Jon Schwarz — A New Biography Traces the Pathology of Allen Dulles and His Appalling Cabal

Meet the architect of the American deep state and the American empire. And, of course, he was not alone. His brother just happened to be US secretary of state, for example. Nor was the US alone, either. Gripping story of international intrigue in which people like Allen Dulles were the movers rather than James Bond.

As Talbot points out, Dulles stated his worldview publicly and explicitly in 1938 during his only run for political office: “Democracy only works if the so-called intelligent people make it work. You can’t sit back and let democracy run itself.” Unsurprisingly, homilies like this did not carry him to victory. But so what? He went on to wield far greater power than most elected officials ever have. And while Dulles is the star of The Devil’s Chessboard, he’s surrounded by an enormous supporting cast...

Yes, there is an amorphous group of unelected corporate lawyers, bankers, and intelligence and military officials who form an American “deep state,” setting real limits on the rare politicians who ever try to get out of line. They do collaborate with and nurture their deep state counterparts in other countries, to whom they feel far more loyalty than their fellow citizens. The minions of the deep state hate and fear even the mildest moves towards democracy, and fight against it by any means available to them. 

They’re not all-powerful and don’t get exactly what they want, but on the issues that matter most they almost always win in the end. And while all this is mostly right there in the open, discernible by anyone who’s curious and has a library card, if you don’t go looking you will never hear a single word about it.

Our ghouls versus their monsters.

The Intercept
A New Biography Traces the Pathology of Allen Dulles and His Appalling Cabal

Jon Schwarz

See also

Salon
“Every president has been manipulated by national security officials”: David Talbot exposes America’s “deep state”

Liam O'donoghue