It was a Greek tragedy. Nixon was fulfilling his own nature. Once it started it could not end otherwise.

The quote "It was a Greek tragedy. Nixon was fulfilling his own nature. Once it started it could not end otherwise" by Henry Kissinger refers to the unfolding events surrounding Richard Nixon, the 37th President of the United States, particularly during the Watergate scandal and his eventual resignation. Kissinger, who served as Nixon’s National Security Advisor and Secretary of State, likens the situation to a Greek tragedy, where the central character is bound to a fateful and inevitable end due to their inherent flaws and decisions.

Kissinger's reference to Nixon fulfilling his own nature suggests that Nixon's actions and decisions, especially in the context of Watergate, were deeply tied to his character. His actions, driven by his instincts and personality, led him down a path of self-destruction. Kissinger implies that Nixon's paranoia, secrecy, and desire for control made the tragic outcome inevitable. Much like a character in a Greek tragedy, Nixon was unable to escape his destiny, despite attempts to avoid it.

By describing the situation as a Greek tragedy, Kissinger also emphasizes the sense of inevitability that surrounded Nixon’s downfall. Just as in the classical tragedies, where fate seems to be predetermined, Nixon’s scandal and eventual resignation were seen as the only possible outcome once the scandal had started to unravel. His attempts to cover up the truth and his eventual loss of political support were part of a tragic cycle that could not be reversed.

Ultimately, Kissinger’s quote reflects a fatalistic view of Nixon’s political fate, framing it as the result of personal flaws and circumstances that could not be avoided. The tragic nature of Nixon's fall from power is compared to the classic Greek tragedies, where the protagonist’s flaws lead to their inevitable destruction.