The Library of Congress announced on April 27, 2001 the appointment of Aaron Friedberg of Princeton University as the first Henry Alfred Kissinger Scholar. The nine-month residential appointment, which began in September 2001, inaugurated the Henry Alfred Kissinger Chair in Foreign Policy and International Relations at the Library of Congress. Created through the generosity of friends of the former Secretary of State to honor him and emphasize the importance of foreign affairs, the Kissinger Chair program offers outstanding thinkers and practitioners a unique opportunity to pursue advanced research in the largest and most international collection of library materials in the world.
In making the appointment, Librarian of Congress James H. Billington described Professor Friedberg as a superbly qualified scholar who has produced two incisive books on aspects of foreign relations. "The Kissinger Chair creates an opportunity for research and discussion of foreign relations in a global era. Dr. Friedberg will set a very high standard at the start of this program, which will be a catalyst for fresh analysis and a bridge between the world of ideas and the world of affairs," Dr. Billington said.
