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The Gun
- Narrated by: Michael Prichard
- Length: 18 hrs and 50 mins
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Publisher's Summary
It is the world's most widely recognized weapon, the most profuse tool for killing ever made. More than 50 national armies carry the automatic Kalashnikov, as do an array of police, intelligence, and security agencies all over the world. In this tour de force, prizewinning New York Times reporter C. J. Chivers traces the invention of the assault rifle, following the miniaturization of rapid-fire arms from the American Civil War, through World War I and Vietnam, to present-day Afghanistan, when Kalashnikovs and their knockoffs number as many as 100 million, one for every 70 persons on earth.
It is the weapon of state repression, as well as revolution, civil war, genocide, drug wars, and religious wars; and it is the arms of terrorists, guerrillas, boy soldiers, and thugs. It was the weapon used to crush the uprising in Hungary in 1956. American Marines discovered in Vietnam that the weapon in the hands of the enemy was superior to their M16s. Fidel Castro amassed them. Yasir Arafat procured them for the P.L.O. A Kalashnikov was used to assassinate Anwar Sadat. As Osama bin Laden told the world that "the winds of faith and change have blown," a Kalashnikov was by his side. Pulled from a hole, Saddam Hussein had two Kalashnikovs.
It is the world's most widely recognized weapon - cheap, easy to conceal, durable, deadly. But where did it come from? And what does it mean? Chivers, using a host of exclusive sources and declassified documents in the east and west, as well as interviews with and the personal accounts of insurgents, terrorists, child soldiers, and conventional grunts, reconstructs through the Kalashnikov the evolution of modern war. Along the way, he documents the experience and folly of war and challenges both the enduring Soviet propaganda surrounding the AK-47 and many of its myths.
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Overall
- Edward
- 10-26-10
A compelling book about much more than guns!
This book is a compelling review of how man's technology for killing each other has shaped history over the last 140 years, and how entrenched thinking has been far more deadly than the weapons of war. As a hardcore firearms enthusiast, I hoped the book would be a history of the most influential gun of all time, the AK-47 family of shoulder-fired military arms. What I found was much, much more, including a commentary on how the development and deployment of the weapons of war reflect the best and worst of human nature and our institutions of government. Has there ever been anything so deadly as short-term thinking, greed, and manipulative self-interest? Not according to this book, which weaves history, biography, political commentary, and philosophy into a single retrospective on political history over the last 140 years. Always thought-provoking and even-handed, the author neither glorifies nor villifies the guns in question. Rather, he examines the development, use and deployment of guns as the tangible extension of political and economic influences that shape the course of history.
This book was certainly not what I expected. It was much, much more. I was unable to put it down. Having come of age in the Viet Nam era, I was horrified to learn of how the badly-flawed M-16 was developed, marketed, foisted upon the US military by Robert McNamara and his chronies, even though it was wholy unsuited to the work at hand. It was chilling to read how many lives were lost because our troops had been equipped with guns that would jam and fail with terrifying predictability. I was outraged to read of the political cover-up that blamed the problems with the guns on the troops in the field, whose lives depended on them.
While the legend of the AK 47 is shown to be at least as much PR as history, it nonetheless showed that the smug, self-congratulatory attitude of superiority we cultivate in the West, is not so well-deserved. A great read; highly recommended!
14 people found this helpful
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Overall
- Lindsay
- 01-28-11
Should Be Three Books
The title of this book should be pluralized. It is really a textbook on the development of automatic weapons in general rather than a history of the AK 47/74. Only about 1/3 of the book is specifically about the AK 47. Very interesting but strays a little far afield at times. The narrator, Michael Prichard takes some getting used to, but is ok. That said, The Gun is interesting and worth the time investment.
6 people found this helpful
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- Shaun
- 09-25-11
Guns, Technology, and Intrigue
I have bought about ten books from Audibile, all dealing with history, and this may be my favorite.
On the surface, The Gun appears to be a book about the AK-47. But it's really the story of the evolution of military weapons and strategies, advances in technology from the 19th to the 20th century, and the history of this time period...through the sights of various arms designers and governments that shaped the world stage.
I like Chivers thesis that the AK-47 may have been more important in the long-run than the Soviets developing nuclear weapons.
The narration by Prichard is spot on.
If you are a fan of reading about history or current events, or...say, the film "Lord of War"...buy this audiobook right away.
3 people found this helpful
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- S. Anderson
- 03-02-12
Good but not great
The material is awesome but the length and the dryness of the narration had my mind wandering around a bit. Still a decent read and great history of the guns that helped shape the modern world.
2 people found this helpful
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- Christopher
- 02-09-17
Entertaining history of the AK47 series
Thoroughly enjoyed it but the fake accents were annoying and it could have been edited down a bit. Still very good and worthwhile.
1 person found this helpful
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- Dad
- 05-09-16
CJ Chivers will have much to reveal to us...
I am very grateful to CJ Chivers for recently removing himself from the blind hazard of war. Although almost no one is better equipped to deal with hazard, he has seen fit to return from "the ranks of death" to focus his prodigious skills on we know not what. This is a rare talent which has been gifted us. I wonder what this surprising man will have in store for us. Whatever it is, I an certain that, like "The Gun", it will be a great deal more than the sum of its parts.
1 person found this helpful
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- Raleigh
- 01-10-12
2 guns & 2 worlds
can a gun possibly have a personality ?
can you write the biography of a weapon ?
it is a paradoxical and at times counterintuitive task
the story constantly moves between two worlds
the brass VERSUS the grunts
the AK 47 VERSUS the M 16
the politicians VERSUS the warriors
the soviets VERSUS the americans
political nation states VERSUS insurgent splinter groups
c.j. chivers life has given him the tools to see both sides
cornell / columbia / n.y. times pulitzer prize winner
military family / binghampton ny / marine officer x 7 years
conventional media paint a false technical view of war
laser guided missiles / supersonic jets / nuclear bombs
remote computer controlled drones / images on a screen
the truth is messier and meaner and more brutal
jungles and deserts / illiterate 110 lb. boy soldiers
civilian targets / third world tribal street fights
chivers first tells the story of the soviet AK 47
it began life in the hard lessons of the nazi invasion of russia
its' features are all borrowed from what worked in other guns
this is then contrasted with the american M 16
born of defense contractor greed and political ineptitude
it's "field tested" by G.I.s for the first four years of vietnam
chivers lays out a hard story full of hard truths
plenty of greed / ignorance / fear / betrayal / bravery
it adds up to a flinty reminder of how the world really is
1 person found this helpful
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- Carroll
- 09-08-11
A thorough work
Alot of material, but well organized & referenced. A useful overview of machine guns.
1 person found this helpful
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- Laura
- 09-02-11
Good Historical Account of AK-47
I couldn't stop listening to this book. The Gun is about the AK-47 but it covers much more, starting with the first machine guns and how they were used and/or misused by the world's armies when first introduced on the battlefield. All this leads up to the development and deployment of the AK-47. Of particular interest is the section on the Vietnam war, how the North Vietnamese with the AK-47 outgunned the US with their new M16 and the politics that followed. An absolutely fascinating history, I plan to listen to this again in the near future.
1 person found this helpful
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Overall
- Michael
- 03-29-11
The Gun
Other reviewers have summerized the book well. Although I have some military experience with the Soviet Union and the present countries of Russia, the Stans, etc., the book gave me better insight into the culture of the USSR and the cultural traits which carry forward to today. My only grump is with Mr. Prichards attempt at a Russian accent during his readings. He sounds like a Scottish low-lander when he reads from the quotes.
1 person found this helpful
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-
Story
The history of warfare cannot be fully understood without considering the technology of killing. In Firepower, acclaimed historian Paul Lockhart tells the story of the evolution of weaponry and how it transformed not only the conduct of warfare, but also the very structure of power in the West, from the Renaissance to the dawn of the atomic era. Â
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Needs More Guns Less Political Opinion
- By Jeb on 10-20-22
By: Paul Lockhart
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The Hidden History of Guns and the Second Amendment
- The Thom Hartmann Hidden History Series
- By: Thom Hartmann
- Narrated by: Scott Brick
- Length: 4 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Taking his typically in-depth, historically-informed view, Thom Hartmann examines the brutal role guns have played in American history, from the genocide of the Native Americans to the enforcement of slavery (Slave Patrols are in fact the Second Amendment’s “well-regulated militias”) and the racist post-Civil War social order. He shows how the NRA and conservative Supreme Court justices used specious logic to invent a virtually unlimited individual right to own guns, which has enabled the ever-growing number of mass shootings in the United States. Â
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Strong words, weak arguments
- By ProfGolf on 01-02-20
By: Thom Hartmann
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Glock
- The Rise of America's Gun
- By: Paul M. Barrett
- Narrated by: Kiff VandenHeuvel
- Length: 8 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Today the Glock pistol has been embraced by two-thirds of all U.S. police departments, glamorized in countless Hollywood movies, and featured as a ubiquitous presence on prime-time TV. It has been rhapsodized by hip-hop artists, and coveted by cops and crooks alike. Created in 1982 by Gaston Glock, an obscure Austrian curtain-rod manufacturer, and swiftly adopted by the Austrian army, the Glock pistol, with its lightweight plastic frame and large-capacity spring-action magazine, arrived in America at a fortuitous time.
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Interesting story. Could have done w/o anti gun rhetoric
- By jcgeesling on 02-24-19
By: Paul M. Barrett
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American Rifle
- A Biography
- By: Alexander Rose
- Narrated by: Joe Barrett
- Length: 16 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
George Washington insisted that his portrait be painted with one. Daniel Boone created a legend with one. Abraham Lincoln shot them on the White House lawn. And Teddy Roosevelt had his specially customized. Now, in this first-of-its-kind audiobook, historian Alexander Rose delivers a colorful, engrossing biography of an American icon: the rifle.
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A Nation of Riflemen
- By T. Patterson on 12-17-13
By: Alexander Rose
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The Fighters
- By: C. J. Chivers
- Narrated by: Scott Brick
- Length: 13 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Almost 2.5 million Americans have served in Afghanistan or Iraq since September 11, 2001. C.J. Chivers has reported from both fronts from the beginning, walking side by side with combatants for more than a dozen years. He describes the experience of war today as it is endured by those most at risk - the camaraderie and profound sense of purpose, alongside courage, frustration, and moral confusion mixed with technical precision. In these remote places where the reason for their presence is sometimes not clear, these young men kill or are killed, facing palpable and often constant threat of ambush or hidden bombs....
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a very human perspective...
- By dustin on 08-22-18
By: C. J. Chivers
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The Guns of John Moses Browning
- The Remarkable Story of the Inventor Whose Firearms Changed the World
- By: Nathan Gorenstein
- Narrated by: Michael David Axtell
- Length: 9 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Â
Few people are aware that John Moses Browning - a tall, humble, cerebral man born in 1855 and raised as a Mormon in the American West - was the mind behind many of the world-changing firearms that dominated more than a century of conflict. He invented the design used in virtually all modern pistols, created the most popular hunting rifles and shotguns, and conceived the machine guns that proved decisive not just in World Wars I and II but nearly every major military action since. Yet few in America knew his name until he was into his 60s.
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Fascinating Story
- By tb on 07-02-21
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Firepower
- How Weapons Shaped Warfare
- By: Paul Lockhart
- Narrated by: Brian Nishii
- Length: 21 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
The history of warfare cannot be fully understood without considering the technology of killing. In Firepower, acclaimed historian Paul Lockhart tells the story of the evolution of weaponry and how it transformed not only the conduct of warfare, but also the very structure of power in the West, from the Renaissance to the dawn of the atomic era. Â
-
-
Needs More Guns Less Political Opinion
- By Jeb on 10-20-22
By: Paul Lockhart
-
The Hidden History of Guns and the Second Amendment
- The Thom Hartmann Hidden History Series
- By: Thom Hartmann
- Narrated by: Scott Brick
- Length: 4 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Taking his typically in-depth, historically-informed view, Thom Hartmann examines the brutal role guns have played in American history, from the genocide of the Native Americans to the enforcement of slavery (Slave Patrols are in fact the Second Amendment’s “well-regulated militias”) and the racist post-Civil War social order. He shows how the NRA and conservative Supreme Court justices used specious logic to invent a virtually unlimited individual right to own guns, which has enabled the ever-growing number of mass shootings in the United States. Â
-
-
Strong words, weak arguments
- By ProfGolf on 01-02-20
By: Thom Hartmann
-
Glock
- The Rise of America's Gun
- By: Paul M. Barrett
- Narrated by: Kiff VandenHeuvel
- Length: 8 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Today the Glock pistol has been embraced by two-thirds of all U.S. police departments, glamorized in countless Hollywood movies, and featured as a ubiquitous presence on prime-time TV. It has been rhapsodized by hip-hop artists, and coveted by cops and crooks alike. Created in 1982 by Gaston Glock, an obscure Austrian curtain-rod manufacturer, and swiftly adopted by the Austrian army, the Glock pistol, with its lightweight plastic frame and large-capacity spring-action magazine, arrived in America at a fortuitous time.
-
-
Interesting story. Could have done w/o anti gun rhetoric
- By jcgeesling on 02-24-19
By: Paul M. Barrett
-
American Rifle
- A Biography
- By: Alexander Rose
- Narrated by: Joe Barrett
- Length: 16 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
George Washington insisted that his portrait be painted with one. Daniel Boone created a legend with one. Abraham Lincoln shot them on the White House lawn. And Teddy Roosevelt had his specially customized. Now, in this first-of-its-kind audiobook, historian Alexander Rose delivers a colorful, engrossing biography of an American icon: the rifle.
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A Nation of Riflemen
- By T. Patterson on 12-17-13
By: Alexander Rose
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American Gun
- A History of the U.S. in Ten Firearms
- By: Chris Kyle, William Doyle
- Narrated by: John Pruden
- Length: 6 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
At the time of his tragic death in February 2013, former Navy SEAL Chris Kyle, the most accomplished sniper in U.S. military history, was finishing a remarkable book that retold American history through the lens of a hand-selected list of firearms. Kyle masterfully argues that guns have played a fascinating, indispensable, and often under-appreciated role in our national story. He carefully chose ten guns to help tell his story, ranging from the American long rifle to the modern M-16, and uses these guns as a platform for exploring American history.
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An Important Look at US History
- By harry on 06-24-13
By: Chris Kyle, and others
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Misfire
- The Tragic Failure of the M16 in Vietnam
- By: Bob Orkand, Lyman Duryea
- Narrated by: Jim Seybert
- Length: 11 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
 The M16 rifle is one of the world’s most famous firearms, iconic as the American weapon of the Vietnam War and, indeed, as the US military’s standard service rifle until only a few years ago. But the story of the M16 in Vietnam is anything but a success story. In the early years of the war, the US military had a problem: Its primary infantry rifle, the M14, couldn’t stand up to the enemy’s AK-47s. The search was on for a replacement that was lighter in weight, more durable, and more lethal than the M14.
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I like the information provided.
- By Rhythmtech on 09-09-20
By: Bob Orkand, and others
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Fiasco
- The American Military Adventure in Iraq
- By: Thomas E. Ricks
- Narrated by: James Lurie
- Length: 10 hrs and 15 mins
- Abridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
The American military is a tightly sealed community, and few outsiders have reason to know that a great many senior officers view the Iraq war with incredulity and dismay. But many officers have shared their anger with renowned military reporter Thomas E. Ricks, and in Fiasco, Ricks combines these astonishing on-the-record military accounts with his own extraordinary on-the-ground reportage to create a spellbinding account of an epic disaster.
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History not Politics
- By Scott on 08-10-06
By: Thomas E. Ricks
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Nimitz at War
- Command Leadership from Pearl Harbor to Tokyo Bay
- By: Craig L. Symonds
- Narrated by: L.J. Ganser
- Length: 14 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Only days after the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, President Franklin D. Roosevelt tapped Chester W. Nimitz to assume command of the Pacific Fleet. Nimitz transformed the devastated and dispirited Pacific fleet into the most powerful and commanding naval force in history. Facing demands from Washington to mount an early offensive, he had first to revive the depressed morale of the thousands of sailors, soldiers, and Marines who served under him. And of course, he also confronted a formidable and implacable enemy in the Imperial Japanese Navy.
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Excellent Story Solid Narration
- By arussellga on 06-14-22
By: Craig L. Symonds
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The Guns of August
- By: Barbara W. Tuchman
- Narrated by: Wanda McCaddon
- Length: 19 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
In this Pulitzer Prize-winning classic, historian Barbara Tuchman brings to life the people and events that led up to World War I. This was the last gasp of the Gilded Age, of Kings and Kaisers and Czars, of pointed or plumed hats, colored uniforms, and all the pomp and romance that went along with war. How quickly it all changed...and how horrible it became.
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Wonderful
- By Mike From Mesa on 10-28-08
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The Devil's Chessboard
- Allen Dulles, the CIA, and the Rise of America's Secret Government
- By: David Talbot
- Narrated by: Peter Altschuler
- Length: 25 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
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 best seller Brothers.
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Disturbing. Makes you question the company line.
- By KTS on 02-06-16
By: David Talbot