--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Historians will look back and say…" description: "\"Historians will look back and say, 'Foreign policy in the Ford presidency was very much dominated by Kissinger, with a kind of continuity from the Nixo..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fef/robert-dallek-3456_back_historians-will-look-back-and-say-foreig_3226054.jpg" --- # Historians will look back and say, 'Foreign policy in the… ![“Historians will look back and say, 'Foreign policy in the Ford presidency was very much dominated by Kissinger, with a kind of continuity from the Nixon period.' Ford is not going to be remembered as a really significant foreign policy maker.” quote by Robert Dallek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fef/robert-dallek-3456_back_historians-will-look-back-and-say-foreig_3226054.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fef/robert-dallek-3456_back_historians-will-look-back-and-say-foreig_3226054.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fef/robert-dallek-3456_back_historians-will-look-back-and-say-foreig_3226054.jpg) > “Historians will look back and say, 'Foreign policy in the Ford presidency was very much dominated by Kissinger, with a kind of continuity from the Nixon period.' Ford is not going to be remembered as a really significant foreign policy maker.” [Robert Dallek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-dallek/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Ford's foreign policy is seen as secondary to Kissinger's influence, limiting his historical prominence. **In simple terms:** Ford is viewed as a minor foreign policy figure. Key Takeaway Recognize the impact of advisors. Themes politics legacy foreign policy Mood reflective critical Type analytical historical When to use this quote - presidential biographies - academic curricula - media retrospectives Key Concepts historical revisionism policy influence Questions to Reflect On - Should we reassess the role of secondary actors? - How does media framing affect historical memory? A Different Perspective Attributing outcomes solely to one individual oversimplifies complex governance. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Back](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/back/) [Continuity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/continuity/) [Dominated](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dominated/) [Dominated Kissinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dominated-kissinger-6083623/) [Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ford/) [Ford Presidency](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ford-presidency-6083622/) [Foreign](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/foreign/) [Foreign policy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/foreign-policy/) [Going](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/going/) [Historians](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/historians/) [History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) [Kind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kind/) [Kissinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kissinger/) [Look](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/look/) [Maker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/maker/) [Much](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/much/) [Nixon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nixon/) [Period](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/period/) [Policy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/policy/) [Policy Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/policy-ford-6083624/) [Presidency](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/presidency/) [Really](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/really/) [Remembered](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/remembered/) [Say](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/say/) [Significant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/significant/) [Very](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/very/) [Will](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/will/) ## Related quotes > [Henry Kissinger never wanted the 20,000 pages of his telephone transcripts made public - not while he was alive, at any rate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-dallek/henry-kissinger-never-wanted-the-20-000-pages-of-his-telephone/) [Robert Dallek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-dallek/) > [Nixon's deep antipathy toward Jews is well known, and he took a strange satisfaction in having Kissinger in his inner circle, where he could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-dallek/nixon-s-deep-antipathy-toward-jews-is-well-known-and-he-took-a/) [Robert Dallek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-dallek/) > [Nixon did not anticipate the extent to which Kissinger, whom he barely knew when he appointed him national-security adviser in 1969, would be envious…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-dallek/nixon-did-not-anticipate-the-extent-to-which-kissinger-whom-he-barely/) [Robert Dallek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-dallek/) > [Flattery was one of Kissinger's principal tools in winning over Nixon, and a tool he employed shamelessly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-dallek/flattery-was-one-of-kissinger-s-principal-tools-in-winning-over-nixon/) [Robert Dallek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-dallek/) > [If you watch the evening news, Dr. Kissinger is very often brought on to sort of be the statesman of his age and to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-jarecki/if-you-watch-the-evening-news-dr-kissinger-is-very-often-brought-on/) [Eugene Jarecki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-jarecki/) > [Love is when you realize that he's as sexy as Woody Allen, as smart as Jimmy Connors, as funny as Ralph Nader, as athletic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-viorst/love-is-when-you-realize-that-he-s-as-sexy-as-woody-allen-as-smart-as/) [Judith Viorst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-viorst/) > [I was fourteen when Kissinger made his secret trip to China, and then there was subsequently Nixon's trip to China, and I was very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-pomfret/i-was-fourteen-when-kissinger-made-his-secret-trip-to-china-and-then/) [John Pomfret](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-pomfret/) > [I'd like President Bush to think maybe there's another way to think, that maybe Kissinger was wrong when he says we had to go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-murray-abraham/i-d-like-president-bush-to-think-maybe-there-s-another-way-to-think/) [F. Murray Abraham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-murray-abraham/) > [“Henry Kissinger How I'm missing yer You're the Doctor of my dreams With your crinkly hair and your glassy stare And your Machiavellian schemes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/monty-python/henry-kissinger-how-i-m-missing-yer-you-re-the-doctor-of-my-dreams/) [Monty Python](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/monty-python/) > [I happen to write a lot of stories that make Kissinger look bad. I'd rather that the stories weren't true, but they all happen…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seymour-hersh/i-happen-to-write-a-lot-of-stories-that-make-kissinger-look-bad-i-d/) [Seymour Hersh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seymour-hersh/) > [ The important point was that whatever errors America had made \[in Vietnam\] "we are so powerful \[according to Secretary Kissinger\] that Hanoi is simply… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shawcross/the-important-point-was-that-whatever-errors-america-had-made-in/) [William Shawcross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shawcross/) > [“So many of the professional foreign policy establishment, and so many of their hangers-on among the lumpen academics and journalists, had become worried by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/so-many-of-the-professional-foreign-policy-establishment-and-so-many/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [Nixon's the kind of guy that if you were drowning fifty feet off shore, he'd throw you a thirty foot rope. Then Kissinger would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mort-sahl/nixon-s-the-kind-of-guy-that-if-you-were-drowning-fifty-feet-off/) [Mort Sahl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mort-sahl/) > [ There's a great quote from Henry Kissinger, which I became aware of from reading \[Joseph\] Heller's Good As Gold. He said: 'Every great achievement… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roy-hodgson/there-s-a-great-quote-from-henry-kissinger-which-i-became-aware-of/) [Roy Hodgson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roy-hodgson/) > [Henry Kissinger may have wished I had presented him as a combination of Charles DeGaulle and Disraeli, but I didn't…out of respect for DeGaulle…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oriana-fallaci/henry-kissinger-may-have-wished-i-had-presented-him-as-a-combination/) [Oriana Fallaci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oriana-fallaci/) ## More by Robert Dallek > [Harry Truman wrote scathing letters, but he almost never sent them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-dallek/harry-truman-wrote-scathing-letters-but-he-almost-never-sent-them/) [Robert Dallek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-dallek/) > [Don't be intimidated by people who seem to be experts. Hear their points of view and get their judgements. But at the end of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-dallek/don-t-be-intimidated-by-people-who-seem-to-be-experts-hear-their/) [Robert Dallek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-dallek/) > [During his presidency, Truman and the Republicans were locked in a series of furious assaults on each other that outraged him and made Truman…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-dallek/during-his-presidency-truman-and-the-republicans-were-locked-in-a/) [Robert Dallek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-dallek/) > [Experience helped Richard Nixon, but it didn't save him, and it certainly wasn't a blanket endorsement. He blundered terribly in dealing with Vietnam.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-dallek/experience-helped-richard-nixon-but-it-didn-t-save-him-and-it/) [Robert Dallek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-dallek/) > [When Gingrich attacked CNN's John King for bringing up his alleged proposal of an open marriage to his second wife, Gingrich accused him of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-dallek/when-gingrich-attacked-cnn-s-john-king-for-bringing-up-his-alleged/) [Robert Dallek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-dallek/) > [In seeking an empire of liberty, Jefferson wished not only to expand the country's territorial holdings, but also to extend American institutions around the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-dallek/in-seeking-an-empire-of-liberty-jefferson-wished-not-only-to-expand/) [Robert Dallek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-dallek/) > [Like Lyndon Johnson, President Obama understands that timidity in a time of troubles is a prescription for failure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-dallek/like-lyndon-johnson-president-obama-understands-that-timidity-in-a/) [Robert Dallek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-dallek/) > [Despite its flaws, the American electoral system has produced Lincoln, the two Roosevelts, and Harry Truman.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-dallek/despite-its-flaws-the-american-electoral-system-has-produced-lincoln/) [Robert Dallek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-dallek/) > [For those of us who cry out for gun control, our fears cannot be eliminated as long as the country remains an armed camp…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-dallek/for-those-of-us-who-cry-out-for-gun-control-our-fears-cannot-be/) [Robert Dallek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-dallek/) > [The Atlantic conference in the North Atlantic off Newfoundland is a dramatic moment in World War II history because for the first time, Roosevelt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-dallek/the-atlantic-conference-in-the-north-atlantic-off-newfoundland-is-a/) [Robert Dallek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-dallek/) > [For style and for creating a mood of optimism and hope - Kennedy on that count is as effective as any president the country…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-dallek/for-style-and-for-creating-a-mood-of-optimism-and-hope-kennedy-on/) [Robert Dallek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-dallek/) > [As for Vietnam, what matters is that Kennedy successfully resisted pressure to send anything more than military advisers, a stance that was a likely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-dallek/as-for-vietnam-what-matters-is-that-kennedy-successfully-resisted/) [Robert Dallek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-dallek/) > [Access to presidential materials should be as wide as possible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-dallek/access-to-presidential-materials-should-be-as-wide-as-possible/) [Robert Dallek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-dallek/) > [I think experience is a terribly overrated idea when it comes to thinking about who should become president.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-dallek/i-think-experience-is-a-terribly-overrated-idea-when-it-comes-to/) [Robert Dallek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-dallek/) > [By the time a second term rolls around, the illusions about a president have largely evaporated.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-dallek/by-the-time-a-second-term-rolls-around-the-illusions-about-a/) [Robert Dallek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-dallek/) [Explore all 130 Robert Dallek quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-dallek/) ## More Back quotes > [I always watch my matches back 100 times afterwards because that's how I improve. This is something I've always done, even in NXT.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mandy-rose/i-always-watch-my-matches-back-100-times-afterwards-because-that-s/) [Mandy Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mandy-rose/) > [I honestly would like to get that Frankie fight back.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chad-mendes/i-honestly-would-like-to-get-that-frankie-fight-back/) [Chad Mendes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chad-mendes/) > [Drumming's pretty physical. We sit at the back of the stage getting beat up like a workhorse.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tommy-lee/drumming-s-pretty-physical-we-sit-at-the-back-of-the-stage-getting/) [Tommy Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tommy-lee/) > [I never want to look back on any moment and say I could have done more. So I go all in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-haze/i-never-want-to-look-back-on-any-moment-and-say-i-could-have-done/) [Scott Haze](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-haze/) > [I wish that I had known back then that a mastery of process would lead to a product. Then I probably wouldn't have found…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-george/i-wish-that-i-had-known-back-then-that-a-mastery-of-process-would/) [Elizabeth George](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-george/) > [It's what the people wanted at the time, but the country could not be half-segregated and half-integrated, just as it could not be half-slave…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-wallace/it-s-what-the-people-wanted-at-the-time-but-the-country-could-not-be/) [George Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-wallace/) > [I've always stuck my arms behind my back anyway when trying to block a shot in the penalty area.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/millie-bright/i-ve-always-stuck-my-arms-behind-my-back-anyway-when-trying-to-block/) [Millie Bright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/millie-bright/) > [I'm sure at some point I will get back into coaching, but right now I need to focus completely on my kids.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-ewing/i-m-sure-at-some-point-i-will-get-back-into-coaching-but-right-now-i/) [Patrick Ewing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-ewing/) > [Any time someone achieves success before they've earned it, it always comes back to haunt them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-white/any-time-someone-achieves-success-before-they-ve-earned-it-it-always/) [Ron White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-white/) > [In Congress, Florida Republicans worked with the Trump administration to secure funding for coastal restoration projects following the devastating impacts of Hurricanes Irma and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-waltz/in-congress-florida-republicans-worked-with-the-trump-administration/) [Michael Waltz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-waltz/) > [Back in the really olden days, dinner was seldom a ceremonial event for U.S. families. Only the very wealthy had a separate dining room.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-gibbs/back-in-the-really-olden-days-dinner-was-seldom-a-ceremonial-event/) [Nancy Gibbs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-gibbs/) > [We're all painfully aware of how suddenly violence can occur, how crippling it is, and how survivors have to find a way back from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-dini/we-re-all-painfully-aware-of-how-suddenly-violence-can-occur-how/) [Paul Dini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-dini/) > [Ronaldo is just an athlete. He works so hard and back to back; he is always there. But if you work hard, can you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-davids/ronaldo-is-just-an-athlete-he-works-so-hard-and-back-to-back-he-is/) [Edgar Davids](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-davids/) > [I do spend a lot of weekends on the road. I have to pace myself. It can be pretty busy, but I'm not out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-sinise/i-do-spend-a-lot-of-weekends-on-the-road-i-have-to-pace-myself-it-can/) [Gary Sinise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-sinise/) > [British Forces should be in a position to give back in a ten fold measure any attack that the Germans may attempt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-banting/british-forces-should-be-in-a-position-to-give-back-in-a-ten-fold/) [Frederick Banting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-banting/) [Browse all 9,709 Back quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/back/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Historians will look back and say, 'Foreign policy in the Ford presidency was very much dominated by Kissinger, with a kind of continuity from the Nixon period.' Ford is not going to be remembered as a really significant foreign policy maker.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Robert Dallek" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-dallek/historians-will-look-back-and-say-foreign-policy-in-the-ford/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Back" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-dallek/historians-will-look-back-and-say-foreign-policy-in-the-ford/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fef/robert-dallek-3456_back_historians-will-look-back-and-say-foreig_3226054.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fef/robert-dallek-3456_back_historians-will-look-back-and-say-foreig_3226054.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fef/robert-dallek-3456_back_historians-will-look-back-and-say-foreig_3226054.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Historians will look back and say, 'Foreign policy in the Ford presidency was very much dominated by…” — Robert Dallek", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Robert Dallek", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-dallek/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Historians will look back and say,...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-dallek/historians-will-look-back-and-say-foreign-policy-in-the-ford/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-dallek/historians-will-look-back-and-say-foreign-policy-in-the-ford/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```