The Devil's Chessboard

Allen Dulles, the CIA, and the Rise of America's Secret Government

By: David Talbot

Narrated by: Peter Altschuler

An explosive, headline-making portrait of Allen Dulles, the man who transformed the CIA into the most powerful—and secretive—colossus in Washington, from the founder of Salon.com and author of the New York Times bestseller Brothers.

America’s greatest untold story: the United States’ rise to world dominance under the guile of Allen Welsh Dulles, the longest-serving director of the CIA. Drawing on revelatory new materials—including newly discovered U.S. government documents, U.S. and European intelligence sources, the personal correspondence and journals of Allen Dulles’s wife and mistress, and exclusive interviews with the children of prominent CIA officials—Talbot reveals the underside of one of America’s most powerful and influential figures.

Dulles’s decade as the director of the CIA—which he used to further his public and private agendas—were dark times in American politics. Calling himself “the secretary of state of unfriendly countries,” Dulles saw himself as above the elected law, manipulating and subverting American presidents in the pursuit of his personal interests and those of the wealthy elite he counted as his friends and clients—colluding with Nazi-controlled cartels, German war criminals, and Mafiosi in the process. Targeting foreign leaders for assassination and overthrowing nationalist governments not in line with his political aims, Dulles employed those same tactics to further his goals at home, Talbot charges, offering shocking new evidence in the assassination of President John F. Kennedy.

An exposé of American power that is as disturbing as it is timely, The Devil’s Chessboard is a provocative and gripping story of the rise of the national security state—and the battle for America’s soul.

Awesome book

Great history! Helps understand the sick world we live in!
"We lied, we cheated, we stole " Explained
Great narrator!!
Awesome book!!

Scary- Excellent

The only audible book,
that wouldn't let me
download it for a couple of days.
(makes you wonder).
that's all I'm saying,
excellent book,
these guys are scary.

Shocking!

The story of the CIA as conceived and run by a Alan Dulles is simply shocking. I've long believed that there was more than meets the eye with the CIA, and this book confirms. How can an official American entity overthrow foreign governments, execute foreign leaders that don't fit the company agenda, hire and entrust former ranking Nazis with our security? Because all of these were the vision of the deeply flawed Alan Dulles, who successfully ran a 2nd, unaccountable government.

good info in the story but dragfed on at times

If you're a JFK Conspiracy believer this is for you. Its amazing how foolish the CIA & other branches of Govt. think the American people are to still support the Warren Commission.

Required US Modern History reading

Excellent expose' on the real story behind the CIA and the players involved on both the inside and outside. It's outrageous that this has been going on for as long as it has. People need to open their eyes to what's going on in the US and who is really running the country.