Henry's Shuttle

Purely personal diplomacy

The master of shuttle diplomacy was off to Egypt last week to meet with his former negotiating partner, President Anwar Sadat. From there, the former Secretary of State planned jaunts to Jerusalem, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, London and Morocco. It seemed like a flashback to the good old days, and the announcement of the trip immediately fired rumors that "My dear friend Henry," as Sadat still calls him, might be embarking on a secret mission for the Carter White House. Not so. While Kissinger will definitely be shuttling through the Middle East, any diplomacy that he engages in will be purely personal.

Kissinger did his best to quash rumors of a secret mission when he arrived in Cairo, accompanied by Wife Nancy and Son David, 17. Modestly describing himself as a "private citizen," he insisted that he was "not here with an agenda." His trip was actually prompted by the decision of Hebrew University to give him an honorary doctorate, which he will receive this week in Jerusalem.

Administration officials rebuffed the idea of a secret negotiating role for Kissinger. Although his path coincides suspiciously with the general itinerary of Jimmy Carter's Middle East Ambassador Robert Strauss, who will be visiting the area this week, the Administration's troubleshooter seemed unconcerned. "Henry even called me up to make sure his trip would not complicate things for us," said Strauss. "In no way does he intend to get involved in our work."

Egyptian authorities also described Kissinger's visit as "a purely personal thing." One senior Foreign Ministry official said that the Carter Administration "doesn't need him at this point. They're doing fine with the channels of communication they have with us already."

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