Nation: Kissinger's Advice

Professor Henry Kissinger, President Nixon's assistant for national-security affairs, has an improbable passion, which he perhaps picked up from his boss: professional football. Kissinger analyzes the play as if it were a parable of war and peace. Watching a Miami Dolphins-Oakland Raiders game with White House Aide William Safire, Kissinger second-guessed the signals accurately until the middle of the second quarter, when Miami had the ball. "What now?" asked Safire. Kissinger observed that Miami Quarterback Bob Griese had not yet passed on first down, and might try it this time to catch Oakland off balance. Sure enough, Griese passed on first down—and was intercepted for an Oakland touchdown. "There is a lesson in this," Kissinger smiled. "You should be careful how you listen to experts on the sidelines."