Gentleman Spy; The Life of Allen Dulles

Boston, MA: The University of Massachusetts Press, 1996. First paperback edition [stated]. Presumed first printing. Trade paperback. Very good. Rebecca S. Neimark (Cover design). xi, [1], 641, [1] pages. Illustrations. Footnotes. Notes on Sources. Index. Cover has slight wear and soiling. The author was a longtime foreign and diplomatic correspondent for the New York Times and then executive editor of Foreign Affairs. He served in the Carter administration as deputy director of the Department of State's Policy Planning Staff. Derived from a Kirkus Review: A compelling biography of a man who was present at the birth of America's foreign intelligence apparatus and went on to run the CIA under presidents Eisenhower and Kennedy. Grose demystifies the master spy and presents Dulles the man, brilliant in his career yet quite flawed in his personal life. Dulles pursued a career in the foreign service. Grose illustrates the contrast between John, the stern moralist, and his brother Allen, the bon vivant who often ignored his family not only for his work but also for extramarital affairs. When the US entered WW II, Dulles joined the Office of Strategic Services. The pinnacle of his career came when he was named to head the CIA at the height of the Cold War. Grose offers an examination of the Bay of Pigs fiasco, which led to his dismissal by Kennedy, who felt duped by the CIA into backing the anti-Castro invasion. Grose's outstanding study of a remarkable life gives readers insight into both a period of history and the development of the CIA.