Henry Kissinger Off Duty Monday, Feb. 07, 1972, Time ALMOST every night in Washington seems to be Henry Kissinger night. His presence enlivens any occasion. This season's social lion, Soviet Poet Yevgeny Yevtushenko, asked for an invitation to a party that Marion Javits was throwing for Kissinger. In the course of the evening, Yevtushenko had a private conversation with Kissinger, then slipped off his wristwatch and pressed it into Kissinger's hand— confirming who knows what international arrangement.

The Kissinger wit can always be counted on. As a guest speaker at the Washington Press Club's annual congressional dinner last week, Kissinger mocked his reputation as a secret swinger. Noting that Gloria Steinem had said that she "is not now and never has been a girl friend" of his, Kissinger declared that he was not discouraged. "After all, she did not say that if nominated she would not accept, or if elected she would not serve."