The Craft of Intelligence

America's Legendary Spy Master on the Fundamentals of Intelligence Gathering for a Free World

De: Allen W. Dulles

Narrado por: L. J. Ganser

If the experts could point to any single book as a starting point for understanding the subject of intelligence from the late 20th 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 10 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.

©2016 Joan Buresch Talley (P)2017 Tantor

Very informative about past operations

This reading Will help you understand how the Cia functions within a free society and obstacles it must face.

dated

pretty good just a bit dated. its old/ its been a hot minute ya know

very interesting

full of good old intrigue and spycraft. you will enjoy it if you want to learn more about the early spy wars from one of the best.

Pretty educational, but a bit pandering

Really like it over all. Very educational.
But felt like it was a little pandering at parts, maybe a little to much pro-intelligence. Nothing wrong with that per say, but it could have been more subjective letting the listener/reader make their own choice alone based on the narrative.

Good content and Great narration

It was a very interesting read. Reveals allot of important work that our CIA does to keep us safe and really helps boost confidence and respect for what they do.

Good info, dry execution

I struggled to get through it without day dreaming but I am glad I did. It isn't exactly an unbiased perspective but does provide some insight.

A Bit Dry

It reads like a history textbook. Its not poorly written, just not what I was looking for. I've read about Allen Dulles and thought this might be about his time in the OSS and forming of the CIA, and maybe the book with get there eventually. But, I could only make it through about 4 chapters. Far too many names I didn't know, and too far back in history. As best I can tell, this was written in 1963 (Allen Dulles died in 1969). Before choosing this one, be aware of what it is.

What wonderful insight into geopolitical/intelligence in the early 1960s.

Eye opening to see how different is the geopolitical landscape was in 1962 compared to 2023. And how similar the core elements of intelligence are today, despite different delivery methods.

Not much useful information, still worth a read.

This is just okay book giving you some little extra information about SPY intelligence but it does not give you useful information about how to think like intelligence officer.

This book gives you a lot of espionage known acts and give you some insight about maybe misconception.

The only valuable information I got from this book is as follows:

The when you do want to collect intelligence so you know what the enemy is thinking or planning, so you will make better decisions. As if you play against the enemy chess, and by intelligence work, you can "read his mind" by planting bugs or informants spys. This is called INTELLIGENCE.

AND

You don't want the enemy to "read your mind" by employing COUNTERINTELLIGENCE in forms of better security and misleading planted information and double agents in order to confuse the enemy about your true plans.

AND

A "complementary thinking" I would say, so you are always with this dilemma of "if a vulenteer is giving me information, maybe he is a double agent and the opposite information is the correct one, due to counterintelligence of the enemy". Or, if a spy is caught and we get his radio, if we let him continue and hear it, by understanding what the enemy give him the mission to do scouting at some area, than this is the place [complementary] we deduct that the enemy is planning to attack, but yet again if this is a counterintelligence move and he was caught on purpose, then this is a misdirection and the plan is to attack elsewhere". SO YOU SEE YOU NEED TO ALWAYS CONSIDER BOTH COMPLEMENTARY POSSIBILITIES OF OPPOSITES OF BLACK AND WHITE, ON EACH MOVE.

Fun fact also he said that when enemies want to return their spies, they invent that some diplomat is a spy and they make "spy" captured changes a swap.

Another fun fact is that sometimes enemies capture a tourist and tell he is a spy, to do the same as above.

Another fun fact is that it is a myth that a tourist will be a spy since for a spy to give good information he needs to be knowledgable in what he needs to collect, so if a tourist will be inside a nuclear reactor, he does not know what he sees what technology it is, so he cant give valuable intel, as the author say he is useless.

Another fun fact is that it is very low probability to make an agent enter into a certain position, so it is easier just to turn someone in the certain position into informant.

Absorbing

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. 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.