Disciples

August 3, 2015
Journalist Waller follows his 2011 biography, Wild Bill Donovan, with an examination of the WWII exploits of the four men who would later be the CIA’s most influential leaders during the Cold War: Allen Dulles, William Colby, Richard Helms, and William Casey. All four men had entered the world of espionage as members of the CIA’s WWII predecessor, the Office of Strategic Services (OSS), and Waller’s meticulously researched work details their time there under Donovan’s tutelage. Waller begins with short chapters on each man, tracing their lives and identifying their influences and personalities up to WWII. He then follows the four through the war into the occupation of Berlin, noting their disparate personalities and very different private lives along the way. Casey and Helms chiefly served as operational planners and administrators in England; Colby was an airborne commando; and Dulles was the head of American espionage operations in Switzerland. Waller makes a strong case that their experiences under Donovan strongly influenced them during their tenures as CIA director. Waller’s easygoing writing style and extensive use of primary sources make this work worthwhile for those interested in espionage history, but the lack of action will limit its appeal to general readers. Agent: Kristine Dahl, ICM.