Statement About the Selection of Henry A. Kissinger as Corecipient of the Nobel Peace Prize for 1973

I AM sure that all Americans will join me in extending congratulations to Secretary of State Henry A. Kissinger upon his richly deserved selection as corecipient of the Nobel Peace Prize for 1973.

By jointly citing Dr. Kissinger and Le Duc Tho, the Nobel committee has also given deserved recognition to the art of negotiation itself in the process of ending a war and laying the groundwork for peace--an art that will be more essential than ever as we seek to build and maintain a structure of peace in the world.

It is my most fervent hope that the era of negotiation of the 1970's and the negotiation this award recognizes will be capped by a just and lasting peace in Southeast Asia, in the Mideast, and throughout the world.