Former secretary of state Dr. Henry A. Kissinger engaged today in a “Special Conversation on Sino-America Relations” with a group of students from the Jackson Institute for Global Affairs and the Yale Law School. The event was moderated by Professors Paul Gewirtz, Director of the China Law Center; James Levinsohn, Director of the Jackson Institute; and Jonathan Spence, Sterling Professor of History Emeritus. Discussion focused on the future of U.S.-China relations and the significance of Dr. Kissinger’s latest book, On China.

Dr. Kissinger’s visit highlighted the exciting potential of the newly established Johnson Center for the Study of American Diplomacy, made possible by Dr. Kissinger’s recent donation of his papers to Yale and a gift from Charles B. Johnson (Class of 1954). The foundation of the Johnson Center will be the Kissinger Archives at Yale University: an extraordinary collection of approximately one million documents and objects covering Dr. Kissinger’s life as a diplomat, scholar, teacher, and private citizen. As a program of the Jackson Institute, and in collaboration with International Security Studies and the Brady-Johnson Program in Grand Strategy, the Johnson Center will bring prominent statesmen and academics to campus as Kissinger Senior Fellows and Kissinger Visiting Scholars, as well as host an annual conference on contemporary issues in international affairs.

While on campus, Dr. Kissinger also received an update on the Johnson Center’s progress and met with the Yale Law Foreign Policy Workshop. Initiated by a select group of Yale Law students with backgrounds in international affairs, and overseen by Professor Paul Gewirtz, the Workshop seeks to connect today’s leaders with talented students through substantive work on current issues in American national security and foreign policy.

The Jackson Institute for Global Affairs, which houses the Johnson Center for the Study of American Diplomacy, is a centerpiece of Yale’s efforts to internationalize its teaching curriculum, to attract the most talented students and scholars to Yale from around the world, and to deepen the University’s engagement abroad. Established in April 2009 with a gift from John W. and Susan G. Jackson, the Institute administers Yale’s International Relations Master’s program as well as the Global Affairs undergraduate major. The Jackson Institute also provides career counseling and placement assistance to students wishing to pursue a career in public service.