In March 2016, as the U.S. foreign policy establishment shunned presidential candidate Donald Trump, his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, was invited to lunch for a think tank urging engagement with Russia.

The meeting at Manhattan¡¯s Time Warner Center, which hasn¡¯t been reported before, would prove significant for the Center for the National Interest and Kushner, who was still a little-known figure in the Trump campaign.

The main attraction of the March 14th event was Henry Kissinger, the center¡¯s honorary chairman, who gave a talk that included analyzing U.S.-Russia relations for a small group of attendees. Kushner, who remained quiet and unobtrusive during the lunch, introduced himself to Kissinger afterward. He also met Dimitri Simes, the long-time president of the center and publisher of its magazine, The National Interest.