The éminence grise, the man who shaped foreign policy for at least three presidential administrations, and whose shadow still looms large in certain political circles, got his start with a young John F. Kennedy. Henry Kissinger graduated summa cum laude with a bachelor’s degree from Harvard, returned there to complete his doctoral, and stayed on as a member of the faculty. He had already made a name for himself when his former dean brought him in to advise the young President John F. Kennedy on foreign policy.

On this day, February 28, in 1961, John F. Kennedy appointed Kissinger as consultant for foreign affairs. Despite spending only several days a week in the White House and being kept at bay by his dean-turned-boss, Kissinger earned wide influence over the president’s policies.

Kissinger was always a controversial figure, but his accomplishments were impressive: he achieved stability in relations with the Soviet Union with his policy of detente; he brought an end to the quagmire of the Vietnam war; and through informal communication he negotiated the re-establishment of relations with China. In 1973, Kissinger received a Nobel Peace Prize for ending the Vietnam War, along with Vietnamese leader Le Duc Tho (who declined it).