Although I am wary of awarding 5 stars to anything other than a masterpiece, I feel it would be mean of me in this case to have given this book any less. It is certainly not a masterpiece, but that did not detract in any way from my enjoyment of it.I am not interested in taking sides at this remove from the Nixon era, but have noticed that people's reactions to this book have been very much influenced by their own opinions of Nixon and Kissinger. Whilst I have never been a fan of either, I also have no axe to grind - and was simply interested to read what Robert Dallek had to say on the subject, particularly since I had read his splendid biography of JFK some time ago and thought him a fine author.I was in no way disappointed, and in fact very much intrigued by the whole affair. It would seem very difficult to build a case in favour of either of the two subjects of the book, whose respective backgrounds are well described in a clear and concise manner. Their approach to politics has been shown to be anything but transparent, and the duplicity which both Nixon and Kissinger appear to have practised in their respective spheres is all the more deplorable. Whether it be Viet Nam or Watergate, neither of the two can have been proud of of his achievements, however much he may wish to justify the events as they occurred.I am not qualified to comment on the accuracy of the backstage events described in this book, but they are certainly described with great clarity, and you never get bogged down in unnecessary detail. It is a fascinating story, no matter on which side of the divide you may happen to fall. Love 'em or hate 'em, this is one helluva read, and one for which I certainly got my money's worth!