Dr. Henry Kissinger will speak at an outdoor ceremony honoring the memory of President Ronald Reagan at the Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley on February 6. The event marking what would have been Reagan’s 112th birthday will start at 10:30 a.m. Admission is free but those wishing to attend are asked to reserve a place online or by calling 805-522-2977.
At 10:00 a.m., doors will open. At 10:30 a.m., the Camp Pendleton Marine Division Band will perform. At 11:00 a.m., the ceremony will start. There will be a 21-gun salute and an official wreath from the White House will be placed at Reagan’s grave. The event will end at noon. Those who wish to enter the library and museum can purchase a $16 general admission ticket online.
Kissinger served under President Richard Nixon as, first, National Security Advisor and then Secretary of State, a position he continued to hold after Gerald Ford became president. Kissinger received the 1973 Nobel Peace Prize for his role in negotiating a cease fire between the United States and Vietnam.
During Reagan’s presidency, Kissinger was a member of the president’s Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board from 1984 to 1990. He was also a member of the National Security Council’s Commission on Integrated Long-Term Strategy from 1986 to 1988. He has been a member of the Defense Department's Defense Policy Board since 2001. Kissinger is also a trustee of the Center for Strategic & International Studies.
During his 2016 campaign for the Democratic Party’s presidential nomination, U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders said that during the Vietnam War Kissinger had been involved in creating instability in Cambodia which had then led to "one of the worst genocides in the history of the world" being carried out by Pol Pot. Sanders criticized his rival Hillary Clinton for seeking Kissinger’s advice.
Speaking at the LBJ Presidential Library in 2016, Kissinger denied having been a war criminal. He said the bombing of Cambodia had been justified as a necessary measure for reducing American casualties in Vietnam.
Kissinger, who turns 100 on May 27, drew heavy criticism last year after suggesting that Ukraine be prepared to cede territory to Russia in order to end the war.
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