Stephen Kinzer

The Brothers Stephen Kinzer

A joint biography ofJohn Foster Dulles and Allen Dulles, who led the United States into an unseenwar that decisively shaped todays worldDuring the 1950s, when the Cold War was at its peak, twoimmensely powerful brothers led the United States into a series of foreignadventures whose effects are still shaking the world. John Foster Dulles was secretary of state while his brother, Allen Dulles, was director of the Central Intelligence Agency. In this book, Stephen Kinzer places their extraordinary lives against the backdrop ofAmerican culture and history. He uses the framework of biography to ask: Whydoes the United States behave as it does in the world?The Brothersexplores hidden forces that shapethe national psyche, from religious piety to Western moviesmany of which areabout a noble gunman who cleans up a lawless town by killing bad guys. This ishow the Dulles brothers saw themselves, and how many Americans still see theircountrys role in the world. Propelled by a quintessentially American set of fears anddelusions, the Dulles brothers launched violent campaigns against foreignleaders they saw as threats to the United States. These campaigns helped pushcountries from Guatemala to the Congo into long spirals of violence, led theUnited States into the Vietnam War, and laid the foundation for decades ofhostility between the United States and countries such as Cuba and Iran. The story of the Dulles brothers is the story ofAmerica. It illuminates and helps explain the modern history of the UnitedStates and the world.