The Brothers: John Foster Dulles, Allen Dulles, and Their Secret World War

Audible has a lot of two-books-for-one-credit sales. These sales are always limited to a select list of titles, a circumstance that has the effect of encouraging me to pick up audiobooks I otherwise would never have thought to try. That’s how I happened to come across The Brothers.

The book is a joint biography of John Foster Dulles, secretary of state during the 1950s and his brother, Allen Dulles, director of the Central Intelligence agency during the same period. The story it tells is both fascinating and horrifying as it details the arrogance of the Dulles brothers, and their determination to disrupt and destroy the governments of countries around the world. We’ve all heard stories of the CIA propping up dictators. This book goes into the details, exploring Foster Dulles’s hostility and calcified thinking, and Allen Dulles’s ill-conceived adventurism. The United States — and many other countries — are still suffering from the fallout of decisions made by these two men.

If, like me, you’re unfamiliar with this era of history, The Brothers might be for you. It’s an eye-opener.

Posted on: Saturday, June 4th, 2022 at 6:49 am
Categories: Reading, Recommended Reading.