Purchase
John Foster Dulles, Allen Dulles, and Their Secret World War
Times Books
October 2013
On Sale: October 1, 2013
416 pages
ISBN: 0805094970
EAN: 9780805094978
Kindle: B00BY5QX1K
Hardcover / e-Book
Add to Wish List
Non-Fiction Biography
A joint biography of John Foster Dulles and Allen Dulles, who led the United States into an unseen war that decisively shaped todayโs world During the 1950s, when the Cold War was at its peak, two immensely powerful brothers led the United States into a series of foreign adventures whose effects are still shaking the world. John Foster Dulles was secretary of state while his brother, Allen Dulles, was director of the Central Intelligence Agency. In this book, Stephen Kinzer places their extraordinary lives against the background of American culture and history. He uses the framework of biography to ask: Why does the United States behave as it does in the world? The Brothers explores hidden forces that shape the national psyche, from religious piety to Western moviesโmany of which are about a noble gunman who cleans up a lawless town by killing bad guys. This is how the Dulles brothers saw themselves, and how many Americans still see their countryโs role in the world. Propelled by a quintessentially American set of fears and delusions, the Dulles brothers launched violent campaigns against foreign leaders they saw as threats to the United States. These campaigns helped push countries from Guatemala to the Congo into long spirals of violence, led the United States into the Vietnam War, and laid the foundation for decades of hostility between the United States and countries from Cuba to Iran. The story of the Dulles brothers is the story of America. It illuminates and helps explain the modern history of the United States and the world.
 Media BuzzOn Point - October 28, 2013
Fresh Air - NPR - October 16, 2013
All Things Considered - September 29, 2013
| 
© 2003-2026