Allen Welsh Dulles

Dulles, Allen Welsh (dŭlˈəs) [key], 1893–1969, U.S. public official, b. Watertown, N.Y.; brother of John Foster Dulles. He entered (1916) diplomatic service and became (1922) chief of the State Deptartment's division of Near Eastern affairs. In 1926 he resigned to practice law. During World War II he was a prominent member of the Office of Strategic Services. Returning (1951) to government service as deputy director of the Central Intelligence Agency, Dulles became director in 1953. Under his direction the CIA was strengthened and made a more effective element in the U.S. intelligence system. Dulles resigned in 1961 after a series of events (most notably the Bay of Pigs Invasion of Cuba) in which the CIA played a controversial role that aroused much criticism. His works include Germany's Underground (1947), The Craft of Intelligence (1963), and Secret Surrender (1966).

See P. Grose, Gentleman Spy (1994).