Kissinger in The Heartland

Secretary of State Henry Kissinger calls it "the great heartland of America," and it can be anywhere--north, west or south--just as long as it is out of Washington and away from what he regards as the capital's "cynicism and petulance." Last week Kissinger embarked upon a trip to the heartland of the heartland, Minnesota and Wisconsin, in an attempt to sell his policies, and himself. As it turned out, Kissinger proved to be an accomplished barnstormer who hugely enjoyed the attention he received in a middle America that still sees him as Supersecretary, the hero of U.S. foreign affairs.

The 2 1/2-day trip--his third domestic jaunt in as many months--began on Monday afternoon when Kissinger and his wife Nancy flew to Milwaukee in an eight-seat Air Force Jetstar along with one aide, a State Department security officer, two Secret Service agents and a local Republican Congressman, Robert W. Kasten. En route the Secretary, as usual, fussed over the latest drafts of his forthcoming speeches (see box next page), which, typically, had already gone through a dozen versions.

After the welcoming ceremonies at the airport, the Kissingers climbed into a special armored limousine that had earlier been flown out to Wisconsin aboard a huge Air Force C-141 Starlifter. The Marc Plaza Hotel had already been thoroughly checked out by the Secret Service, and the Kissingers were quartered in a suite on the 24th floor that had been secured by the agents. (The only unexpected jarring note was the appearance of ten white-helmeted, swastika-decorated pickets from the freakish American Nazi Party.)

Aerial Lobbying. One of Kissinger's official reasons for making the trip was to be the guest of honor at the major league All-Star game. Just before the contest began, a single-engine airplane circled Milwaukee County Stadium towing a sign that spelled out in giant red letters: DR. KISSINGER--ISRAEL IS NOT FOR SALE. Kissinger studiously ignored the aerial lobbying, hoping it would go away, and it did. Then the stadium announcer came on the loudspeaker to boom out a hearty welcome to "Dr. Harry Kissinger." (This was not Kissinger's only such difficulty: one well-wisher hailed him as "the best Defense Secretary we've ever had.")

Undaunted, the Secretary of State threw out the first ball--with a weak delivery--and then laughed as hard as anyone else when a few good-natured Bronx cheers echoed in the night. After the game, won by the National League, 6-3, Kissinger went down into the dressing rooms, munched some salami and recalled that when he was growing up in New York City his team had been the Yankees. "Joe DiMaggio was my favorite player," he said, "and I always admired Tommy Henrich, the way he hit in the clutch."

In Minneapolis the next day, Kissinger gave a foreign policy briefing to local notables, met the press and made a speech that was interrupted four times by a heckler. The Secretary paused and commented patiently, "I think I have some of my Harvard students here," and from then on owned the appreciative audience. His charm worked equally well on six-year-old Beth Wilder. When she held up her autograph book to him, Kissinger, spoofing his own legendary ego, asked hopefully, "Am I the first?"--and effectively mimed disappointment when she said no.

Strong Support. Back home in Washington, Kissinger was delighted with the results of his brief foray. After the rough treatment he has experienced there during the past few months from congressional, press and academic critics, he was pleased to receive questions about policy rather than about wiretaps at home and "destabilization" abroad. Kissinger was also encouraged to find many members of his audiences apparently puzzled and angered by his critics on Capitol Hill. The Secretary came away satisfied that there was still strong grass-roots support for himself and his policies west of the Potomac.

One night in Milwaukee, Kissinger was joined on the dais by local Congressman Clement J. Zablocki, a Democratic power on the House Foreign Affairs Committee and a leading critic of the Secretary's desire to continue arms shipments to Turkey despite its aggressive actions on Cyprus. Commented a highly satisfied Kissinger aide while watching the encounter: "You see Henry and Zablocki chatting up there? Well, in a polite way, Henry is telling Zablocki, 'Clem, these may be your constituents, but I have a constituency out here, too.' "

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