Episode Details

In this episode of pplpod, we explore the life of Allen Welsh Dulles, the first civilian Director of Central Intelligence and the longest-serving chief in the agency's history. From his aristocratic upbringing and career as a lawyer at Sullivan & Cromwell to his days as an OSS spymaster in Switzerland during World War II, we trace the rise of the man who built the modern American intelligence apparatus.

We discuss how Dulles, working closely with his brother, Secretary of State John Foster Dulles, utilized the CIA to execute the "New Look" national security policy. Key topics include his oversight of the 1953 coup in Iran, the 1954 overthrow of the Guatemalan government, and the development of the U-2 spy plane program.

Finally, we examine the controversies that defined his legacy: the disastrous Bay of Pigs invasion that forced his resignation under President Kennedy, the notorious Project MKUltra mind control program, and his contentious return to government service as a member of the Warren Commission investigating JFK's assassination.