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Allen Dulles
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Craft of Intelligence: America's Legendary Spy Master On The Fundamentals Of Intelligence Gathering For A Free World Paperback – April 1, 2006

by Allen Dulles (Author)
4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 331 ratings
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If the experts could point to any single book as a starting point for understanding the subject of intelligence from the late twentieth century to today, that single book would be Allen W. Dulles's The Craft of Intelligence. This classic of spycraft is based on Allen Dulles's incomparable experience as a diplomat, international lawyer, and America's premier intelligence officer. Dulles was a high-ranking officer of the CIA's predecessor--the Office of Strategic Services--and was present at the inception of the CIA, where he served eight of his ten years there as director. Here he sums up what he learned about intelligence from nearly a half-century of experience in foreign affairs.

In World War II his OSS agents penetrated the German Foreign Office, worked with the anti-Nazi underground resistance, and established contacts that brought about the Nazi military surrender in North Italy. Under his direction the CIA developed both a dedicated corps of specialists and a whole range of new intelligence devices, from the U-2 high-altitude photographic plane to minute electronic listening and transmitting equipment.

Dulles reveals much about how intelligence is collected and processed, and how the resulting estimates contribute to the formation of national policy. He discusses methods of surveillance, and the usefulness of defectors from hostile nations. His knowledge of Soviet espionage techniques is unrivaled, and he explains how the Soviet State Security Service recruited operatives and planted "illegals" in foreign countries. He spells out not only the techniques of modern espionage but also the philosophy and role of intelligence in a free society threatened by global conspiracies.

Dulles also addresses the Bay of Pigs incident, denying that the 1961 invasion was based on a CIA estimate that a popular Cuban uprising would ensue. This account is enlivened with a wealth of personal anecdotes. It is a book for readers who seek wider understanding of the contribution of intelligence to our national security.
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  1. Print length
    304 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Lyons Press
  4. Publication date
    April 1, 2006
  5. Dimensions
    6 x 0.75 x 9 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    1592282970
  7. ISBN-13
    978-1592282975
  8. See all details
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Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
331 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the book provides insightful information about intelligence gathering. They describe it as a great and interesting read with accurate historical details. The material is praised as reliable and well-crafted. However, some readers feel the pacing is not very compelling and the writing style is bland and superficial. There are mixed opinions on the writing style - some find it enjoyable and engaging, while others consider it perfunctory and lacking depth.

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Information qualityReadabilityHistoryMaterial qualityWriting styleDated materialPacing
28 customers mention "Information quality"28 positive0 negative

Customers find the book provides good insights into the world of intelligence. It explains the fundamentals of information gathering and includes examples of what worked and did not. The historical perspective is interesting, and the book is a good addition to their intelligence library. Readers mention that the book includes many anecdotes and firsthand details regarding an array of topics.

"...Dulles includes many anecdotes and firsthand details regarding an array of aspects on the subject of intelligence, which all help to better explain..." Read more

"Contrary to previous reviews, Allen does provide some great insights into the world of intelligence collection and analysis...." Read more

"...Like I said, this is a great history book, and a very good insight into one of the strongest spy minds of the 20th Century...." Read more

"...that presents intelligence tradecraft, challenges, the role of intelligence in government, and privacy challenges in the modern context all in a..." Read more

24 customers mention "Readability"24 positive0 negative

Customers find the book engaging and easy to read. They describe it as a solid read for those interested in the subject. Readers mention it's timely and a must-have for researchers.

"...This book makes for a solid read for those keen to learn more about intelligence-gathering and its implications on government policy, foreign..." Read more

"...but it was still a good read...." Read more

"This is the must have read for researchers of (or anyone that has an interest in) the CIA during the Cold War, the information is a bit dated, but..." Read more

"...The book is also quite entertaining as it informs about a should know matter for everyone in the country...." Read more

19 customers mention "History"19 positive0 negative

Customers find the book interesting and a must-read for history buffs. They appreciate the accurate history of intelligence services and operations dating back to Sun-Zhu. The stories about spycraft and dissidents are also interesting. The author touches on foreign intelligence organizations, especially those of the Soviet Union.

"...The author also touches on foreign intelligence organizations, chiefly those of the Soviet Union, and how they influenced the outcomes of various..." Read more

"...Like I said, this is a great history book, and a very good insight into one of the strongest spy minds of the 20th Century...." Read more

"It's an interesting historical document just because of the place in history that Mr. Dulles had...." Read more

"...He has a nice historical overview which delves into ancient intelligence and more recent (in his time) spy escapades before and during WWII...." Read more

5 customers mention "Material quality"5 positive0 negative

Customers find the book's material reliable and interesting. They say it's well-crafted and arrives in good condition.

"Most of the material is interesting, but you need to be familiar with the history of the time period to fully understand some of it...." Read more

"...defense were by definition secret - and the above mentioned beautifully crafted, bonus course in evasiveness, discretion, and special pleading." Read more

"...The Craft of Intelligence by Allen W. Dulles arrived on time in good condition...." Read more

"...The information available in this book is excellent, reliable, and backed up with anecdotes and references...." Read more

12 customers mention "Writing style"8 positive4 negative

Customers have different views on the writing style. Some find it enjoyable and readable, with an engaging approach that avoids technical language. They appreciate the modern content, even though the book was written nearly half a century ago. Others feel the writing is perfunctory and dense, making it difficult to understand.

"...A very well written book!" Read more

"...There were not a great many but where they were, they interfered with the writing." Read more

"...Dulles blended it all together quite well, with an enjoyable writing style that avoids intel jargon and tells the story in a way that can be..." Read more

"...A lot of the content reads really modern, even though it was written nearly half a century ago...." Read more

8 customers mention "Dated material"0 positive8 negative

Customers find the book's information dated. They mention that the material about the PRC is very outdated and the CIA during the Cold War is also dated.

"...I found a lot of the material to be dated, having been written during the period immediately after JFK's assentation, and before our involvement in..." Read more

"...the CIA during the Cold War, the information is a bit dated, but it enlightens the reader with little know fundamental..." Read more

"...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,..." Read more

"Written in the 1960's, this book is upbeat but dated and disappointing in a lack of substance, most of it reading like a Boy Scout manual on how to..." Read more

5 customers mention "Pacing"0 positive5 negative

Customers find the book's pacing slow and unengaging. They describe it as bland and superficial, and consider it an awful book.

"...Other than that, it’s a simply awful book. I normally wouldn’t have finished it, but there I was on a fourteen-hour plane ride…" Read more

"...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...." Read more

"Written in the 1960's, this book is upbeat but dated and disappointing in a lack of substance, most of it reading like a Boy Scout manual on how to..." Read more

"A limited, dangerous and ultimately dull man whose damage to the nation endures. His egotism and certainty are quite chilling." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • Mike P
    5.0 out of 5 stars Detailed and very informative
    Reviewed in the United States on December 1, 2015
    Verified Purchase
    If you're interested in the world of intelligence-gathering, specifically that of the CIA in its early years, then this makes for a great read.

    Dulles includes many anecdotes and firsthand details regarding an array of aspects on the subject of intelligence, which all help to better explain just what defined this organization in its nascent years. The author also touches on foreign intelligence organizations, chiefly those of the Soviet Union, and how they influenced the outcomes of various events in history.

    This book makes for a solid read for those keen to learn more about intelligence-gathering and its implications on government policy, foreign relations, and the course of history in the early Cold War. A very well written book!
    One person found this helpful
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  • Justin Turner
    5.0 out of 5 stars Amusing and Factual
    Reviewed in the United States on October 12, 2011
    Verified Purchase
    Contrary to previous reviews, Allen does provide some great insights into the world of intelligence collection and analysis. However, keep in mind that Allen was also a CIA Director. This means he's not tapping phones himself, any more than a mining executive swings a pick axe, and so he's not going to tell you how that is done. It's also correct that we no longer live in Allen Dulle's world. Allen died in 1969, a world where the Soviets were at their most intimidating, Communism was a genuine global threat and the Cold War was a desperate battle of economics, politics, covert and overt violence, intelligence penetration and, of course, ideology. Please keep this in mind when you buy and read this book.

    The book has some interesting insights into what intelligence meant at the time. It was the laborious penetration of the clandestine parts of a clandestine society. It was the penetration of soviet satellite nations. It was also the defence against clandestine penetration.

    This book doesn't disclose national secrets, but I was surprised by the level of insight that Dulles provides into the intelligence world he led and managed at the time. Problems including the difficulties of penetration soviet society, the methods of blackmail that soviets would use against westerners, his opinion of the fundamentally untrustworthiness of the soviets (I got the impression they would not abide a gentleman's agreement), and many stories illustrating how soviets attempted to penetrate western targets (like embassies) while also showing how many soviets would defect and collaborate with the west.

    I also don't want to give anything way, but his section on Homo Sovieticus was both very funny and chilling at the same time.

    Lastly, he talks about issues of secrecy in a nation like the US, where the US will publish reams of congressional hearings, budgets, data about military advances in trade journals, and so on. Meanwhile, virtually everything was classified secret in soviet society. Of course, he believes it should be more difficult for the Soviets to collect details about American politics, but he also seemed a bit resigned to this level of wide publication as being a feature of what it is to be American.

    To those who imagine that the world of intelligence involves somehow doing things that aren't common sense, this book will be disappointing. Allen Dulles talks about practical problems and practical observations about intelligence work at the time of writing.
    29 people found this helpful
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  • Texican
    4.0 out of 5 stars Great History if well out of date
    Reviewed in the United States on November 9, 2013
    Verified Purchase
    This is a book that a serious student of the Cold War, Espionage, or the CIA needs to have on his or her shelve. This is a well written study of the basics of intelligence and a lot of the history of the business.

    Unfortunately, I am not a serious student of any of those subjects. I found a lot of the material to be dated, having been written during the period immediately after JFK's assentation, and before our involvement in Viet-Nam. The book would be a lot better if it had been updated, A great deal of the material is well out of date, there is way too much information about the USSR in the early '60's, before and just after Khrushchev was over thrown. The information about the PRC is also very very dated.

    If this book was updated, I would rate it 5 stars. Like I said, this is a great history book, and a very good insight into one of the strongest spy minds of the 20th Century. Dulles was one of the people that started the CIA and the OSS.
    8 people found this helpful
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  • Ted
    3.0 out of 5 stars Good read, but dated.
    Reviewed in the United States on February 5, 2014
    Verified Purchase
    I’m almost embarrassed to admit that I’ve just got around to reading this, but there you have it. I probably would have enjoyed it more if I had read it years ago (I remember most of the tales he uses as examples from the old “Ballantine Espionage/Intelligence Library” paperbacks I read as a teenager in the late ‘70s), but it was still a good read. Part as advertised by the title, a large part advocacy for the Agency, part defensive, and part recruiting pitch, (all in the context of the early ‘60s) Dulles blended it all together quite well, with an enjoyable writing style that avoids intel jargon and tells the story in a way that can be absorbed by anybody. But is really is written through the monochromatic lens of bipolar competition through which too many international issues were viewed at the time, and some of the assertions in the latter half of the book are almost embarrassing in themselves, given knowledge of what has been brought out into the open over the five decades since it was originally published. Yet I do think that a book like this is really needed today, fully up-to-date, that presents intelligence tradecraft, challenges, the role of intelligence in government, and privacy challenges in the modern context all in a way that’s readable by the average Joe.
    3 people found this helpful
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  • bookworm5Ra
    5.0 out of 5 stars It's Dulles in his own words
    Reviewed in the United States on May 11, 2008
    Verified Purchase
    It's an interesting historical document just because of the place in history that Mr. Dulles had.

    The style of the book is more that of interesting dinner conversation: almost as if Dulles was a guest in your home for an evening with mixed company. Nothing important or real is to be found in the pages of The Craft of Intelligence, it's all pleasant conversation. It kind of makes you cringe when reading Dulles' smooth and pleasant account, if you have read in other books, the kind of bloodshed and horror that really happened.
    3 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

  • Elie Joe Dergham
    5.0 out of 5 stars A great book from an interesting leader
    Reviewed in Canada on December 27, 2021
    Verified Purchase
    The book covers an interesting phase in intelligence history. The author covers the beginning/ middle of the cold war. The book covers facts and history with the authors personal experience. A great read.
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  • Amazon Customer
    1.0 out of 5 stars I just recieved this book where pages were missing/torn. Also hard bind is damaged
    Reviewed in India on August 21, 2022
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    Amazon Customer
    1.0 out of 5 stars I just recieved this book where pages were missing/torn. Also hard bind is damaged
    Reviewed in India on August 21, 2022

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  • Lilla
    5.0 out of 5 stars Purchased as gift
    Reviewed in Australia on May 3, 2023
    Verified Purchase
    Purchased as a gift, therefore I cannot comment on it. I gave it a 5 star ratings as I believe it is unfair to rate something low if you have not reviewed it.
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  • Luis Ferreira
    5.0 out of 5 stars A must have
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 21, 2013
    Verified Purchase
    Traditionally recommended as a must have for the beginner. For the professional user it is of minor importance. For the beginner it is a good start point for the conceptual mind-setting of the Intel pro.
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  • Cabin&Tea
    1.0 out of 5 stars Book never arrived after 6 weeks
    Reviewed in Canada on December 22, 2016
    Verified Purchase
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