Henry Kissinger: "Gianni Agnelli was a Renaissance man"
di Maurizio Molinari , di Maurizio Molinari
The link with the United States, the faith in Europe and the love for Italy, the omnivorous curiosity and the phone calls in the middle of the night to talk about politics. The former Secretary of State talks about his lifelong friend 100 years after his birth. He had many interests and wanted to get to the bottom of the issues he discussed. He was not satisfied with superficial explanations - he put you to the test.
"Gianni Agnelli had many interests and passions. He was a Renaissance man: he loved Italy, believed in a united Europe and felt deeply connected to America". With these words, former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, speaking on the phone from his Manhattan office, remembers the former president of Fiat, to whom he was linked by a long and intense friendship.
When did your first meeting with Gianni Agnelli take place?
"During an important event at the Quirinale".
What event was that?
"It was during President Richard Nixon's vi…
"Gianni Agnelli had many interests and passions. He was a Renaissance man: he loved Italy, believed in a united Europe and felt deeply connected to America". With these words, former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, speaking on the phone from his Manhattan office, remembers the former president of Fiat, to whom he was linked by a long and intense friendship.
When did your first meeting with Gianni Agnelli take place?
"During an important event at the Quirinale".
What event was that?
"It was during President Richard Nixon's vi…
The link with the United States, the faith in Europe and the love for Italy, the omnivorous curiosity and the phone calls in the middle of the night to talk about politics. The former Secretary of State talks about his lifelong friend 100 years after his birth. He had many interests and wanted to get to the bottom of the issues he discussed. He was not satisfied with superficial explanations - he put you to the test.
"Gianni Agnelli had many interests and passions. He was a Renaissance man: he loved Italy, believed in a united Europe and felt deeply connected to America". With these words, former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, speaking on the phone from his Manhattan office, remembers the former president of Fiat, to whom he was linked by a long and intense friendship.
When did your first meeting with Gianni Agnelli take place?
"During an important event at the Quirinale".
What event was that?
"It was during President Richard Nixon's visit to Rome in February 1969. President Giuseppe Saragat had decided to welcome Nixon with full honours in Rome, shortly after his inauguration in Washington. I remember well - it was a great reception".
And what happened?
"I met Gianni, we started talking almost by chance. But it became an increasingly intense exchange. We had a great, intense conversation. We isolated ourselves from everyone else. We talked to each other for over half an hour. That's when I met him. And our extraordinary friendship was born, in a unique setting.
Getting to know America was strategic for Agnelli in turning Fiat into a great Italian and European company. What was there in America that was so important to him?
"Gianni loved America for two different but intrinsically linked reasons".
What were they?
"The first was family. His mother and grandmother were American. He had a personal connection with America. He felt at home. The second had to do with his beliefs: he believed that the future of America and Europe were closely linked. He could not think of them as divided, separate. On every front of life, of creativity, of politics, of development. So for Gianni, America was not just business, but a unique combination of interests and personal affection".
Agnelli considered New York as his city, and had you and David Rockefeller as his best friends. How did you live this friendship?
"We talked three or four times a week on the phone. The problem was that Gianni didn't pay too much attention to the time difference. He would call, for example, when it was ten o'clock in the morning in Italy and only four o'clock at my place, in the middle of the night. We talked at length, about everything. About American politics as well as Italian domestic politics, about economics as well as international business and sports. Gianni was a Renaissance man - he had many interests and always wanted to get to the root of the issues he was discussing. He was never satisfied with superficial explanations: he put you to the test, he wanted to get to the heart of things".
Speaking of sport, do you have any special memories of Agnelli that you would like to share with us?
"We often went to football matches together. In several European countries. For example, I remember many matches in England. And then, above all, in Italy. Once we went to the stadium in Turin for a match between Juventus and Napoli that ended with many goals, I think six or seven. It was a great shared passion. But the problem was that Gianni always wanted to leave the stadium 10 minutes before the end, and often the matches were in the balance in those last minutes. But there was nothing we could do, we would leave".
Agnelli helped rebuild the Italian economy after the Second World War. If he were alive today, in your opinion, what advice would he give to Italian and European leaders on how to get growth going again after the Covid-19 pandemic?
"Gianni felt a special combination of love for Italy and awareness of the need for the European Union. So I think if he were alive today, he would welcome the great efforts that Italy is making to recover from the pandemic, but at the same time he would ask European leaders to stand together, act together, and work with the United States to enable the economies of Europe and America to get back on track".
In this regard, a final question on the new American president Biden: he proposes to relaunch the alliance with Europe, but on what ground can this actually take place?
"The truth is that we need to renew the transatlantic alliance. It worked very well during the Cold War against the Soviet Union, succeeding in guaranteeing security and prosperity for our nations. But now, to be relaunched, it needs to be rethought, rebuilt. Starting by defining the global challenges we face, and on which we must arrive at common approaches based on shared interests. We can and must do this.
(traduzione di Luis E. Moriones)
"Gianni Agnelli had many interests and passions. He was a Renaissance man: he loved Italy, believed in a united Europe and felt deeply connected to America". With these words, former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, speaking on the phone from his Manhattan office, remembers the former president of Fiat, to whom he was linked by a long and intense friendship.
When did your first meeting with Gianni Agnelli take place?
"During an important event at the Quirinale".
What event was that?
"It was during President Richard Nixon's visit to Rome in February 1969. President Giuseppe Saragat had decided to welcome Nixon with full honours in Rome, shortly after his inauguration in Washington. I remember well - it was a great reception".
And what happened?
"I met Gianni, we started talking almost by chance. But it became an increasingly intense exchange. We had a great, intense conversation. We isolated ourselves from everyone else. We talked to each other for over half an hour. That's when I met him. And our extraordinary friendship was born, in a unique setting.
Getting to know America was strategic for Agnelli in turning Fiat into a great Italian and European company. What was there in America that was so important to him?
"Gianni loved America for two different but intrinsically linked reasons".
What were they?
"The first was family. His mother and grandmother were American. He had a personal connection with America. He felt at home. The second had to do with his beliefs: he believed that the future of America and Europe were closely linked. He could not think of them as divided, separate. On every front of life, of creativity, of politics, of development. So for Gianni, America was not just business, but a unique combination of interests and personal affection".
Agnelli considered New York as his city, and had you and David Rockefeller as his best friends. How did you live this friendship?
"We talked three or four times a week on the phone. The problem was that Gianni didn't pay too much attention to the time difference. He would call, for example, when it was ten o'clock in the morning in Italy and only four o'clock at my place, in the middle of the night. We talked at length, about everything. About American politics as well as Italian domestic politics, about economics as well as international business and sports. Gianni was a Renaissance man - he had many interests and always wanted to get to the root of the issues he was discussing. He was never satisfied with superficial explanations: he put you to the test, he wanted to get to the heart of things".
Speaking of sport, do you have any special memories of Agnelli that you would like to share with us?
"We often went to football matches together. In several European countries. For example, I remember many matches in England. And then, above all, in Italy. Once we went to the stadium in Turin for a match between Juventus and Napoli that ended with many goals, I think six or seven. It was a great shared passion. But the problem was that Gianni always wanted to leave the stadium 10 minutes before the end, and often the matches were in the balance in those last minutes. But there was nothing we could do, we would leave".
Agnelli helped rebuild the Italian economy after the Second World War. If he were alive today, in your opinion, what advice would he give to Italian and European leaders on how to get growth going again after the Covid-19 pandemic?
"Gianni felt a special combination of love for Italy and awareness of the need for the European Union. So I think if he were alive today, he would welcome the great efforts that Italy is making to recover from the pandemic, but at the same time he would ask European leaders to stand together, act together, and work with the United States to enable the economies of Europe and America to get back on track".
In this regard, a final question on the new American president Biden: he proposes to relaunch the alliance with Europe, but on what ground can this actually take place?
"The truth is that we need to renew the transatlantic alliance. It worked very well during the Cold War against the Soviet Union, succeeding in guaranteeing security and prosperity for our nations. But now, to be relaunched, it needs to be rethought, rebuilt. Starting by defining the global challenges we face, and on which we must arrive at common approaches based on shared interests. We can and must do this.
(traduzione di Luis E. Moriones)