The Devil's Chessboard

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

De: David Talbot

Narrado por: 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 best seller 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 US government documents, US and European intelligence sources, the personal correspondence and journals of Allen Dulles' 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' 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.

©2015 David Talbot (P)2015 HarperCollins Publishers

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.

Sam Tripoli is Right

I've been listening to that lunatic yell for maybe 12 years. Some of the best entertainment on the internet. Everything he said was true. interdimensional vampires trying to steal your LOOSHE. Eye's up Swarm!

....and the Truth Shall Set You Free

I found this book to be well researched, well written, and well performed. Presents many familiar themes and presumptions regarding the national intelligence community's involvement in foreign and domestic assassinations that have shaped our world. Taken at face value our current government is a continuation of a coup that began with the assassination of JFK by a conspiring consortium of industrial, financial, media, intelligence, and military power brokers. Seems far fetched until you examine it against the backdrop of political and social upheavals rocking our nation in just the previous year. Drawing a line from this point back in time to the creation of the CIA helps to clarify how human life has been reduced to chattel in the name of national defense while actually serving the interest of unelected power.

This is worth it

A treasure trove of info, providing insight into our sad plight today, giving us background about what was going on particularly in the years leading up to the passage of the National Security Acr of 1947.

Title says it all

Bewildering, fascinating, and provocative. Very well written. The story weaving was engaging. The book is like watching a train wreck you know will happen and cannot take your eyes from. Recognizing the CIA probably watches these comments is a little chilling. Regardless it's as sadistic as an in depth biography of Hoover. Thinking about that era of America knowing these two sycophants were in charge of internal and external US intelligence and security is something of a Hollywood movie. It is definitely undermining.

At the same time Salon is a leftist rag. So the agenda of the author is very clear regarding progressive and communist antagonist activity. The information on JFK is tantalizing. The book is worth a second read for sure. So many details worth corroborating and research would be entirely pleasurable. So scandalous the TV show has nothing on this book.

interesting and thorough, but goes a bit far afiel

When this book is historically grounded in documents (about the first 2/3), it is an essential piece of history, particularly for those who believe the US is an unbridled source of good in the world. The last third involves a lot of speculation and more than a bit of conspiracy-minded-ness. This is not to say it isn't presented well. It is just not as helpful as the straight historical record featured earlier.