Disciples: The World War II Missions of the CIA Directors Who Fought for Wild Bill Donovan

by Douglas C. Waller

“A fantastic book, one of the very finest accounts of wartime spookery...a hell of a good tale.” — The Wall Street Journal

The author of the critically acclaimed bestseller Wild Bill Donovan , tells the story of four OSS warriors of World War II. All four later led the CIA.

They are the most famous and controversial directors the CIA has ever had—Allen Dulles, Richard Helms, William Colby, and William Casey. Disciples is the story of these dynamic agents and their daring espionage and sabotage in wartime Europe under OSS Director Bill Donovan.

Allen Dulles ran the OSS’s most successful spy operation against the Axis. Bill Casey organized dangerous missions to penetrate Nazi Germany. Bill Colby led OSS commando raids behind the lines in occupied France and Norway. Richard Helms mounted risky intelligence programs against the Russians in the ruin of Berlin after the German surrender.

Four very different men, they later led (or misled) the successor CIA. Dulles launched the calamitous operation to land CIA-trained, anti-Castro guerrillas at Cuba’s Bay of Pigs. Helms was convicted of lying to Congress about the CIA’s effort to oust Chile’s president. Colby would become a pariah for releasing to Congress what became known as the “Family Jewels” report on CIA misdeeds during the 1950s, sixties and early seventies. Casey would nearly bring down the CIA—and Ronald Reagan’s presidency—from a scheme to secretly supply Nicaragua’s contras with money raked off from the sale of arms to Iran for American hostages in Beirut.

Mining thousands of once-secret World War II documents and interviewing scores of family members and CIA colleagues, Waller has written a brilliant successor to Wild Bill Donovan .

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Espionage, World War II, Biography, Military Fiction, War

592 pages, Hardcover

First published October 6, 2015

Reviews

[David Eppenstein · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a highly entertaining and readable history of the OSS's formation and operations in Europe during WWII told through the careers of its founder, William Donovan, and its first star spy, Allen Dulles. The book also centers on the careers of three early OSS recruits that went on to become high level CIA leaders and later CIA directors, Richard Helms, William Colby, and William Casey. It would not be accurate to call this a biography for any of these men though their backgrounds are sketched out to give the reader each man's roots and family origins prior to becoming an intelligence officer. The book also depicts life in post war Europe and especially Germany and the initial stages of the Cold War and the dealings with the Soviets in Europe. The book would have been complete if it had stopped there but it didn't. The author then traced the career trajectory of each of the three "Disciples" as they carried the baton passed on by Donovan and Dulles. Of course all of the major intelligence scandals of the last few decades from the Bay of Pigs to Iran-Contra are covered and how these scandals resulted in the downfall for each of these three men.

The first half of the book is primarily about the creation of the OSS by Donovan and the recruiting of men to become OSS operatives. The process of selection and then the rigors of training are covered quite well and I have to say that I was rather impressed with what a commando bad ass William Colby was and then became something of a liberal idealist resulting his being shunned by the CIA community. Richard Helms on the other hand had no trouble lying to Congress under oath and believing it was the correct thing to do. However, after the author's treatment of the OSS beginnings operations shift to Europe and France in particular and the book starts to read like a classic spy thriller except that this wasn't fiction. Colby's exploits in Norway are particularly exciting. Again, after the war and a brief treatment of post war Europe the author could have ended the book and I would have been satisfied. I found no joy in reading how these three WWII heroes became less than their WWII selves and found their later intelligence service more important than the principles of the government they swore to protect. Definitely a worthwhile book for anybody interested in WWII history and American intelligence history.

[Steven Z. · Rating 4 out of 5]

At a time when people are concerned with government spying on its citizens, it is useful to examine how two world wars and the Cold War led to the creation of the Central Intelligence Agency. Douglas Waller, a former correspondent for Time and Newsweek, and the author of WILD BILL DONOVAN: THE SPYMASTER WHO CREATED THE OSS AND MODERN AMERICAN ESPIONAGE has revisited the origins of the CIA by examining the men that William Donovan trained as intelligence operatives who went on to head America’s foremost spy agency. In his new book, DISCIPLES: THE WORLD WAR II MISSIONS OF THE CIA DIRECTORS WHO FOUGHT FOR BILL DONOVAN, Waller follows the careers of Allen W. Dulles, William Casey, Richard Helms, and William Colby, and their interactions with Donovan as their careers culminated in Langley, Va. When I first picked up the book I was concerned that Waller would rehash a great deal of the same material he covered in his biography of Donovan. To my satisfaction this is not the case. There is some repetition, but the book can stand on its own merits as Waller has written a wonderful adventure story that weaves together the experiences of the “disciples.” Based on archival material, the most prominent secondary sources, and pertinent memoirs the book is an excellent read for spy buffs and the general public.

Waller begins the book with short biographical sketches of each individual and the similarities in their backgrounds. Waller points out that there was a common thread that ran through Dulles, Casey, Helms, and Colby. Each was smart, intellectual, and “voracious readers, thoughtful, and creatures of reason….these were strong, decisive, supremely confident men of action, doers who believed they could shape history rather than let it control them.” When one follows their careers Waller’s description appears extremely accurate. Though their personalities differed; Dulles comes across with a much larger ego who rubbed many in power the wrong way; Casey, more of an introvert who worked behind the scenes and new how to navigate the bureaucratic morass of government; Helms and Colby, more adventurous and hands on, the result of which was they all would ascend the intelligence ladder at different rates to finally emerge as leaders in their own right. All had important relationships with Donovan; some more testy, particularly Dulles who wanted Donovan’s job as head of the Organization of Strategic Services (OSS) during World War II, but in the end they worked together and laid the foundation for America’s post war intelligence operations.
Waller traces the career of each of the disciples and what stands out is their roles during World War II. Donovan was charged by President Franklin D. Roosevelt to create an espionage operation during the war by choosing him as the Coordinator of Information, a position that would morph into the head of the OSS. Waller examines the rise of Allen Dulles first, tracing his career from World War I, his experiences as a diplomat at Versailles, and his relationship with his brother, John Foster, and their law firm Sullivan and Cromwell. Dulles emerges as a self-confident individual who sought total control of all operations. Posted to Berne, Switzerland during the war, Dulles developed important sources though he was at times over the top with his predictions. On a number of occasions he resented Donovan, but in the end went along with his boss. William Casey’s education as a spy began as a lawyer in the 1930s where he became an expert on the tax code dealing with War Department contracts. This attracted Donovan interest and he would recruit Casey for the OSS in 1943. Casey, an organizational expert was sent to London where he worked under David Bruce, and implemented a management style that would lead him to oversee intelligence assets and commando operations in France and Germany. Richard Helms joined the navy after Pearl Harbor and worked on strategies to deal with German submarine warfare. By 1943 he was forced into OSS Psyops and by the end of the war he was sent to London to organize operations in Germany for the post war period. William Colby, the most liberal of the four and a supporter of FDR, studied in France in the late 1930s, witnessed the Spanish Civil War, and developed a hatred for communism. He would become a commando during the war and showed tremendous physical courage behind enemy lines in France and Norway.

One of the most interesting aspects of the book is how Waller introduces individuals who interacted with the OSS, and in particular the “disciples” during the war. FBI Head, J. Edgar Hoover despised Donovan seeing him as a threat and unleashed his own agents to spy on the OSS. We meet Julia Child, later known as “the cooking guru” for woman in the 1950s. Along the way Arthur Goldberg emerges as a link to European labor movements, who would later serve on the Supreme Court. British spymasters come and go throughout the book, particularly William Stephenson who at one time had an office next to Dulles in Rockefeller Center. Fritz Kolbe, the OSS’ most important agent who allowed Dulles to penetrate the German Foreign Office in Berlin and whose work saved the lives of many allied soldiers takes a prominent role. These and many other individuals and their own stories lend a great deal to Waller’s narrative.

Waller does a nice job showing how the careers of the “disciples” intersected with Donovan during the war. For example, Donovan’s visitations to commando training, witnessing Colby’s preparation for parachuting into France. Dulles and Casey intersected as both were smuggling agents into France to link up with and supply the French resistance. Casey was in charge of monitoring commando drops like Colby’s into France. Casey also funneled Dulles’ intelligence reports to Washington, and in a number of cases felt that they were highly exaggerated. Helms finally left for London in early 1945 and was supposed to organize Dulles’ mission for Germany, but because of Hitler’s last ditch effort in France in the Ardennes, he never carried out the assignment and wound up with Casey overseeing agents in Germany. In fact Casey and Helms shared an apartment in London at the time! Colby and Casey would meet at General George S. Patton’s headquarters in September, 1944 as Casey became Donovan’s eyes in Europe and eventually would replace David Bruce as head of London operations, an appointment that Dulles greatly resented. Donovan felt that Dulles was a poor administrator and lacked the leadership skills that Casey possessed.

Waller spends a great deal of time on the actions of American commandos behind German lines. He describes Colby’s training in detail and takes the reader along with these men as they parachute into France and Germany, exhibiting courage and discipline as they try to reinforce the French resistance, and later gather intelligence in Germany to try and bring the conflict to a faster conclusion. Waller also spends a great deal of time discussing the infighting among the “disciples” and their private lives. By doing so the reader gains insights into each of these men and it helps explains how their post-World War II careers would evolve into directorships of the CIA.

The final section of Waller’s narrative focuses on American intelligence policies and actions during the Cold War as the OSS evolves into the CIA and focuses its attention on the communist threat. Once President Truman forces Donovan into retirement Dulles takes over the newly created CIA and his reputation for mismanagement will result in what Blanch Wiesen Cook, in her book DECCLASSIFIED EISENHOWER, refers to as the “coup presidency.” Dulles would launch covert operations in Iran, Guatemala, Cuba, and the disastrous U-2 Incident, all resulting in his eventual downfall. Dulles was succeeded by Helms, who unlike his predecessor believed in tight organizational control. His mantra was “that there should be no surprises on his watch” and he was very popular within the agency. Helms would be fired by Richard Nixon in part because he refused to cooperate with break-ins and cover ups associated with Watergate. Colby’s tenure as director is most remembered for his testimony before the Church Committee in 1974 as leaked CIA documents called for congressional action. Colby was the most politically liberal of all the “disciples” and this played a role in his cooperation with Congress which he was vilified for by Helms and Casey. But, as Waller correctly points out his testimony probably saved the CIA from a wholesale reorganization that would have ruined its effectiveness. The last of the “disciples,” William Casey took over the agency under Ronald Reagan and he tried to create the atmosphere that existed under his hero, William Donovan, who like his mentor “kept the door open to all ideas for operations, even the wacky ones.” Casey wanted to recreate the can do culture of the OSS from WWII for the 1980s, focusing on the communist menace instead of the Nazis. This would result in repeated machinations in dealing with Afghanistan, Central America, and the Iran-Contra scandal in particular.

Waller has written a fascinating account of the men who followed Donovan as leaders in American intelligence, and current implications for some of the policies they pursued. Today we are faced with the ramifications of Edward Snowden’s leaks and issues over NSA and other surveillance. It would be interesting to speculate how these gentlemen would respond to these issues.

[Jill · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you are fascinated by covert operations and espionage in WWII, this is a must-read.

[Darcia Helle · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a difficult book to rate. I have much respect for the time and research that the author put into writing this book, but the execution was problematic for me.

The content is extensive, perhaps too much so for one book. We start with the CIA directors. The first four chapters are early biographies of each of these men, covering their childhoods through to them joining the CIA. We also go back through their family trees, meeting their parents, siblings, and anyone else who might have influenced them early on. From there, we go on to the start of their careers in intelligence and espionage. At this point, we meet countless more players and travel the world with all of them. We follow the timeline of the war, from start to finish, alongside all four men and all of the people with whom they interact.

For the most part, I was overwhelmed rather than intrigued by the sheer volume of content. I felt like a needed a chart to keep track of all the people and their relationships. And, while it's impressive that the author was able to unearth so much detail, from where people sat at meetings to what they wore and ate, the way it was all laid out felt like an information dump. There was no time to explore a specific aspect or feeling before the next activity and new people joined the throng.

The writing style is straightforward and conversational, but feels too much like a recitation of facts. It mostly reads like a dry textbook, rather than narrative nonfiction. I didn't get a real sense of emotion. I was told, at times, how each of these men felt about a certain thing, but I didn't see it or feel it from their perspectives.

This book will have a strong appeal for readers who enjoy meticulously detailed history. Perhaps they are more patient readers than I am.

*I was provided with an e-book copy by the publisher, via NetGalley, in exchange for my honest review.*

[Randal White · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent! It's amazing how history works. Waller covers the history of the CIA through the stories of four of the men who ran it; Allen Dulles, Bill Casey, Bill Colby and Richard Helms. All were proteges of the founder, Wild Bill Donovan. All had their good points, and their faults. Waller explains the early stages of the men's careers, through their leadership, and after they left the agency. The author presents a thorough, very fair, seemingly unbiased, examination of each man. If you read this, you cannot help but come away with a better understanding of why history has played itself out the way that it has. I highly recommend this book.

[Jerome Otte · Rating 4 out of 5]

A compelling and insightful history of the OSS careers of Dulles, Helms, Colby and Casey.

For each person Waller describes how they came to OSS, the impact the work had on them, and how they ended up in the CIA when that agency was formed. He covers topics relevant to these men’s careers, such as espionage in Switzerland, the plots to assassinate Hitler, the Jedburgh teams, and the degree to which the spooks could affect the overall course of the war (not much). He also describes how their experience made them somewhat restless when the war was over, and eager to get back into the same line of work when the Cold War began.

There’s not a lot of new material but the writing is mostly clear (some of the writing was hard to follow, but not much) and Waller succeeds in bringing the people and their times to life. His coverage of these men in evenhanded, and he does a good job fleshing out the theme that America had a cultural aversion to covert action, and intelligence work in general.

Still,the level of detail can make it a somewhat slow read at times, and it seems like Waller harps too much on their upper-class WASP backgrounds (even for Donovan, Colby, and Casey, who also had working-class backgrounds) but it’s a smooth read for the most part. At one point when writing about Dulles, though, Waller writes that Claude Dansey wanted to discredit Fritz Kolbe as a double agent. This assertion isn’t new; it was written about before the secrets of ULTRA were declassified. Dansey’s real concern was that, if the Germans caught Kolbe, they would take the precaution of changing their cipher systems. Dansey thought contact with Kolbe was unnecessary and wouldn’t turn up anything they weren’t getting from ULTRA. However, Dulles misinterpreted SIS’s position because he wasn’t in on the ULTRA secret.

An accessible, straightforward and well-researched work.

[Jay · Rating 3 out of 5]

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher.

I found this book captivating, yet sprawling - and not entirely in a good way. The premise is interesting enough: the interwoven WWII OSS missions of four future CIA directors. However, Waller lacks a certain coherence. The first chapters are disjointed biographies of the four; it is only when they begin their respective careers that lines of intersection become clear. The last chapters suffer from the same disjointedness.

That said, the tale itself is wonderfully told. We are introduced to sinners and saints, men who served their country well in war time yet found no permanent place in the new world they helped create.

[Julian Douglass · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty cool history of the 4 CIA directors who served in the OSS during World War II. A great tale of spy craft and intrigue during the Second World War, Mr. Waller showed the inner workings of the spy network that helped bring down the Nazi regime in Europe. Great storytelling and showing what happened, and could have happened, during the war. The only issue that I have is wondering why he included Richard Helms in this story. Helms only has a minor role at best, takes up only 1/5th of the book, and led an uneventful tenure as CIA director. Other than that, it is a nice piece of history of an unaccounted part of WWII.

[patrick Lorelli · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a book about four men who worked with the founder of OSS and what would later become the CIA. During World War II each one would play a role during WWII in espionage, sabotage. Richard Helms even ran intelligence programs against the Russians after Germany fell in Berlin. But when each man would become director of the CIA they would almost bring down the agency one way or another. The author begins though by taking you back in time to the beginnings or before we are involved in WWII. How Wild Bill Donavon got to where he was and how they were picked and trained. He goes into some of their missions during WWII and you get to see that in the field they were very successful. Each man had certain strengths and weakness and each would play a role. Then he goes into the fifties and the U-2 spy incident, Iran and Guatemala. Helms would be fired by Nixon because he did not want to help with the Watergate which had to do with the “bay of pigs”. Colby was in charge when the leaks of what was called the “church files”. Casey was part of the Iran-contra scandal. Each one really had their hands in more than what was mentioned by reading this book you get a clear picture of what was and is going on. A good book. I received this book from Netgalley.com I gave it 4 stars Follow us at www.1rad-readerreviews.com

[Chris Bartholomew · Rating 3 out of 5]

A solid read. Well written and engaging. This book follows the careers of the first CIA directors, Donovan, Helms, Colby and Casey. A ride through U.S. history during the Johnson and Nixon years through the eyes of our national spy establishment. Insightful.

[Mark · Rating 2 out of 5]

difficult read - finally gave up

[Brian Eshleman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just okay. I didn't smell the gunpowder, and I didn't really feel like I got to know any of the figures covered intimately.

[Mark Stattelman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good book if you're into history. It was a little confusing at first trying to keep the bios of the men straight, as they were so similar in their younger years and the author bounced back and forth between them, within the same time period of each of their lives. The World War II missions brought to mind Helen MacInnes (Assignment in Brittany) and Alistair Maclean (The Guns of Navarone) novels. Or Ken Follet (Eye of the Needle, Key to Rebecca, The Man from St. Petersburg). So, yes, I enjoyed this book. Though this book did get a little dry in small stretches, but not enough that it mattered. I had the hardback, but mostly listened to it on Audible. I had to laugh at one glitch in the Audible version. The narrator finally figured it out (or someone clued him in) around Chapter 10 that MI6 isn't "M sixteen."
These men were all highly driven and their lives were fascinating (in spells) as they traipsed across Europe in diplomatic circles. One, if not two of the men met Hitler (one in capacity as a newspaperman, prior to becoming part of the OSS) and shook hands with the up and coming politician/soon to be deranged tyrant.
This author briefly covered each of the men's deaths. Though he did sort of breeze over facts(?) of Colby's death. Not that I'm a big conspiracy theorist (or nut), but I distinctly remember alarm bells went off in my head when I read about his death in the newspaper at the time. The circumstances were a little odd . . . the boat . . . the body . . . heart attack(?) Maybe. Looking forward to digging into the book Shadow Warrior: William Egan Colby and the CIA, which, I believe, covers the death and points out a couple of conflicting facts from what is presented here. For instance, was the boat empty (as stated in Disciples) when it was found washed up on the bank, or half filled with sand(as stated in Shadow Warrior)? The body was floating elsewhere, of course. But here was a man (though up in years) who had been athletic and rigorously trained (as a paratrooper), and who conducted extremely dangerous operations behind enemy lines. Also, wouldn't he have just keeled over in the boat as he had the heart attack? Also, the boat and body washed up in different places. Wouldn't the current have carried them both to relatively the same area, depositing them on the same bank? And why would he have left a radio playing in the house and his computer on (not to mention wallet and keys on the table) as he went down to "go boating" (on a Sunday afternoon/evening(?) when he would usually have been packing up at weekend's end? Too many people didn't want to look too much into things for whatever reason. Too many unanswered questions? Or am I just being paranoid? LOL

[George Siehl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Four men who served in the World War II Office of Strategic Services, OSS, later came to head the Cold War successor to that agency, the Central Intelligence Agency. Author Douglas Waller draws upon his extensive research to portray those four men the "Disciples," as Waller designates them: Allen Dulles, Richard Helms, William Colby, and William Casey. The differences in their approach to intelligence work in both agencies characterizes the two different roles of intelligence, both the collection, analysis, and use of information about the enemy, and the conduct of covert operations to strike that enemy. The action moves from wartime France, Norway, and Italy to postwar Berlin with the OSS, then to CIA operations in Iran, Guatemala, Chile, Cuba, and Vietnam. Waller does a nice job of tracking the role of politics and partisanship in these situations from FDR to Reagan.

The rich literature on intelligence operations from WWII provides much information. Waller brings to this book both information and insights that add to what we have learned before, as in "Ike's Spies," recently reviewed here. Two of Waller's most interesting discussion are those relating to Operation Sunrise, the surrender of Italy in advance of the complete capitulation of the Axis in Europe, and to efforts of the Allies to organize intel operations in Berlin as the Americans, British, and French encountered the Russian behavior that led to the Cold War. Throughout, Waller shows the organizational changes that marked the snuffing out of the OSS, the creation of the CIA, and the setting aside of Wild Bill Donovan, despite his leadership throughout the war.

This artful blending of history, biography, and the role of intelligence agencies in the quest for national security is recommended for the general reader as well as the specialist. The former may find themselves seemingly "in the weeds," but they are interesting weeds. The latter will enjoy parsing Waller's account of familiar ground with what they have read elsewhere.

[Chad Manske · Rating 4 out of 5]

Waller’s “Disciples: The World War II Missions of the CIA Directors Who Fought for Wild Bill Donovan” is a riveting and action-packed account of the daring missions carried out by some of the most influential figures in the history of the Central Intelligence Agency. Waller’s meticulous research and engaging writing style bring to life the incredible stories of the men who shaped the early years of the CIA. The book focuses on the lives and careers of Allen Dulles, William Colby, Richard Helms, and William Casey, all of whom served under the legendary Wild Bill Donovan during World War II. Waller delves into the dangerous and clandestine operations these men undertook during the war, from gathering intelligence behind enemy lines to organizing resistance movements in occupied territories. The author paints a vivid picture of the courage, ingenuity, and resourcefulness of these unsung heroes who played a crucial role in the Allied victory. One of the most fascinating aspects of “Disciples” is Waller’s exploration of the personal relationships and rivalries that existed among these larger-than-life figures. Dulles, known for his charm and charisma, clashed with the more reserved and cautious Helms, while Colby and Casey brought their own unique strengths and weaknesses to the table. Waller skillfully weaves together their individual stories, showing how their differing personalities and approaches shaped the future of the CIA. Waller’s attention to detail and his ability to bring historical events to life make the book a must-read for anyone interested in espionage and intelligence operations. With its fascinating characters, gripping narrative, and insightful analysis, “Disciples” is a thrilling and enlightening look at a pivotal period in the history of American intelligence. Packed with intrigue, suspense, and drama, this book is sure to captivate readers and leave them eager for more.

[Lee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mildly interesting history of the World War II experiences of a handful of spies who eventually became CIA directors. Waller is not a great writer and the narrative is at times plodding.

A larger problem with the book is that it does not really have any unifying strand to connect everything. The book is called "disciples" because all of the protagonists are working for Bill Donovan, each pursuing their own separate career in the European theater. But, although Donovan is the boss of all of the spies, Donovan plays little role in the story. And it came to feel like four separate books that had been cobbled together even though they did not fit together.

This gives the narrative a discombobulating feel; the story jumps from one spy to the next, and they are rarely related. As this continues, the book becomes a bit of a hot mess.

[Chris Miller · Rating 4 out of 5]

Using information, sources, and materials touched on in his biography of Donovan, Waller has created a readable record of the men that later went on to lead the CIA. Allen Dulles, Richard Helms, William Colby, and William Casey. Based on their works there it makes one wonder if Donovan would want to claim them. I would call this a gentle biography, but Waller, presents the bad and the good with the bark on. The problems of intelligence and counter-intelligence are reflected throughout while still highlighting the four. Good job.

[Al Berry · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent book on the 4 OSS operatives who went on to be CIA chiefs; while the book has a brief background on each man as well as followup after the war; including how the author feels their war experiences shapes there Directorship; the book really focuses on their very unique activities as OSS operatives in WW2; Allan Dulles due to the fact he was highest up the hierarchy at the times is probably the most interesting. A book worth reading.

[DMurt · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was pretty cool learning about some of the main figures of the OSS in WW2 and then it turning into the CIA during the cold war era.

The four men that are the main topics of the book did some wild stuff during WW2. The book kindly but honestly describes how they all fall from grace after each one was the head of the CIA.

Men who gave all their time to their country, had a “fun” life during WW2 and beyond. Multiple divorces, multiple sex flings.

Def. worth reading, somewhat sad.

[Roger Mexico · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating! Gives credence to the idea that it’s not what you know, but who you know (well, it’s both, but still…). Lots of intrigue and cloak-and-dagger stuff and lots of episodes of WWII history that I was not familiar with. I’m glad Waller give a mini-history of each man’s fern as CIA director at the end. While all of these guys accomplished a lot, they also had their fair share of heartbreak and loss.

Highly recommended.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

The post World War II chapters felt a little rushed. That might be because the stories of what these men did for the OSS during WW II were so throughly written that the author just ran out of book. But overall a well written account of the OSS activities of 4 very different men who would later go on to run the CIA.

[Deepti Sankar · Rating 3 out of 5]

A tue accounts of ex cia directors.. The book was heavy felt bit like a textbook in betwee. But it was gruelling stories brought life from the first hand perspectives. fav line quoted " victory has thousand fathers, but defeat is an orphan"

[Vinayak Malik · Rating 5 out of 5]

Different personalities led to very different ways the CIA was led later. The missions in WW2 was a good indicator

[Robin Case · Rating 4 out of 5]

So much of the story reminds me of the movie 13 Rue Madeleine. The book is well written and tight. It is a tight combination of biography, history and thriller.

[Terri · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fascinating book that will appeal to anyone interested in US/military/WW2 history. Sadly, it suffers from really poor writing/editing in spots.

[Mark Green · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read

[Deborah]

Will pick up later

[Andrew Klob · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was quite a unique read for me as I had no real knowledge of the OSS, Wild Bill Donovan, and the start of the CIA. Waller did a great job of covering the lives of these disciples and future CIA directors who were mentored by Wild Bill Donovan. You can really see the progression of these men from everyday businessman to elite secret agents willing to handle some of the toughest and most remote (thinking of the mission in Norway) missions. With that said, this book was pretty straightforward and the four disciples themselves were interesting, but didn’t really stand out to me. It’s amazing how shady the OSS and, eventually, the CIA was. It was a necessary invention but there was (and still is) a lot of suspicion around what was going on in that organization. I found the four disciples to be men who got the job done, but weren’t necessarily inspiring men so to speak. Nevertheless, this was still an interesting read on a unique subject.

[Mathew Whitney · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book through Goodreads' First reads program.

Disciples: The World War II Missions of the CIA Directors Who Fought for Wild Bill Donovan is a look at the World War II missions of four officers of the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) who would go on to be appointed directors of the CIA. Douglas C. Waller interweaves the tales of the four men as they start down their paths towards a life in the United States' intelligence services, showing how men with very different outlooks and stations in life can end up among a very small group of people taking varied and highly specialized roles in World War II and the Cold War which followed.

As the title indicates, the majority of the book is very much focused on the roles these men played in World War II, especially in the fight against Nazi Germany. Each of the men served the OSS in often very different ways, from intelligence gathering and diplomacy to supplying guerrilla fighters on the ground or even taking part in raids to destroy critical infrastructure. The detailed accounts shine a light on often overlooked but important parts of the war.

The later portions of the book detail the impact living the secretive life of an intelligence operative would have on each man's life, and the twists and turns each of their careers would take as the U.S. government shifted focus to the Cold War with the U.S.S.R.

I found this to be a fascinating account of a portion of four men's lives which would otherwise be lost to the footnotes of history where most people would focus on their roles with the CIA. While they may have had a larger impact on history as individuals when they ran the CIA, their personal roles as pioneers of the U.S.' modern intelligence service make for a good read.

[Stacy Bearse · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sometimes, history is more thrilling than fiction. And so it was with the spymasters, operatives and commandos who formed the core of the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) during World War II. “Disciples” is the story of four men who served in the OSS, and eventually became directors of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), the cold-war successor to the OSS. I was impressed by how the four central characters survived and succeeded by their wits, strength and courage. It’s doubly impressive to consider their short transition from businessmen to super-spies. The author spends much less attention to their roles as Directors of the CIA. It is ironic that these war heroes all ended their intelligence careers disgracefully, after becoming entangled on the horns of politics. Well-researched, authoritative, exciting and thought provoking, “Disciples” earned a prominent place on my history bookshelf.