Customer Reviews

The Craft of Intelligence: America's Legendary Spy Master on the Fundamentals of Intelligence Gathering for a Free World

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As I began researching the modern intelligence community, several books (e.g. "The Night Watch" by David Atlee Philips) pointed back to "The Craft of Intelligence" as a fundamental starting point. Because this book deals with the basic intelligence methods and objectives, it maintains its relevance well into the present. In some sections Dulles also addresses the ethical implications of deceptive or clandestine intelligence collection, providing valuable thought or discussion material for individuals scrutinizing this unique, and arguably disdainful, function of government. Dulles' writing style is thoughtful, refined, yet straightforward, revealing some of those traits which earned him the moniker "The Gentleman Spy".

Allen Dulles said that "(i)n our time, the United States is being challenged by a hostile group of nations that profess a philosophy of life and government inimical to our own" and "(t)oday's intelligence service also finds itself in the situation of having to maintain constant watch in every part of the world, no matter what may at the moment be occupying the main attention of diplomats and military men." Given that this was written over forty years ago, in a radically different geopolitical climate, it is impressive that his observations are still valid and relevant, though not in the fashion that concerned him at the time of his writting. If someone reads this book broadly, without getting caught up in the constant references to the grand failure of the twentieth century, communism, there is great current relevance here.

Any citizen in a democracy has a duty to understand issues before voting. The actions and managment of the intelligence apparatus of the nation should be an essential issue in any voters' understanding of international affairs. "The Craft of Intelligence" will give the reader and voter a necessary understanding of the responsibilities and duties of the intellegence system. It discusses intelligence requirements, collection, and analysis, as well as defense against foreign spies, and deception.

But all that 'social conscious' and 'civic duty' stuff is the not the reason to read this book.

This is a bunch of awesome, historical spy stories! From a guy who has been there, done that from World War I through the height of the Cold War, you'll here the real life stories that inspired Tom Clancy, and Ian Fleming. And it's better than the made up stuff, as these events shaped the world we live in today.

I would be interested in hearing more from contemporary conspiracy theorists about this book. It seems ripe with items that could be interpreted as confirmation or denial (thereby 'truly' confirming the denied point...) of a wide range of incidents and topics. I wear my aluminum foil hat in eager anticipation of the ever amusing ramblings of the folks who know the 'truth' that has been withheld from those of us from the ignorant masses with our heads in the sand.

Great book, both as entertainment and for the responsible citizen (and as fodder for those unaffected by the mind control lasers from area 51).

E. M. Van Court

It's really all in the title. The information available in this book is excellent, reliable, and backed up with anecdotes and references. However, it's very dense and reads like a bureaucratic report, making it difficult to get through. Definitely not a casual read.

This book was disappointing on two counts: (1)Much of the information was stuff you already knew; and (2) the writing was perfunctory. Anyone who has read a number of spy novels is familiar with much of the tradecraft that Dulles describes and I found myself saying throughout the book: "Well, I already knew that." The best part of the book was the inside story of many Cold War activities, particularly descriptions of how the Soviets waged their secret war against the U.S. The book is dated, only going up to the end of Dulles' CIA career back in the Cold War, but, on the other hand, if you're a Baby Boomer you'll remember many of the events he describes. I'm not clear why Dulles wrote a book like this. It wasn't very compelling and I guess he wrote it just to get his memoirs out there. Glad I read it, but it's a long way from being more than just average.

If you seek a single source reference to the history of modern espionage, it should be THE CRAFT OF INTELLIGENCE: AMERICA'S LEGENDARY SPY MASTER ON THE FUNDAMENTALS OF INTELLIGENCE GATHERING FOR A FREE WORLD. Details on how intelligence is collected and processed, and how it contributes to the formation of national policy, makes for a thorough and fine review of the craft and policies of military intelligence efforts, surveying how information is gathered, processed, and used in the formation of national policy. While others could've presented the facts, it's his insider position peppered with personal anecdotes from his intelligence career - he was a high-ranking officer of the CIA's predecessor and served eight years when the CIA was created - which makes CRAFT OF INTELLIGENCE unique.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

As the book's jacket description states, it presents "the fundamentals of intelligence gathering for a free world." In this regard, it gives a good overview of the various aspects of intelligence gathering. The book has a strong focus on the dark side of Russian intelligence, while ignoring what might be considered the "shadow side" of US intelligence (undermining foreign governments, etc.). I found the book boring during parts of the second half (I got tired of reading it).

This was written back when the Soviet Union was in full swing, and the author gets his start somewhere between the Boer Wars and World War I. I find the book fascinating as it is a subject I love and it's in the forgotten era of late Imperialism and ending in the Cold War. Great Read from an over knowledged subject matter expert.

Allen Dulles was the Director of Central Intelligence from 1953 to 1961 during the eight-year term of Dwight Eisenhower and first ten months of John Kennedy's administration. His historical memoir `The Craft of Intelligence' has been re-published by The Lyons Press.
This re-issue of Dulles' book makes one take a new examination of the function of the DCI when the CIA started all of the things it's known for today and presumed to still be doing. Even though four DCI's served under Harry Truman the tenure of Dulles for Eisenhower best typifies what the CIA has now become known for.
Dulles was the ultimate `remain in the shadows, behind the scenes, backroom negotiator' that was so prevalent in the first half of the 20th Century political world. He must have been inspired to be that way by the antics of Colonel Thomas House who was the inside advisor to President Woodrow Wilson when Dulles' own uncle Robert Lansing was the nation's Secretary of State. And Dulles was in government work when politicians were still trusted by the public yet doing the nation's dirty work that was generally not revealed to the masses at that time.
The first four DCI's to President Truman in the years 1946-1953 came directly from military service when the agency was getting started and was only seen as an intelligence gathering entity. It was when Eisenhower took over and appointed Dulles as DCI that the CIA began covert operations and inserting itself into the matters of foreign governments for America's benefit.
Dulles had his followers as he attempted to implement Ike's plan of containing the spread of communism. But he also had his detractors as he put forth America's intelligence presence throughout the world during his tenure. He was obviously well thought of by Eisenhower since he served as DCI for the entire eight years of the 34th president's term. But his career ended in forced retirement when newcomer chief executive Kennedy blamed the CIA for the April, 1961 `Bay of Pigs' fiasco after Cuban freedom fighters launched from Florida were defeated on the beaches of Cuba by Fidel Castro's Army.
Dulles never made derogatory comments about JFK after his removal even though he must have had an opinion about it. So isn't it ironic that three years later he served on a commission to investigate the assassination of the very man who fired him!
Anyway, to get a read on the real Dulles as the holder of the nation's secrets you must look at every photo of him. You will observe that he always has a smug look on his face as if he knew he wasn't telling the whole truth to the American people but recognized he was still getting away with it.
Everyone in the spy business read the book when it came out in 1963. Even 007 himself, James Bond, studied the work while on an assignment in Japan in Ian Fleming's classic novel `You Only Live Twice' so he could pick up tips on how to be a better spy!
But it's apparent from forty years of hindsight and the declassification of many CIA files from that era that Dulles wrote this book in a matter that presumed us naive citizens still believed and trusted their leaders in what was being told to them was actually true. So his tome now comes off in a somewhat condescending manner with the revelations that most of what the CIA presumed about the threat from the Soviet Union and the state of the world for the last sixty years have been proven wrong or were grossly inaccurate to justify excessive and unneeded military expenditures for our side.
It's still arguable whether Allen Dulles was the best DCI we will ever have. But he knew how to brag when necessary and stay in the shadows when needed to keep his president happy.

While Allen Dulles played a pivotal role in the US intelligence service, especially as head of the CIA, his book is not a tell-all revelation of the inner workings of a spy agency. It is however a great history of the cold war told from the perspective of a spymaster. He slips in some lingo like "dead letter box", but does not really get into the nitty gritty. He covers most of the already public spy stories. If you are studying the period of history from WWII to 1965 this book is a great read with an important perspective.

An excellent composition of non-fiction information. It presents very good details about the foreign policy and current information. This book is a great read for the layman and the global security reader.

Author of THE SHEQEL