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The Devil's Chessboard
The Devil's Chessboard: Allen Dulles, the CIA, and the Rise of America's Secret Government | David Talbot
6 posts | 5 read | 8 to read
An explosive, headline-making portrait of Allen Dulles, the man who transformed the CIA into the most powerfuland secretivecolossus in Washington, from the founder of Salon.com and author of the New York Times bestseller Brothers. Americas greatest untold story: the United States rise to world dominance under the guile of Allen Welsh Dulles, the longest-serving director of the CIA. Drawing on revelatory new materialsincluding newly discovered U.S. government documents, U.S. and European intelligence sources, the personal correspondence and journals of Allen Dulless wife and mistress, and exclusive interviews with the children of prominent CIA officialsTalbot reveals the underside of one of Americas most powerful and influential figures. Dulless decade as the director of the CIAwhich he used to further his public and private agendaswere dark times in American politics. Calling himself the secretary of state of unfriendly countries, Dulles saw himself as above the elected law, manipulating and subverting American presidents in the pursuit of his personal interests and those of the wealthy elite he counted as his friends and clientscolluding with Nazi-controlled cartels, German war criminals, and Mafiosi in the process. Targeting foreign leaders for assassination and overthrowing nationalist governments not in line with his political aims, Dulles employed those same tactics to further his goals at home, Talbot charges, offering shocking new evidence in the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. An expos of American power that is as disturbing as it is timely, The Devils Chessboard is a provocative and gripping story of the rise of the national security stateand the battle for Americas soul.
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Mrshawaii
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Demibom
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“...John Foster Dulles liked to think himself as chess master of the free world. His younger brother would become something more powerful still—the knight-errant who enforced America‘s imperial will. As director of the CIA, Allen Dulles liked to think he was the hand of the king, but if so, he was the left hand-the sinister hand.He was master of the dark deeds that empires require.” #spies #history #America

DylanT Amazing picture! 6y
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Demibom
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This one just arrived in the mail. So excited #spies #cia

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amycollard
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Pickpick

Wow, an incredible and frightening book. It tells the story of Allen Dulles who led the CIA and basically made it what it is today (not in a good way). Scary stuff!! This basically covers WWII through Kennedy's death. Very long and detailed, very well written. Amazing to see what power hungry people will do. And don't get me started on the Kennedy assassination. I've never been one to believe conspiracy theories but I'm definitely starting to now!

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Antonio

Like Garth Ennis' Genesis, the spirit offspring of an angel and demon that possessed Jesse Custer in the Preacher comics, Talbot's journey is a hot summer story as told by your favorite rogue uncle on the porch: revealing, concise, and painful. More frightening than any horror story I can think of.

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BookishClaire

"I spent a lot of time on the writing, not just the research, because I do believe at the end of the day this is a war of ideas and the best story wins." - David Talbot, speaking with journalist Robert Scheer