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.
Deleted User wrote: » Reading finders keepers at the moment. Really enjoying it.
9or10 wrote: » Came across this in one of my aimless browsing sessions.http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=101613307&postcount=1 I've just finished the free simple and its hooked my attention. Quite spicy in places . Plus he's "one of us" and its nice to show a little love
boobar wrote: » Just finished two of the Rebus series by Ian Rankin Knots & Crosses Hide & Seek Very gritty, set in Scotland with the troubled Rebus immersed in solving crime.
Addisyn Agreeable Seeker wrote: » I got 'Almost The Perfect Murder' at christmas. Wouldn't normally be a big Paul Williams fan but jaysus, it's compulsive reading :eek: I feel a bit guilty at how fascinating I'm finding it I also got Lying In Wait by Liz Nugent so looking forward to getting my teeth into that. What books did santa bring everyone else?
Dirty Dingus McGee wrote: » Good books alright. Those are only 2 of his I've read but I plan to get round to reading the rest of them eventually.
All leaders are constrained by geography. Their choices are limited by mountains, rivers, seas and concrete. Yes, to follow world events you need to understand people, ideas and movements - but if you don't know geography, you'll never have the full picture.If you've ever wondered why Putin is so obsessed with Crimea, why the USA was destined to become a global superpower, or why China's power base continues to expand ever outwards, the answers are all here.In ten chapters (covering Russia; China; the USA; Latin America; the Middle East; Africa; India and Pakistan; Europe; Japan and Korea; and the Arctic), using maps, essays and occasionally the personal experiences of the widely travelled author, Prisoners of Geography looks at the past, present and future to offer an essential insight into one of the major factors that determines world history.It's time to put the 'geo' back into geopolitics.
NickNickleby wrote: » Started reading those Classics we all knew as children - Dickens, Robert Louis Stephenson, Dumas... so, right now I'm reading "The Count of Monte Cristo" on Kindle. I thought it was going to be boring, but in fact I'm quite enjoying it.
NickNickleby wrote: so, right now I'm reading "The Count of Monte Cristo" on Kindle. I thought it was going to be boring, but in fact I'm quite enjoying it.
FunLover18 wrote: » I finished that a few days ago, took me over a year to read and by the end it was a chore. I don't think it's dated very well and it definitely dips in the middle.
gutenberg wrote: » Read a few things over Christmas - * Relentless Spirit by Olympic swimmer Missy Franklin; * The Secret River by Kate Grenville, a novel about early Australia; * currently reading East West Street by Philippe Sands, about the origins of crimes against humanity & genocide at the Nuremberg trials. Sounds very heavy but it's actually a combination of memoir, family history, narrative history, and legal theory/history. Highly recommended!