Customer Reviews

Allen Dulles

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This is a book that had to be written and needs to be read by those who seek to understand Allen Dulles in greater depth. The author does break new ground and add valuable new detail to the history of Allen Dulles, and his hard work in bringing us this book merits appreciation. Having said that, I confess to three disappointments: 1) the use of years to demarcate the chapters, rather than meaningful titles, is both boring and representative of the book's lack of presentational "zing"; 2) the book obsesses on Allen Dulles as the center of the earth and leaves out the context within which Dulles achieved his successes-casual references to how he operated two additional French networks, for example, without covering the arduous and detailed path that led to the creation and maintenance of those networks, leave one feeling as if Dulles simply waved a magic wand to create networks whole-bodied and in full force; and 3) the conclusion of the book, purportedly a review of what Allen Dulles would see and feel if he examined today's intelligence community, is generally on target but rather terse-nothing that one could take to an incoming President to energize him into revitalizing and enhancing our national intelligence community. There are some gems in this book that reflect the author's dedication and merit notice: Richard Helms reflecting on how America came much too close to losing World War II; Walt Rostow on calming the Kennedy's and preventing a rash counter-attack once the Bay of Pigs was known to be a disaster-this is the stuff of history, and I therefore heartily recommend this book as a valuable contribution to our understanding of Allen Dulles' place in history.

This is a wonderful biography -- lots of drama and dirt, spycraft and sleaziness. Srodes paints a vivid picture of Dulles -- he gets into the pores of the man as well as the young CIA. A great read.

This is a phenomenal book about both Allen Dulles and the intelligence world. If you have any interest at all in the subject, then put your pennies on the counter for a great read. Clearly Srodes has an inside track with the intel community and the reader benefits.

James Srodes examines Allen Welsh Dulles's life in his biography, Allen Dulles: Master of Spies. In this biography, Srodes presents a thesis that argues Allen Dulles was the person ultimately responsible for formulating and refining the Central Intelligence Agency's (CIA) mission and operating procedures and that his decisions have continued to influenced CIA's mission and actions in the present day. Srodes concludes that CIA under Dulles developed into an elite service that focused on providing the president with the best possible analysis of the intentions and actions of the United States friends and enemies.

Srodes's biography of Allen Dulles begins with a brief examination of Dulles's parents, grandparents and other family members who were an influential part of his formative years and later life. He pays special attention to Dulles's maternal grandfather, General John Watson Foster, who was a general in the Union Army during the American Civil War and Secretary of State for President Benjamin Harrison. Srodes also examines Dulles's brother-in-law, Robert Lansing, who also served as Secretary of State under President Woodrow Wilson his brother, John Foster Dulles, who was also Secretary of State under President Dwight D. Eisenhower.

Srodes then devotes nearly three quarters of his book to examining Dulles's development into the person that he often remembered for being. Srodes pays close attention to Dulles's early career in the State Department and his service abroad in Europe during World War I where he got his first taste of diplomatic and intelligence duties that helped develop the personal connections and skills that he would need later in life. In the period between World War I and World War II, Srodes examines Dulles remaining career in the State Department before he moved over to the New York law firm of Sullivan & Cromwell, where John Foster Dulles was already a partner. In the time between the two world wars, Dulles's time was a confusing blend of official business conducted for Sullivan & Cromwell and unofficial business for the State Department. When the United States began preparations to enter World War II, Dulles would leave his job at Sullivan & Cromwell and return to government service, working as the head of operations for the Coordinator of Information (COI) that would later transform in the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) that would even later become the basis for the CIA.

Srodes closely examines Dulles's time in Bern, Switzerland, where Dulles spent nearly all of World War II working as the OSS station chief. In Bern, Dulles would further develop and refine his talents for intelligence with help from the British intelligence service MI-6. Srodes notes that Dulles eventually grew into his role as station chief and developed into a man more than capable of holding his own in matters of espionage and spy craft and had several notable instances of success which great affected the course of World War II.

After devoting almost three quarters of his book to Dulles's time in World War I, World War II and the time in between, Srodes devotes the remainder of his book to examining Dulles's hand in shaping, and eventually leading, CIA.
Srodes's treatment of Allen Dulles's life has both excellent observations and detail mixed with unnecessary personal political interpretations and comments that eventually cause the reader to question Srodes ability to convey Dulles's story with an untainted and unbiased viewpoint.
Srodes does an excellent job of providing an intricate picture of Allen Dulles's professional development. Srodes examines with great detail how Allen Dulles developed into the character that he is often remembered as. His in-depth look at Allen Dulles's time and professional development in World War I Europe and the aftermath, up to his important role in Bern during World War II is a detailed account of Dulles's life. This detailed account gives the reader an almost perfect picture of how Dulles progressed professionally and was eventually able to assume the role of Director of Central Intelligence (DCI) at CIA in the 1950s.

While Srodes provides an intricate overall picture of Allen Dulles's life, his book features occasional and unnecessary political swipes and comments that contribute nothing to the current point of discussion. He frequently criticizes Presidents Wilson, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Kennedy and other Democratic politicians on policy issues that he portrays as having little consequence on Dulles's life or professional development. While this commentary is not widespread, when these minor comments are examined as a whole, it may cause the reader to step back and question Srodes analysis of the numerous political situations discussed in the book and thus an integral part of Dulles's life story.

Srodes also seems to wander away from his thesis in several areas in the middle and end of his book when he begins to talk about events that have no impact on Allen Dulles's life; personal, professional or otherwise. While the extra information is certainly interesting, it is of no consequence in his examination of Dulles's life. Additionally, Srodes's timeline begins to blend in the later chapters of the book, particularly when he begins to examine the period of the late 1940s up until Dulles's appointment as DCI at CIA in 1953. He occasionally mentions events out of chronological order and this has the potential to confuse and force the reader to pause and mentally put the events in order for a clearer picture and better overall understanding of the issue that Srodes is examining.

Overall, Srodes's excellent attention to detail and thoroughness in examining Allen Dulles's professional development in the period from World War I to World War II far outweighs his minor, yet distracting, political commentary.

Thorough and informative of the whole family. He could have elaborated more on his important relationship with C.G. Jung as an informant during WWII.