Paul Nadler, a professor of finance at Rutgers University, writes in the current issue of The Secured Lender about his encounters with famous people, including the time in 1980 when he and Henry Kissinger were speakers at a program of the Illinois Bankers Association in St. Louis. Professor Nadler asked the organizer how he was able to get Dr. Kissinger to speak. As Dr. Nadler tells the story:
The trade executive had called him and asked, "How much will it cost to get you to come to St. Louis?"
He [Dr. Kissinger] answered, "$25,000."
The Illinois executive rejoined: "$15,000 or stay home."
Kissinger in turn responded, "What time does the plane leave?"
And some famous people, Dr. Nadler wrote, were even easier to attract to the podium. In 1965 he and Barry Goldwater were speakers together, a year after Senator Goldwater had run for the presidency. He asked the organizer how he got the Senator to speak, and the organizer said, "It was easy. I dialed area code 802 and his number and he said, ‘Hello.’"
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I’m hoping it’s not apocryphal, but my favorite Kissinger story is from his days at State. He directed an underling to produce a briefing on some situation. The underling busted ass on it and gave it to Kissinger’s office. It came back with a note that said, “You can do better.” The guy re-did the briefing, tightening it up and checking his sources. He felt better about it as he turned it in again, but it came back with another note that said, “This still isn’t your best.” Totally furious and frustrated, the guy spent all weekend at the office, and on Monday morning demanded to present it to Kissinger personally. He was almost defiant as he told Henry, “This is absolutely, positively the best product I can give you. I have run out of ways to make this better, and it is the best briefing I’ve ever produced.”
Kissinger looked up over his glasses and said in that classic gravel road voice, “Good, thank you. Now I can read it.”