroy Guyana. Had Jagan not introduced communism in Guyana, America would not have undermined him. The irony about Guyana’s politics, is that Jagan’s supporters were not and still are not communist. They supported Jagan out of ethnic loyalty as Africans did to Burnham. Guyanese looked to America as their saviour from Burnham and his socialist dictatorship.

In discussions I had with Schlesinger on Guyana at times before and after class, he blamed Jagan’s removal from office on the CIA, not himself. He told me that the CIA was of the view in its long-term analysis that Guyana under Burnham would cause less problems for USA than a Guyana under Jagan. He went along with the CIA conclusion and assistance was provided to enable Burnham to capture power. He expressed regrets for that blunder as Burnham turned out to be a disaster for Guyana. Schlesinger would apologise to Jagan in a one-to-one meeting around 1991 in Manhattan at the office of the Nation Magazine. Nation hosted a lecture for Jagan; Schlesinger was in attendance.

Kissinger did not have much involvement with Guyana. He left Guyana affairs to underlings and simply gave his stamp of approval to recommendations from the American Embassy in Georgetown — such as on funding Burnham and his party, foreign aid, loans, etc. The Americans were unhappy with Burnham’s tilt towards the Soviet bloc and attacks on USA, and they started to squeeze him as Kissinger was ending his term as Secretary of State. Aid and loans soon dried up! President Carter authorized aid but Ronald Reagan tightened the noose on Burnham, resulting in the near collapse of the economy and the almost emptying of Guyana of its people.

Yours truly,

Vishnu Bisram

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Dr. Arthur Schlesinger, Dr. Henry Kissinger, Hydar Ally, Secretary of State, Vishnu Bisram

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