THE SPYMASTER WHO RADIATED GOOD WILL

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP75-00001R000100040068-9
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: November 16, 2016
• Document Release Date: May 10, 2000
• Sequence Number: 68
• Publication Date: March 2, 1955
• Content Type: NSPR

VIRGINIAN PILOT
M - 12 s , ARproved For Release 2000/05/24: CIA-RDP75-00001 R
S - 17U,122
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By S. L. A. i . ars. i4?
CPYRGHT
\Y FRIEND, the late Allen Dulles,
1 as an individual with a super-
il%ndauce of charm, character and
courage.
There was not a touch of the sinister'
a his makeup. Seen and heard at close
?ange when he engaged in man-to-man
he fairly radiated , good
onversation
,
vill toward all people.
Among obit writers, when a monu-
?nental figure from the community of in-
:elligence and espionage passes on, it is
ustomary to make of his life a great
mystery, seen through a glass darkly.
Such a profile of Allen Dulles would
ave been a distortion beyond recogni-
ton. That the press almost invariably
4-rote of him in terms of affection does
red.?t to its instinct.
Inevitably, his activities as a secret
gent and as head man of the century's
argest intelligence-gathering establish-
c- t made him seem remote and enig
tart to the millions who shudder when
hey read about characters such as
ichard Sorge and Mata Hari. The Be,
of Code of Conduct t r a i n i n g in U.S.
forces ,afloat and at Pacific- bases. This.'If
subject is currently very much in the
public eye because of the Pueblo inci-
dent: We had found that the program-
ming was quite weak.
Gout had hit Allen Dulles shortly af-
ter we had flown west from Los Angeles
in a government aircraft. It got him in
the fingers and wrists. His hands had be-
come knotted up into little balls turned
inward.
In terrible pain, he should have gone
to a hospital, but no amount of urging
would influence him. Though he could
not write or even grasp a pencil, he re-
? fused.,to be invalided. The man, then.68,.
continued to bucket about in comfortless"cargo aircraft. He would hold to the
schedule, and when the business was
complete he would deal with his personal
problem.
rias and Ca.narises of this life are not and truly enjoyed a new career: Had.
counted among the beautiful people. he lived, he would have continued to P~
In contrast, Allen Dulles seemed as, duce, for his talent was considerable, he
a person the last man for his task. He; had quickly mastered a style and h ha ~
detested subterfuge, d o u b I e talk ands many things to say. He kept Persil
play acting. Loving the friendly game of recollection did not markedly magizifY
conversation, when r e I a x e d he pre- certain things while diminishing others.
ferred to talk anything but shop. He Once, in reviewing one of his books,
alluded to him as "that avuncular fig-
agreed warmly and disagreed fairly, `
and he lived eagerly, as if determined to, uTe " He promptly wrote me asking:
make the best of every hair, Ies1 it be ' I "Tell me about the word, is o f a klndlr
his last. bade" He did have the way Y
as the central figure, or even a bit play-
er, in a James Bond movie. He placed
too high a value on human life, and ruth-
lessness was counter to his nature. In
that respect, his career was a contin-
uing, contradiction. The only plausible
explanation of why he stayed with intel-
ligence is that he was good at the game.
Few men ever to serve government
have possessed a more imposing front.
He had the size and the look of the big-
One simply could not imagine him and considerate uncle.
u aT. 1 he mind was orderly and the. working partner in the field, our group of
emory was capacious. When satisfied four having paired off. Among other
to a particular course, his mind, :. things on' that Department of Defense
?med to lock down on it and thereaft- mission We were checking out the state
he would not look- hack
Yet mixed with his sophistication
re broad streaks of naivete. Despite
long association with military Poo-
any of his ideas pertaining to that
fession, its way of thinking and of op-
ting were overlarge simplifications.
s cannot imagine him, comprehend-
'the factors that. were written into the\
i for the Day of Pigs. Though lie was
top man in CIA?nd hence the blame
the fiasco"IM to fall' part way on
he would have had to take someone,
s word for the practicality and suf
nc
f
y o
what was being undertaken. The odd part of that episode is that
fly everyone who was identified with
aanagement was no better qualified.
rughout, the blind led the blind.
k.llen Dulles' zest and enthusiasm
?est measured by the fact that after'
ment and into his 70s he authored
books that sold. well nationally, and .
till selli
H
ng,
e went at writing glad.
-
We flew into 1wv
j---
memory.
delible in my memory.
He insisted
m
0
.
a.
Jinia one time at 3:3
on taking a jeep ride at once to the top flew
Mount Surabachi where old Glory
in a spotlight. There he knelt and pray-
ed.
Before that we had worked together
at Kontum, South V i e t n a m. Our trip
there coincided with' a Fssit b na bylwe
time ope; at r combine ith e ress
ncl rnannPJ rgkve` aT1@r ease 200 'g` thXriE fl1 TSdO6b-O1 D010004006.8-9
f h o u g h he would speak 'vehemently able to shake hands.
when roused, he was not dogmatic or or-,. gor some days he, had,.. been my.