The Brothers: John Foster Dulles, Allen Dulles, and Their Secret World War by Stephen Kinzer

A joint biography of John Foster Dulles and Allen Dulles—two powerful brothers who led the United States into an unseen Cold War that continues to shape the modern world.

In the 1950s, at the height of the Cold War, John Foster Dulles served as U.S. Secretary of State while his brother, Allen Dulles, directed the CIA. Together, they orchestrated covert interventions and foreign policies that reshaped nations—and redefined America’s role in the world.

Stephen Kinzer places their intertwined lives within the broader sweep of American history and culture, asking: Why does the United States act as it does on the global stage? Drawing parallels between American mythmaking—from Western films to religious ideals—and the Dulles brothers’ worldview, Kinzer reveals how their moral certainty and fear of communism drove campaigns that toppled governments and fueled decades of global unrest.

From Guatemala to the Congo, Cuba to Iran, the brothers’ secret wars ignited consequences that still reverberate today. The Brothers is both a gripping biography and a profound exploration of ho