The Brothers

John Foster Dulles, Allen Dulles, and Their Secret World War

By: Stephen Kinzer

Narrated by: David Cochran Heath

A joint biography of John Foster Dulles and Allen Dulles, who led the United States into an unseen war that decisively shaped today's 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 backdrop ofAmerican 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 movies - many 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 country's 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 such as Cuba and 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.

©2013 Stephen Kinzer

The story every American should read

This is a basically faultless history of American imperialism in the 20th century. My only criticism is that the offer is so strong throughout the book and so weak in the last few minutes

That's a lot of power!

I enjoyed this book because this is not a time period I normally study (my interests lie in the holocaust, medieval Europe, Irish history, Russian imperial history and Jewish history). I was aware these men existed and knew they were influential but had no idea the power they wielded. It's a wonder America survived with these two in government at the same time Hoover was in office.

Very interesting book

A very well written piece that did not cover Eastern Europe or direct US Soviet relationships as deeply as it should have

I realize it this book was about the Dulles brothers, but given the context, it should certainly have covered Stalin to his death in 1953 and the nuanced outreaches by Mahlenkov and Khrushchev.

Great book and Audio

This was one of the most interesting and informative books I've listen to all this year. Being born in 1949 I came up during the Dulles reign and except for the Viet Nam debacle I was ignorant of what really was going on. Now I clearly understand the magnitude of the US use of smoke and mirrors to bring democracy and order to waning colonial countries and assumed menacing powers.

a must read

a must read for all those who have any hope of understanding history an our place in it.