Rev. Dr. Sir Wayne Murillo III reviewed The brothers by Stephen Kinzer
Review of 'The brothers : John Foster Dulles, Allen Dulles, and their secret world war' on 'Goodreads'
5 stars
The popular understanding of the Dulles name today peaks in conspiracy theories in the absence of a necessary understanding of how the Dulles brothers changed American foreign policy and fueled the Cold War.
The concentration of wealth, power, and privilege amassed by John Foster Dulles (JFD) and Allen Dulles (AD) is extreme. As boys, they learned about foreign policy from their grandfather, Secretary of State John W. Foster, while meeting diplomats and power brokers from all over the world. After passing the bar, JFD and AD joined the influential law firm Sullivan & Cromwell using his grandfather's influence. At Sullivan & Cromwell, they learned to force the foreign policy preferences of America's wealthiest individuals and businesses.
Both brothers were heavily influenced by WWII. AD started to work in espionage before any organized spy agency existed in the US. JFD continued to support American business with the Third Reich while AD …
The popular understanding of the Dulles name today peaks in conspiracy theories in the absence of a necessary understanding of how the Dulles brothers changed American foreign policy and fueled the Cold War.
The concentration of wealth, power, and privilege amassed by John Foster Dulles (JFD) and Allen Dulles (AD) is extreme. As boys, they learned about foreign policy from their grandfather, Secretary of State John W. Foster, while meeting diplomats and power brokers from all over the world. After passing the bar, JFD and AD joined the influential law firm Sullivan & Cromwell using his grandfather's influence. At Sullivan & Cromwell, they learned to force the foreign policy preferences of America's wealthiest individuals and businesses.
Both brothers were heavily influenced by WWII. AD started to work in espionage before any organized spy agency existed in the US. JFD continued to support American business with the Third Reich while AD united junior partners at Sullivan & Cromwell to stop JFD.
In 1953 Eisenhower appointed JFD as U.S. Secretary of State and AD as the Director of Central Intelligence. Together, the brothers enabled the US to impose its will and the will of its business interests on emerging nations in the name of fighting communism.
AD removed a democratically elected prime minister of Iran, Mohammad Mossadegh, and installed monarch Mohammed Reza Pahlavi after Mossadegh nationalized Iranian oil in 1953.
AD and JFD's employment with Sullivan & Cromwell allied their interests with United Fruit Company who owned most of the farmable land in Guatemala. The Guatemalan people toppled the military dictatorship of Jorge Ubico and elected Juan Joes Arevalo who reformed land ownership in Guatemala and nationalized land that United Fruit was not using. AD deposed Juan Jose Arevalo by arming, funding, and training a force to install military dictator Carlos Castillo Armas, who banned opposition parties, imprisoned and tortured political opponents, and reversed the social reforms of Arevalo. AD also used propaganda from Mariano Rossell y Arellano, the Catholic Archbishop of Guatemala, to aid Castillo Armas' forces. Diego Rivera's "Glorious Victory" (see photo) critiques the American coup in Guatemala.
Allen Dulles and John Foster Dulles were the instrument of American business interests as they used the Cold War to build states friendly to their bottom lines. To understand how the world sees America, you must know the Dulles brothers.