The Road Not Taken: Edward Lansdale and the American Tragedy in Vietnam

by Max Boot

After the war, Dulles briefly returned to the practice of law but, like Frank Wisner and many other veterans, he found civilian life a bore. In January 1951, he became the CIA’s deputy director for plans; in August, deputy director of the entire agency; and then in February 1953, following Eisenhower’s election, director of central intelligence. Nicknamed the Great White Case Officer, he loved the romance of espionage and hated the paperwork. The Soviet mole Kim Philby, who knew Dulles when he was MI6 liaison officer in Washington, said that Dulles “was nice to have around: comfortable, predictable, pipe-smoking, whisky-sipping company,” and that “his unprofessional delight in cloak-and-dagger for its own sake was an endearing trait.”