On tour promoting his new book, The Trial of Henry Kissinger, Hitchens has been conducting a one-sided war of words with Kissinger. The British author argues that Kissinger, who he calls a war criminal, has exhibited a pattern of extralegal and illegal behavior to profit his ego and his wallet.

After months of ignoring Hitchens—or, as Hitchens says, “evading”—Kissinger finally responded angrily on two news shows last month when interviewers questioned him about Hitchens’ criticisms. On “The News with Brian Williams,” Kissinger described Hitchens as “a man who attacked Mother Teresa, Jackie Kennedy, [and] has said the Holocaust never existed.”

Kissinger was apparently referring to an incident in which Hitchens had defended an author’s right to publish a book in which questions about the Holocaust’s extent were raised.

Hitchens responded that the “Holocaust denier” label was libelous and says he was considering legal action against the statesman.

Hitchens said that he hoped to attend Kissinger’s appearance in Cambridge and ask Kissinger to repeat the allegations.

Against this backdrop of charges and countercharges, Hitchens says Kissinger decided to run rather than face him during the Cambridge talk.

“He has gone to ridiculous lengths to prevent me from getting to ask him a perfectly polite question,” Hitchens said.

According to Hitchens, Kissinger had previously canceled an event in Kissinger’s hometown of Washington, Conn., where Hitchens had been booked to counter an event where Kissinger was being honored by the local library.