Craft of Intelligence: America's Legendary Spy Master On The Fundamentals Of Intelligence Gathering For A Free World

by Allen W. Dulles

If the experts could point to any single book as a starting point for understanding the subject of intelligence from the late twentieth century to today, that single book would be Allen W. Dulles's The Craft of Intelligence . This classic of spycraft is based on Allen Dulles's incomparable experience as a diplomat, international lawyer, and America's premier intelligence officer. Dulles was a high-ranking officer of the CIA's predecessor--the Office of Strategic Services--and was present at the inception of the CIA, where he served eight of his ten years there as director. Here he sums up what he learned about intelligence from nearly a half-century of experience in foreign affairs.

In World War II his OSS agents penetrated the German Foreign Office, worked with the anti-Nazi underground resistance, and established contacts that brought about the Nazi military surrender in North Italy. Under his direction the CIA developed both a dedicated corps of specialists and a whole range of new intelligence devices, from the U-2 high-altitude photographic plane to minute electronic listening and transmitting equipment.

Dulles reveals much about how intelligence is collected and processed, and how the resulting estimates contribute to the formation of national policy. He discusses methods of surveillance, and the usefulness of defectors from hostile nations. His knowledge of Soviet espionage techniques is unrivaled, and he explains how the Soviet State Security Service recruited operatives and planted "illegals" in foreign countries. He spells out not only the techniques of modern espionage but also the philosophy and role of intelligence in a free society threatened by global conspiracies.

Dulles also addresses the Bay of Pigs incident, denying that the 1961 invasion was based on a CIA estimate that a popular Cuban uprising would ensue. This account is enlivened with a wealth of personal anecdotes. It is a book for readers who seek wider understanding of the contribution of intelligence to our national security.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Espionage, Military Fiction, Politics, War, Political Science

304 pages, Paperback

First published November 30, 1962

About the author

American public official Allen Welsh Dulles served from 1953 as director of the Central Intelligence Agency and after the failed invasion of the Bay of Pigs resigned in 1961.

This diplomat and lawyer flourished.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allen_D...

Reviews

[Jean · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was more interesting than I thought it would be. Allen said he grew up discussing foreign affairs at the dinner table thus his life long interest. It is amazing that his family produced three Secretary of State: John W. Foster (1836-1917) who served as Secretary of State to President Benjamin Harrison; Robert Lansing (1864-1928) was from Allen’s mother’s side of the family and served President Woodrow Wilson; and his brother, John Foster Dulles, (1888-1959) served President Dwight D. Eisenhower.

Allen W. Dulles (1893-1969) and his brother both graduated from Princeton University. They both were attorneys and both served on the Paris Peace Conference under President Wilson in 1919. Allen alternated practicing law and serving on various commissions/delegations for the State Department. In World War II he served in the OSS and after the war became head of the CIA.

In this book Allen provides an overview history of espionage from ancient time to the Cold War. The author spends a good portion of the book telling about Soviet spies that were caught and how the Soviets changed tactics from the 1920s to the Cold War. The book is well written but is written as a history book not a novel. The book provides some insight into Allen Dulles. He made a moment that struck a flash back for me. Dulles was discussing how Soviet citizens learned to blend into society, do nothing to be noticed and follow the rules exactly. It struck me that was what Ayn Rand was writing against in her books. Years ago, I had a problem looking at the American society v Rand’s philosophy. As she had immigrated from the USSR, I now understand. It is funny how something not related to the book suddenly is made clear. The last section of the book reviews spy techniques and how the CIA is run and what departments of government oversee it.

This book was originally published in 1963. I read this book as an audiobook downloaded from Audible. L. J. Ganser does a good job narrating the book. Ganser is an actor and has won three Audiofile Earphones Award as well as the 2005 Audie for non-fiction audiobook narration.

[Nick · Rating 2 out of 5]

Dulles' reflections on the craft of intelligence offer many interesting insights into tradecraft, but the book is ultimately overwhelmed by its many weaknesses.

The biggest flaw of Dulles' reflections is that he fails to examine the US and the Soviet Union without deeply rooted biases. To Dulles, the Soviet's exercise of intelligence tradecraft is evidence of a subversive regime set on world domination, while the US's use of the same tactics is an example of a nation driven by a desire to see countries free of the repression of Communism. However, having played a direct role in the US's overthrow of democratically-elected regimes in Guatemala and Iran, Dulles should have described how realist principles of national self interest drove both the US and the USSR during the Cold War. Dulles also describes Soviet intelligence officers as essentially brainwashed by Communist principles and affords them little agency as individuals driven by loyalty to their country. The Soviet Union suffered greatly during World War II and its spy service, like the successors to the American OSS and the British SOE, had a legacy of victories to be proud of.

Dulles' work holds up particularly poorly with hindsight. As Dulles reflects on the values and virtues of the US, he does not describe how the problems in the US regarding discrimination against African Americans, Jews, women, LGBT Americans, Asians, Hispanics, etc. It is strange that Dulles describes how homosexual intelligence officers were susceptible to being seduced and blackmailed by foreign intelligence, but does not realize that this was only because people such as himself stigmatized a characteristic that had no bearing on an individual's ability to do their job. It should have been obvious to Dulles, as it would later be to General James Clapper and Admiral Michael Mullen, that forcing Americans to hide a part of their identity while serving their country was inconsistent with the values of national service.

Another shortfall is that Dulles does not dwell on the US's, and his own, intelligence failures. The US failed to understand the rise of Hitler and the attack on Pearl Harbor. It would also have been interesting to hear how much Dulles himself had learned about the Holocaust or the genocidal tactics of the German Army on the Eastern Front. Later, Dulles would end up losing his job over the disastrous Bay of Pigs incident in Cuba, but he does not seem to see this as a black mark on his own record.

Dulles must be judged harshly because the US is still living with the consequences of the policy decisions that he made. Aversion to the US from Iran and Latin American countries dates back to Dulles' decisions in the Cold War to support the overthrow of democratically-elected regimes. US attitudes towards post-Cold War enemies has certainly been colored by a national need for an enemy that was fed by the 45 years of the Cold War, and the mischaracterizations both sides had of each other.

One other great flaw of Dulles' narrative, highlighted by Donald Rumsfeld four decades later, is that there are always "unknown unknowns." Dulles speaks highly of the CIA's successes while dismissing their failures, while at the same time suggesting that the CIA is, on balance, more successful than the KGB, attributing these circumstances to American values and freedoms. However, Dulles fails to consider that, just as he know the many secrets he hints at in his book, the Soviets certainly had many secrets of their own. Dulles also certainly did not foresee that two of the most damaging spies of the Cold War would be Americans spying for the KGB during the 1980s and into the 1990s.

Perhaps the biggest flaw of this narrative is that Dulles fails to consider that leaders of the US and the Soviet Union during the Cold War were driven by fundamentally realist views of international relations. Dulles' narrative of American freedom versus Soviet propaganda is certainly interesting, but fails to explain the significant overlap in intelligence tradecraft between the CIA and KGB and the later failures of the US intelligence community. Realism provides a much better lens.

Overall, Dulles' biography is only interesting as a relic of the Cold War and a reminder that we must always be wary of hubris in ourselves and in our national leaders. We must also not forget that Dulles' time as head of the CIA overlapped with McCarthyism and the violation of Americans' Civil Rights by Hoover's FBI. If we truly believe in the values enshrined in the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights, than it is difficult to reconcile Dulles' willful omissions from his narrative of how US intelligence organizations strayed from their principles. Hopefully, future CIA chiefs look to Dulles' work for examples of conduct to avoid.

[G.T. Almasi · Rating 2 out of 5]

Yawn-O-Rama. The writing is real-l-l-l-y dull, because spying isn't actually all that exciting, and Allen Dulles is a crashing bore. I made myself read this as pure research, figuring if I'm going to write spy novels I'd better have taken in the real stuff. It's a good look into the short-sighted, self-righteous, asinine mindset of circa-1960s CIA. An influence I took away was that big government agencies make a lot of mistakes, and so having my fictional agencies do some dumb things once in a while would be right on target.

2 stars for authenticity, but that's it. Not recommended unless you want to impress lunatics like me with your ability to wade through even the most turgid non-fiction.

[Bruce T Ridinger · Rating 5 out of 5]

The federal government only names a distinctive Washington, DC airport honoring a person of significant public service and historical importance. This has been the case indeed with the likes of Allen W. Dulles. A special person had to help guide a young and rather naïve American government into the world intelligence apparatus business.

Consequently, we have had a lot of catching up to do for understanding and countering subversion and espionage realm from various hostile nations. Everyone does not like our way of life and standards of living around the world e.g., the former Soviet KGB and their dictator 'bloc' comrades in arms. Our best CIA officers, analysts and agents do a solid, quiet work for the greater good of our people. Flashy spy stuff is only in the movies for mass entertainment and TV star bravado.

Anyone thinking about the intelligence realm should read this highly historical account of how the CIA came into existence, by statute law, and through regular federal government authorizations. Additionally, I think this book should be required reading at the core university education level to help citizens understand how our government actually works in the realm of national security and defensive (counterintelligence) initiatives. This is not a game and the stakes are often very high indeed.

Freedom of the press, freedom of speech and freedom of action all have a high present and maintenance costs. Why? There are subversive thieves and evildoers afoot whether one believes it or not. Times change, yet human skullduggery remains vibrant generation after generation.

[Joseph · Rating 5 out of 5]

While some of the material included in this book is dated, it still made for a good read. We learn about some of the most audacious espionage cases from the early 20th century. We also learn about the basic tradecraft used by the CIA. The author worked in the intelligence field under eight different administrations, eventually rising to be CIA Director under President Kennedy. A very titillating read!!!

[Bob · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I began in the intelligence field in 1965, this was our unofficial bible. Although based primarily on Europe during WWII, many of the techniques are being used worldwide. A wonderful read for anyone who wants to understand the craft of intelligence.

[Dan McGrady · Rating 5 out of 5]

The best way to understand a subject is often to read about how it started and this book is about the founding of the CIA in the early 1950s by the original director.

This is probably the best introduction to the intelligence world that I've read so far, beyond maybe John Le Carre's fictional novels. Le Carre provides a better perspective of what it's like being a body on the inside, such as the constant internal and external politics the consume it - that for me at least - had made the successes/failures of the agencies seem more understandable than simplified historical accounts possibly could.

That being said, Craft of Intelligence does a good job of providing those historical, if somewhat glossy, accounts about how it all started. Notably providing often very different perspective to many world events compared to the (still) well publicized versions. The CIA have had their hands in nearly everything and were master manipulators. Their perspectives and original goals were naturally quite different than the public outcomes.

Reading these non-fiction accounts makes reading (good) spy fiction much more enjoyable and understandable.

The book is obviously biased due to the fact it was written by the former director, so it is almost entirely non-critical compared to other accounts such as "Legacy of Ashes: The History of the CIA" by Tim Weiner that documents the many many failures of CIA due to their obsession with physical intervention in world affairs over passive analysis (ie, intelligence gathering).

But still well worth reading if you're interested in how that world works. It will definitely change your perspective if you've only been exposed to awful spy fiction such as James Bond. The image of them being the all-powerful and best-of-the-best will fade slightly but then you'll also start seeing their hidden hand in current events much more frequently.

[Richard · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good outline of the basics of intelligence. Written in the mid-sixties, so it is heavy on Cold War stories and examples. While generally straightforward, the author (Allen Dulles) concealed some things in the interest of security, some of which later were made public.

[Bobby Daugherty · Rating 2 out of 5]

Some basic history on intel, but mainly a bloated diatribe of propaganda. It is laughable that he states numerous times that the CIA does not influence policy.

[Ursin Raffainer · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's a rather dry, but nonetheless interesting book.
It mainly covers Russian and American Intelligence Services from the firsth half of the 20th century.
One of the main focuses is the Cold War rivalery of the CIA and Soviet Services and many case studies belong in this context.

The main goal of the book however is to give a good and well informed inside view of how the CIA is organized, what kind of personel it needs and recruits, what some of the jobs are and what kind of impact the work of the CIA can have.
Since the book was written in a time were the CIA was a rather young and new player, it also gives a lot of consideration on political matters, i.e. what is the role of a service like the CIA in a democracy, especially in the American, how is the CIA regualted by law and executive, what justifies a large operation like the CIA even in times of peace or the Cold War, etc.

Some of the facts and details in the book are outdated, but in my opinion it is still very informative for readers in the 21th century. The author, having headed the CIA himself for a periode of time, lays out many fundamental thoughts and the base from which he beliefs an Intelligence Service should be build up.
Even if the world has changed a lot since then, many of the fundamentals he lays out still hold true.
And laymen/-women can learn a lot about what sort of "mission" Intelligence Services have and what their purpose can be.

All in all a well rounded book with a lot of information and some glimpses in the real work of Intelligence Services, which mostly isnt as glamorous as portrayed in movies or books.

If you want to hear thrilling spie storys or jucy details about covert missions, this is not the book for you.
On the other hand, if you want good and solid information and search some fundamental understanding of Intelligence work and Services, this is a good starting point.

[Philip · Rating 4 out of 5]

Allen W. Dulles demystifies the world of espionage, as well as the true nature of the political relationship between the Western World and the Soviet Union. The essence of this book shows noticeable relevance even to the present political zeitgeist. It's frightening how real this book is. Allen Dulles defines and elaborates on the main challenge of his country at that time, starting with a gripping retrospective of the importance of gathering foreign intelligence in the matter of the state security, a war, or any type of diplomatic relationships.

The book contains critical evaluation of national security capabilities in working with intelligence, as well as a description of the future developments. The author diligently explains the opponent's ability to conduct political influence by using different methods such as diplomatic relations, technological advances, employing foreign agents, infiltrating intelligent officers into countries, etc. There is an abundant assortment of historical examples and contexts. 

The historic value of the books is obviously immense. I guess this books impacted the information age more than anything else. The modern technology like the internet, the GPS, smartphones with microphones and cameras perfectly fits into Dulles's vision of the craft of intelligence, and strategic significance of it. Speaking of the author's vision, Allen Dulles has a profound experience and precise, detailed, almost metaphysical understanding of the national security. His knowledge is truthful, practical and digestible, that on paper it seems like a great force. 

By this book, Allen Dulles passes the baton to the next generations. Offering all the knowledge he has gathered, and deliberately drawing a sense of responsibility for the national security.

[John Ellis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Allan Dulles' 'The Craft of Intelligence' offers a fascinating insight into the world of espionage and intelligence from the perspective of a former CIA director. Dulles provides a comprehensive overview of intelligence methods, the challenges of counterintelligence, and the ethical and moral dilemmas that intelligence officers face. For non-American readers, the book offers a unique glimpse into the American intelligence apparatus during the Cold War, shedding light on its strategies and thought processes.
 
However, some may find Dulles' perspective overly centered on American interests and methods, with less consideration given to the global context and the perspectives of other nations. While the historical and professional insights are invaluable, the book might benefit from a more critical examination of the consequences of intelligence actions on a global scale.
 
Additionally, Dulles' writing reflects the era and attitudes of the time, which may seem dated or narrow in today's more interconnected and nuanced geopolitical landscape. For readers interested in the evolution of intelligence work and its impact on international relations, 'The Craft of Intelligence' is a seminal work, but it should be read with an understanding of its time-specific and cultural context.

[Marion · Rating 4 out of 5]

As one who is interested in understanding our intelligence community, what they do to protect the U.S., and the true history; what has been done correct to defend ourselves and what has been done wrong out of greed and self-righteousness, I found this book very enlightening. But apparently there is some controversy over the morality of the author, Allen W Dulles. There were areas in the book where Dulles was absolutely adamant about the behavior of the intelligence community. In theory, I agree the our intelligence community should behave as described in this book. I just don’t know if the reality is true. Dulles does not describe any of his “failures” or discuss his departure from the CIA. Some outside sources speak negatively of the man. Is Dulles truthfully defending himself or is he using this book to obfuscate the truth? I do not know. But either way, I found this book interesting especially during this time of the early years of Trump’s second term. I am interested in reading more about this man, the events he was involved in as a member of the intelligence community. Either way, I believe forming an opinion of the accuracy of this book will provide me with knowledge and skill to help me assess current political events.

[Ridanwise · Rating 5 out of 5]

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.

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

I listened to this book via Audible.

After having recently read Annie Jacobsen's book about Area 51, I thought it would be interesting to look at the CIA through the eyes of someone who ran the organization, so I picked up Allen Dulles' The Craft of Intelligence.

It was very interesting going back in time to the 1960s and seeing the world through the eyes of someone very focused on national security and the Cold War. While there are many sections that come across as propaganda and are rather dated now, it's surprising how much of it still reflects the current situation with Russia and China.

Aside from that, the actual discussions of spycraft with grounded, real-world examples was fascinating and elucidating. While the technological side of things has certainly changed in the past sixty years, I'm sure much of the theory is still sound.

I'm not sure I take everything Dulles says at face value, he was a former CIA director writing this during the Cold War, after all. But I do think there is a lot to take away from The Craft of Intelligence and I'm glad to have read it.

[AttackGirl · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’ve read a few books about the Dulles brothers and isn’t it quite interesting how information has browning the power of the CIA. Can you say drug war, arms war, human trafficking, regime changes, countries falling, the amount of human walking across the land…. Boating or over loading the boats. Why did all those people walk to the USA from… Venezuela? Seriously what’s happened in Venezuela over the years before that long trek started…

When did you learn about Russia starting their ‘small military operation’ in Ukraine? Okay, When did you learn about Kamala going to talk to Putin about his ‘invasion’, his start of WWIII? Did you know she went there to discuss this with him?

Well go ahead say it…. CIA.

Why is there a fight over the Global media …. Control of the masses?

The book is very basic for someone who has no introduction to intel. All I could think of was that ~Chinese spy.

Too funny really.

come on people, really you probably think that famous “…Dutch exotic dancer and courtesan” was a woman.

Read More!

[Ferris Mx · Rating 3 out of 5]

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.

[Karen Lynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book notes, “Intelligence deals with all the things which should be known in advance of initiating a course of action.” This book is interested in decision making - emphasis on the practical use of advance information in its relation to action. Intelligence gathering is a crucial step in the process of security. It is the reason why “the reason the enlightened prince and the wise general conquer the enemy whenever they move.” ~Sun Tzu (5th century BC)

[Kent Weatherby · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book is timeless. We see evidence of Dulles' wisdomdi in the distrust Americans have in their government and the refusal of many to apply a rule of reason to their public comments.

The book is timeless. We see evidence of Dulles ' wisdom in the distrust Americans have in their government and the refusal of many to apply a rule of reason to their public comments.

[Bruce R. Arnold · Rating 1 out of 5]

Disappointing. Very little about the craft of intelligence. Lots of history and some case studies. No hint of the atrocities the CIA has been involved with. You would think their dainty hands were clean as the driven snow. Honestly, I think the real reason this book was written was for anti-communist propaganda, and he did quite a lot of that.

[Джордан · Rating 3 out of 5]

It had some nuggets of wisdom, but I found the book somewhat empty and devoid. I understand he had not long retired from the job and was prohibited from sharing some of the more juicier secrets. However, I do feel he could have offered greater insights. It was still a great read, but was somewhat lacking.

[Steve Mitchell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Unless you’re seriously interested in the real world aspects of espionage (no exploding pens or exotic sports cars with machine guns hidden behind the headlights in these pages) you probably won’t enjoy this book as much as I did. As one might expect from the former director of the CIA, the agency is shown in a positive light with repeated assertions that the good guys wouldn’t do the stuff the evil communists get up to: which is true, but only up to a point. Rounded up from three and a half stars

[Fredrick Danysh · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dulles, who was a lawyer,a career diplomat, and head of the CIA writes on American intelligence gathering operations. He gives a brief history of the CIA and techniques of intelligence gathering. Originally published in 1963.

[Raleigh Woods · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good overview of the history of the CIA but at times as a little boring. Interesting to see how the main threat addressed was without a doubt the soviets. He mentioned China becoming a potential threat. But good book if you want to grasp a variety of aspects of intelligence.

[Michelangelo Rollf · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not exactly what I thought it would be. Lots of interesting bits and some good starting point for learning about what roles there are for humint but not much else. Straight forward brief history turned PR peace at the end.

[Caroline · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dulles is a strong writer; easy to read and quick page turner. Historically interesting to better understand red scare Cold War politics and how it has contributed to the functioning of the intelligence services in the U.S. to this day. A good book but not a great one.

[Jonathan Martin · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book hasn’t aged well. Anyone who is well versed in US history probably knows more details about many of the events discussed in this book. It’s still a decent read for anyone who enjoys espionage literature and wants a non-fiction text in the genre.

[Jeremy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good writing style, but largely anecdotal. Informative and engaging, but I couldn't find the time to read more than halfway through.

[Dale · Rating 4 out of 5]

For those interested in early Cold War history this is a must read.

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

The information that just happened is a bit dated but its a good listen.