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#Post#: 6003--------------------------------------------------
Please help me to understand this message of Henry Kissinger
By: Aliph Date: September 6, 2018, 5:43 pm
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A friend of mine visited an art exhibition in Copenhagen and
photographed a letter of Kissinger.
She photographed it and asked me to translate it.
It’s completely out of context and difficult to understand what
he refers to.
The letter is dated May 20, 1970
The letter is written to a journalist called Leonard Lyons who
wrote, during 40 years a gossip column in the New York Post
(Wikipedia).
Here the message of Henry Kissinger to Leonard Lyons:
Dear Leonard, you must be a kind of fiend. I would choose your
ballets over contemplation of Cambodia any day - - if only I
were given the choice.
Keep tempting me; one day perhaps I will succumb. Warm regards
——————————-
My questions. I understand the word fiend = devil
What are the ballets over Cambodia? I first thought it was a
report of a military operation in Vietnam. But the journalist
was a gossip writer not a war reporter.
Has Kissinger been to Cambodia?
What is the meaning of OVER int the message? Does it mean
instead of?
Any idea? Apparently Kissinger loved ballet and his friend kept
sending him invitations to performances.
By the way the letter was included in an a piece of art by a
Vietnamese artist
HTML https://www.smk.dk/en/exhibition/danh-vo-take-my-breath-away/
Any idea ?
#Post#: 6005--------------------------------------------------
Re: Please help me to understand this message of Henry Kissinger
By: NealC Date: September 6, 2018, 6:26 pm
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Dear Leonard, you must be a kind of fiend.
>>>>It might not sound like it but this is just a joke between
friends. Reading over the whole note Kissinger is calling his
friend a fiend because the friend is tempting him to do
something that he does not have time to do.
I would choose your ballets over contemplation of Cambodia any
day - - if only I were given the choice.
>>>>The friend must be asking Kissenger to go with him to the
ballet. He calls them 'your ballets', perhaps the friend is
involved in the production in some way-- maybe as a dancer or
choreographer. Or maybe the friend talks about ballet so much
Kissenger now associates the ballet with his friend.
Kissenger would prefer a carefree life where he could go to the
ballet, instead he has to work on political issues with
Cambodia.
Keep tempting me; one day perhaps I will succumb. Warm regards
>>>>He wants his friend to keep inviting him, one day he might
go with him to the ballet.
#Post#: 6006--------------------------------------------------
Re: Please help me to understand this message of Henry Kissinger
By: NealC Date: September 6, 2018, 6:31 pm
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Leonard Lyons was a Broadway columnist, reporting on music,
theater, ballet etc.
HTML https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leonard_Lyons
So he must have been a ballet fan asking Kissenger to go with
him.
Choosing "over" means he would prefer one to another, preferring
ballet to problems in Cambodia.
#Post#: 6015--------------------------------------------------
Re: Please help me to understand this message of Henry Kissinger
By: Aliph Date: September 7, 2018, 1:28 am
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Grazzzzzieeeeeeee! Neal. I appreciate.
Good explanation. What had puzzled me was the use of OVER here.
I first thought wrongly that the ballets concerned Cambodia.
Then I thought that ballets were metaphors about reports of
military actions but it didn’t fit with the activity of this
journalist.
So over here means instead of.
#Post#: 6018--------------------------------------------------
Re: Please help me to understand this message of Henry Kissinger
By: NealC Date: September 7, 2018, 2:36 am
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Instead of, definitely a preference for one 'over' the other.
The one over has the 'top spot', a preferred position in his
mind, that sort of thing :-)
#Post#: 6051--------------------------------------------------
Re: Please help me to understand this message of Henry Kissinger
By: SHL Date: September 7, 2018, 8:51 pm
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[quote author=Lizzie Lizard link=topic=432.msg6015#msg6015
date=1536301709]
Grazzzzzieeeeeeee! Neal. I appreciate.
Good explanation. What had puzzled me was the use of OVER here.
I first thought wrongly that the ballets concerned Cambodia.
Then I thought that ballets were metaphors about reports of
military actions but it didn’t fit with the activity of this
journalist.
So over here means instead of.
[/quote]
Yes, with this guy Lyons reporting on Ballets the context is
clear. Kissinger would prefer going to a ballet over dealing
with all the Vietnam mess, in particular Cambodia, which was a
huge issue in 1970 with the Vietnam War still blazing with no
end in sight (thanks Republicans. You did a great job!, a royal
„cock up“ as the British say). And don’t listen to Neal tell you
the Democrats caused the Vietnam War. Good ňl tricky Dick Nixon
fanned the flames.
And the „OVER“ business is like Neal said, just preferring one
thing compared to another. So, I`d prefer Trump being impeached
over him staying in office. See, in the right context this is a
no brainer. Or, think of it like this: I`d prefer the Party for
Socialism and Liberation`s Presidential candidate over Trump.
#Post#: 6220--------------------------------------------------
Re: Please help me to understand this message of Henry Kissinger
By: Truman Overby Date: September 12, 2018, 11:12 am
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[quote author=SHL link=topic=432.msg6051#msg6051
date=1536371483]
And don’t listen to Neal tell you the Democrats caused the
Vietnam War.
[/quote]
JFK sent 'advisers' as he called them to Vietnam. JFK was a
Democrat. A very conservative D but still a D. There come the
facts again, Steve. Better duck.
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