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ferris_mx's review against another edition
3.0
A reasonably descriptive account of the intelligence collection side of the CIA from the peak of the cold war. However, Dulles steers clear of intervention activities, especially including Bay of Pigs, which happened on his watch. That's fully cheating. Towards the end, Dulles ruminates about his wish that the government could circumscribe the freedom of the press, which was gross. Then he put the cherry on the sundae by advising against using anyone with immorality like affairs in intelligence work, and of course explicitly no homosexuals. This book was written in 1963, and it was OK to write and publish that the government should not hire homosexuals, amazing.
robsonjv's review against another edition
3.0
I learned that the great Alan Dulles, however good he was at being DCI, really wasn't that stellar of a writer. Fascinating subject, almost more so for what's not discussed.
ridanwise's review
5.0
This an excellent source to adquiere a western perspective of the Cold War from the viewpoint of intelligence gathering. What this is NOT however, is an updated book about the craft. The book brings with it a lot about espionage that will continue being valid throughout time regardless of technological advances; but if you are looking for something that may open the door to you about the internal functioning of the CIA, this is not it.
I want to also remind the reader that this book was written during the early sixties, therefore, expect to see certain a fair share of social misconceptions that, although we still share them today (albeit in a small minority, thank god), were OK at the time.
Allen is very open about his thoughts about homosexuality and gay individuals. Back at the time, he, along with other key members of the intelligence committee, purged the agencies of "homosexuals".
Don't let this historical perspective affect your view of the CIA today, they welcome LGBT individuals and have a special organization within the agency called ANGLE that serves as defenders of their rights.
I want to also remind the reader that this book was written during the early sixties, therefore, expect to see certain a fair share of social misconceptions that, although we still share them today (albeit in a small minority, thank god), were OK at the time.
Allen is very open about his thoughts about homosexuality and gay individuals. Back at the time, he, along with other key members of the intelligence committee, purged the agencies of "homosexuals".
Don't let this historical perspective affect your view of the CIA today, they welcome LGBT individuals and have a special organization within the agency called ANGLE that serves as defenders of their rights.
cdcovington's review
4.0
This was a really interesting read. While it's more of a historical reference at this point, for someone completely outside the spy business, this book was very informative. A lot of it reflects the time it was written in, and with hindsight, you can see how laughable it was that the Soviet Union was going to turn all of Asia and Europe communist. The section about how Mossadegh was just a tool of the Soviets was outrageous and enraging.
At turns a justification for the existence of the CIA and a history of spying, this is a good reference for someone looking to write a spy novel set in the early Cold War era.
At turns a justification for the existence of the CIA and a history of spying, this is a good reference for someone looking to write a spy novel set in the early Cold War era.
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