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The Devil's Chessboard: Allen Dulles, the CIA, and the Rise of America's Secret Government
- Narrated by: Peter Altschuler
- Length: 25 hrs and 23 mins
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The Devil's Chessboard: Allen Dulles, the CIA, and the Rise of America's Secret Government
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Summary
Based on explosive new evidence, best-selling author David Talbot tells 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 exclusive interviews with the children of prominent CIA officials, the personal correspondence and journals of Allen Dulles' wife and mistress, newly discovered US government documents, and US and European intelligence sources - Talbot reveals the underside of one of America's most powerful and influential figures.
Dulles' decades 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, culminating in the assassination of his political enemy, John F. Kennedy.
Indeed, The Devil's Chessboard offers shocking new evidence in the killings of both President Kennedy and his brother, Senator Robert F. Kennedy. This is an expose of American power that is as disturbing as it is timely, a provocative and gripping story of the rise of the national security state - and the battle for America's soul.
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Critic reviews
" Brothers brilliantly evokes the Kennedys and their court - a brash yet idealistic fraternity reminiscent of Mad Men and The West Wing...Expertly researched through inner-circle interviews, the book suggests a conspiracy was also behind Bobby's murder in 1968, and names two spooks who Talbot believes were part of the JFK Dallas plot." ( Guardian)
"Bracing...full of shocking moments and juicy tidbits." ( Los Angeles Times)
"Pulitzer Prize-bait...[a] manic and near-perfect tale of the Kennedy brothers...shows us America's Camelot in a brand-new light." ( San Francisco Weekly)
"Riveting, disturbing and sometimes unbearably sad." ( Irish Times)
What listeners say about The Devil's Chessboard: Allen Dulles, the CIA, and the Rise of America's Secret Government
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- DMK
- 15-12-20
A Great Story
A great story that is superbly read that reveals great insight. Would stongly recommend it.
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2 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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- fuse
- 19-12-19
Excellent. Required reading.
Wow! A great book. With loads of detail on what the power brokers in Washington or more specifically the CIA got up to down the years. Very educational and well written in a no nonsense style but in the form of a ripping good yarn. Top class.
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2 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Rohib45
- 05-12-22
Enormously interesting.
Some of the information contained in this book was not news to me, Dulles involvement in the Bank of International Settlements, for instance, but on the whole this is an extremely informative piece of work nicely narrated. The occasional typo in the narrator's script (1995 mentioned for the model of the alleged JFK murder weapon instead of 1895 for example) and the now and then discernible inserted voice correction/edit did not detract from my enjoyment of this insight into the life and machinations of the man who moulded the CIA.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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- MR
- 14-03-16
Required reading
If you want a true picture of how US Intelligence Services were run in the post war era then look no further. A very enlightening account of one mans, unoble, quest in the Game of Thrones that is Washington DC.
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7 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
- joemcgh
- 03-12-19
Thorough
Devoured this. Jaw-dropping, Eye-Popping Revelations. Highly Recommended. Do not hesitate. Thoroughly researched. Read it, listened to it and enjoyed and so Glad I did. The despicable head of a department can wield such an unfathomable power.
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3 people found this helpful
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- DCB
- 09-08-22
A Must Read.
This is essential reading. For if we do not understand our past, the future is very dark.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- T. Fitzpatrick
- 19-04-24
Excellent book. Essential read.
Fantastic book, bought due to the jfk assassination angle but reveals so much more. Narration excellent,
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Mr
- 21-02-18
intetesting
a very intriguing look into American intelligence work from the second world war onwards. pairs very well with books relating to operation paperclip.
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5 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Cameron
- 16-12-22
Best one yet
This really dives into the secret history of things you’d never be taught. Simple excellent favourite audio book so far. If you like history this is for you
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- Anonymous User
- 26-04-24
wery enlightening book about CIA and Dulles
Gives an good picture about politics, business, War and spy business. There are no good actors when it comes to winning in big world. It is amazing how cheap humans life is, eaven USA presidents, when it comes to endangering "shadow goverments" interests.
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