Disciples: The World War II Missions of the CIA Directors Who Fought for Wild Bill Donovan

Waller, Douglas

ISBN 10: 1451693729 / ISBN 13: 9781451693720

Published by Simon & Schuster, New York, 2015

About this Item

8vo, pp., The CIA directors are Allen Dulles, Richard Helms, William Colby & William Casey.

Seller Inventory # 076415

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Disciples: The World War II Missions of the CIA Directors Who Fought for Wild Bill Donovan
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster, New York
• Publication Date: 2015
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1451693729
• ISBN 13: 9781451693720
• Binding: hardcover
• Illustrator: Illus. with photos
• Edition: 1st.
• Condition: Fine copy in fine dust jacket
• Dust Jacket Condition: Dust Jacket Included
• Seller catalogs:
  • American History

About this title

Synopsis

“A fantastic book, one of the very finest accounts of wartime spookery...a hell of a good tale.” —The Wall Street Journal

The author of the critically acclaimed bestseller Wild Bill Donovan, tells the story of four OSS warriors of World War II. All four later led the CIA.

They are the most famous and controversial directors the CIA has ever had—Allen Dulles, Richard Helms, William Colby, and William Casey. Disciples is the story of these dynamic agents and their daring espionage and sabotage in wartime Europe under OSS Director Bill Donovan.

Allen Dulles ran the OSS’s most successful spy operation against the Axis. Bill Casey organized dangerous missions to penetrate Nazi Germany. Bill Colby led OSS commando raids behind the lines in occupied France and Norway. Richard Helms mounted risky intelligence programs against the Russians in the ruin of Berlin after the German surrender.

Four very different men, they later led (or misled) the successor CIA. Dulles launched the calamitous operation to land CIA-trained, anti-Castro guerrillas at Cuba’s Bay of Pigs. Helms was convicted of lying to Congress about the CIA’s effort to oust Chile’s president. Colby would become a pariah for releasing to Congress what became known as the “Family Jewels” report on CIA misdeeds during the 1950s, sixties and early seventies. Casey would nearly bring down the CIA—and Ronald Reagan’s presidency—from a scheme to secretly supply Nicaragua’s contras with money raked off from the sale of arms to Iran for American hostages in Beirut.

Mining thousands of once-secret World War II documents and interviewing scores of family members and CIA colleagues, Waller has written a brilliant successor to Wild Bill Donovan.

Review

"Douglas Waller's riveting narrative brings the romance of World War II spying alive, and we see men like Helms, Colby and Casey in their youthful prime, before the grim days of Vietnam, the Church Committee and Iran-contra turned them grey and old."--James Risen, author of Pay Any Price: Greed, Power, and Endless War

"Allen Dulles, Bill Casey, Bill Colby and Richard Helms became symbols of the CIA's worst Cold War failures and scandals. Waller vividly chronicles their accomplishments as young OSS operatives who put their lives at risk during World War II. This is an enthralling story of patriotism, courage, dedication, and at times reckless panache. Given the trajectory of their postwar lives, it is also a tragedy--a true American tragedy."--Andrew Nagorski, author of Hitlerland and the forthcoming The Nazi Hunters

"Meticulously researched . . . Waller's easygoing writing style and extensive use of primary sources make this work worthwhile for those interested in espionage history."--Publishers Weekly

"Waller reintroduces us to the legendary spymasters who fought in World War II. In his gripping book, Waller gives us the little known backstories of the future intelligence chiefs and their cunning use of espionage and sabotage. Decades later, accused of bungled operations, crimes, and abuse of power, they would all go to war again, but this time just across the river in Washington."--James Bamford, author of The Shadow Factory

Douglas Waller knows the world of spies and he knows how to tell a story. The World War II adventures of these future spymasters are fascinating and instructive about the moral ambiguities of espionage and covert action. A gripping read from the pen of a master. --Evan Thomas author of "Being Nixon" and "Ike s Bluff""

Waller reintroduces us to the legendary spymasters who fought in World War II. In his gripping book, Waller gives us the little known backstories of the future intelligence chiefs and their cunning use of espionage and sabotage. Decades later, accused of bungled operations, crimes, and abuse of power, they would all go to war again, but this time just across the river in Washington. --James Bamford, author of The Shadow Factory"

Allen Dulles, Bill Casey, Bill Colby and Richard Helms became symbols of the CIA s worst Cold War failures and scandals. Waller vividly chronicles their accomplishments as young OSS operatives who put their lives at risk during World War II. This is an enthralling story of patriotism, courage, dedication, and at times reckless panache. Given the trajectory of their postwar lives, it is also a tragedy a true American tragedy. --Andrew Nagorski, author of Hitlerland and the forthcoming The Nazi Hunters"

Meticulously researched . . . Waller s easygoing writing style and extensive use of primary sources make this work worthwhile for those interested in espionage history. --Publishers Weekly"

"Douglas Waller knows the world of spies and he knows how to tell a story. The World War II adventures of these future spymasters are fascinating and instructive about the moral ambiguities of espionage and covert action. A gripping read from the pen of a master."--Evan Thomas author of "Being Nixon" and "Ike's Bluff"