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Allen W. Dulles Papers
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Held at: Princeton University Library: Public Policy Papers [Contact Us]
This is a finding aid. It is a description of archival material held at the Princeton University Library: Public Policy Papers. Unless otherwise noted, the materials described below are physically available in their reading room, and not digitally available through the web.
Overview and metadata sections
Allen W. Dulles (1893-1969), though a diplomat and lawyer, was renowned for his role in shaping United States intelligence operations, including the longest service as director of the Central Intelligence Agency.
Born in Watertown, New York, and a Princeton University graduate (BA, Class of 1914; MA 1916), Dulles was the nephew of Robert Lansing, Woodrow Wilson's Secretary of State, and attended the peace negotiations to end the First World War as a member of the American Commission. During his stint in the diplomatic corps, he served in Vienna (1916), Berne (1917), Berlin (1919) and Constantinople (1920) before becoming Division Chief for Near Eastern Affairs (1922). While serving in Washington, D.C., Dulles studied law at night at George Washington University. In 1925, he served as an American delegate to the International Conference on Arms Traffic in Geneva. After earning his LL.D in 1926, Dulles joined the Wall Street law firm of Sullivan and Cromwell, where his brother John Foster was a managing partner. But Dulles did not practice law so much as utilize his knowledge of government processes and officials to assist the firm's corporate clients conduct business. (In fact, Dulles would not pass the bar until 1928.) However, diplomacy would always be Dulles's primary interest and in 1927, he spent six months in Geneva as legal adviser to the Naval Armament Conference.
In New York, Dulles joined the Council on Foreign Relations, eventually was named a director and enjoyed the friendship of fellow Princetonian Hamilton Fish Armstrong '16, the editor of the Council's journal, Foreign Affairs. Together they authored two books ( Can We Be Neutral? (1936) and Can America Stay Neutral? (1939)). He also continued to serve the United States government in diplomatic capacities, including representing the United States at a League of Nations arms conference in 1932-1933.
During the Second World War, Dulles took a step that changed his life and ultimately American history. He joined the Office of Strategic Services (OSS), the intelligence service, serving as chief of the Bern, Switzerland office. From there he established himself as a highly successful intelligence gatherer and operator, penetrating the German Foreign Ministry Office as well as the "July 1944" anti-Hitler conspirators. He also played a role in the events that led to the surrender of the German Army in northern Italy.
In 1948, Dulles's reputation led to his being named chairman of an intelligence review committee that faulted the organization of the then fledgling Central Intelligence Agency. In 1950, he was named Deputy Director of Plans of the CIA, the covert operations arm of the agency; in 1951 he became the number two person in the organization. After Eisenhower's election in Nov 1952, Dulles was appointed to the CIA's directorship. His brother, John Foster Dulles, served as Eisenhower's Secretary of State, and the two men would work closely during their joint service.
The CIA under Dulles's leadership established the dual policy of collecting intelligence through a wide variety of means, as well as taking direct action against perceived threats. In the former category fell such notable achievements as the U-2 spy plane program, the cooptation of Soviet Lieutenant General Pyotr Popov, and the tapping of a sensitive East Berlin phone junction by tunneling under the Berlin Wall.
The CIA's efforts in the area of direct action during Dulles tenure were notable for both their successes and failures. CIA operatives orchestrated the overthrow of the government of Iran in 1953 and Jacob Arbenz's regime in Guatemala in 1954. However, efforts to oust Castro from Cuba following his rise to power consisted of a serious of failures culminating in the disastrous Bay of Pigs invasion in April 1961. Though John F. Kennedy had asked Dulles to remain at CIA, after the invasion and the political fallout, Dulles, already past retirement age, resigned.
In retirement, Allen Dulles wrote books (including two autobiographical works) about his career in intelligence and appeared on numerous television programs to discuss foreign policy. He was called to public service once again, in 1963, when he was named to the Warren Commission. His connection to the CIA and its activities in Cuba would fuel later speculation about possible government complicity in Kennedy's assassination.
Dulles married Martha Clover Todd (known as Clover) of Baltimore, Maryland in 1920. She died in 1974. They had three children, Clover Todd (known as Toddy), Joan, and Allen Macy. Dulles's son sustained a near-fatal head wound while serving with the Marines in Korea, relegating him to supervised care for life.
The Allen W. Dulles Papers contains correspondence, speeches, writings, and photographs documenting the life of this lawyer, diplomat, businessman, and spy. One of the longest-serving directors of the Central Intelligence Agency (1953-1961), he also served in a key intelligence post in Bern, Switzerland during World War II where he established his reputation as an intelligence operative with the Office of Strategic Services (OSS). The collection is useful for understanding the role of both a private citizen and public servant's role in the shaping of United States foreign policy. Dulles's early career as a diplomat, his long association with the Council on Foreign Relations, his work at the international law firm of Sullivan and Cromwell, and his career in American intelligence are documented within this collection. However, those seeking information contemporaneous to his tenure at the helm of the CIA will be disappointed as CIA officials screened the collection before its transfer to Princeton.
FOR DIGITIZED CONTENT: Series 1: Correspondence and Series 4: Warren Commission Files have been digitized and may be viewed or downloaded through this finding aid. To view materials, navigate to the specific folder title, rather than the series.
The papers of Allen W. Dulles were donated by Mrs. Clover Todd Dulles in 1973 with additional papers provided by Mrs. Joan Buresch in 1974 and 2008, and by Mrs. Clover Jebsen in 1974.
The Allen W. Dulles Digital Files are described in a separate finding aid: Allen W. Dulles Papers: Digital Files Series
For preservation reasons, original analog and digital media may not be read or played back in the reading room. Users may visually inspect physical media but may not remove it from its enclosure. All analog audiovisual media must be digitized to preservation-quality standards prior to use. Audiovisual digitization requests are processed by an approved third-party vendor. Please note, the transfer time required can be as little as several weeks to as long as several months and there may be financial costs associated with the process. Requests should be directed through the Ask Us Form.
This collection was processed by Susan J. Illis, Daniel Linke, Kristine Marconi, and Thomas Rosko assisted by Carl Esche, Christine Kitto, Terun Weed, Christina Aragon, Jake Bartalone, Grace Chen, Victoria Coleman, Natasha Ermolaev, Sue Jean Kim, Cei Maslen, James McGillivray, Wendy Phillips, Stan Ruda, Patrick Shorb, Isabel Tremblay, and Elizabeth Williamson. Finding aid written by Susan J. Illis, Daniel Linke, Kristine Marconi, and Thomas Rosko.
No appraisal information is available.
People
- Armstrong, Hamilton Fish, 1893-1973
- Dewey, Thomas E. (Thomas Edmund), 1902-1971
- Donovan, William J. (William Joseph), 1883-1959
- Dulles, Allen, 1893-1969
- Dulles, John Foster (1888-1959)
- Gaevernitz, Gero von
- Gibson, Hugh, 1883-1954
- Grew, Joseph C. (Joseph Clark), 1880-1965
- Hitler, Adolf, 1889-1945.
- Hughes, John C.
- Kennedy, John F. John Fitzgerald 1917-1963
- Lansing, Robert, 1864-1928
- Wilson, Hugh
- Wolff, Karl, 1900-1984
Organization
- Council on foreign relations
- Woodrow Wilson Foundation
- United States. American Commission to Negotiate Peace
- United States. Central Intelligence Agency
- United States. Foreign Service
- United States. Office of Strategic Services
- United States. Warren Commission
- Sullivan & Cromwell (Firm)
- Princeton University. Class of 1914.
Subject
- Anti-Nazi movement -- Germany
- Communist strategy
- Diplomats -- United States -- 20th century -- Correspondence
- Disarmament
- Espionage -- United States -- 20th century
- Intelligence Service -- United States -- 20th century
- Lawyers -- United States -- 20th century -- Correspondence
- Nuclear weapons and disarmament
- Spies -- United States -- 20th century -- Correspondence
- Spies -- United States -- 20th century -- Manuscripts
- Spy stories, American -- 20th century
- World War, 1914 - 1918 -- Underground movements -- Germany
- World War, 1939 - 1945 -- Secret service -- United States
- Neutrality -- United States -- 20th century
- Intelligence Officers -- United States -- 20th century
Place
- Publisher
- Public Policy Papers
- Finding Aid Author
- Susan J. Illis; Daniel Linke; Kristine Marconi; Thomas Rosko
- Finding Aid Date
- 1998
- Sponsor
- Processed with the generous support of Alexandra Buresch, Joan Dulles Buresch-Talley, Matthew Buresch, Allen Macy Dulles, Clover Jebsen Afokpa, Allen Dulles Jebsen, Joana Jebsen, Per H. and Margaret E. Jebsen and the assistance of the John Foster and Janet Avery Dulles Fund.
- Access Restrictions
-
The collection is open for research use.
- Use Restrictions
-
Single copies may be made for research purposes. To cite or publish quotations that fall within Fair Use, as defined under U. S. Copyright Law, no permission is required. For instances beyond Fair Use, it is the responsibility of the researcher to determine whether any permissions related to copyright, privacy, publicity, or any other rights are necessary for their intended use of the Library's materials, and to obtain all required permissions from any existing rights holders, if they have not already done so. Princeton University Library's Special Collections does not charge any permission or use fees for the publication of images of materials from our collections, nor does it require researchers to obtain its permission for said use. The department does request that its collections be properly cited and images credited. More detailed information can be found on the Copyright, Credit and Citations Guidelines page on our website. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us through the Ask Us! form.
Collection Inventory
Series 1: Correspondence, 1891-1969, is arranged alphabetically by last name of the correspondent and then chronologically within each folder. The correspondence documents Dulles's professional and personal activities from his early years with the State Department until his death in 1969. Correspondence between Dulles and other young foreign service officers in the late 1910s and early 1920s is a particularly rich resource for documenting this period. These letters, generally handwritten, are quite candid summaries of events in the countries where Dulles and his acquaintances were stationed. Dulles's involvement in the post-World War I apportionment of territory in Eastern Europe, particularly the territories of Czechoslovakia, is also well-documented. Dulles kept in close contact with others who participated in the peace- making process in France.
Although his activities with the OSS during World War II are not particularly well-documented by contemporary correspondence, his discussion of past activities with the contacts he established at the time provide some insight. Correspondence with Gero von Gaevernitz, William Donovan, Mary Bancroft, and others illuminates not only their wartime activities but the sense of responsibility and kinship that Dulles maintained with these colleagues.
Dulles's participation in activities and clubs, particularly the Council on Foreign Relations, is also well-documented. Despite his absence from New York from 1951 onward, he maintained his association with the Council and his close personal relationship with Hamilton Fish Armstrong. His devotion to Princeton University, his alma mater, is evidenced through his service on the Board of Trustees, Board of Trustees for the Woodrow Wilson School, and fund- raising activities for the John Foster Dulles oral history program. Dulles also assisted University librarians in soliciting the donation of the Bernard Baruch Papers.
While Dulles's official correspondence from his tenure with the CIA is not in this collection, his personal correspondence with CIA colleagues and acquaintances seeking employment with the CIA is included here. Also included is Dulles's correspondence with his brother, Secretary of State John Foster Dulles, and sister, Eleanor Lansing Dulles, who also worked in the State Department. There is a considerable amount of correspondence from friends, acquaintances, and the general public concerning John Foster Dulles's battle with cancer and his death in May 1959. In addition to assisting those interested in careers in intelligence and foreign affairs, Dulles also maintained close relations with his daughters, nieces, and nephew, particularly David Dulles, son of Eleanor Lansing Dulles. Particularly poignant is correspondence concerning his son Allen Macy Dulles, who was wounded in Korea in 1952. Dulles maintained a brave, optimistic facade and clearly hoped for his son's full recovery.
Much of the correspondence is social in nature, documenting the Dulles' engagements in Washington, D. C., as well as their travels in the U. S. and Europe, visiting friends. However, significant correspondents include Hamilton Fish Armstrong, Mary Bancroft, David Bruce, William Donovan, Gero von Gaevernitz, Richard Nixon, and CIA officials John McCloy, John McCone, and Richard Bissell. Dulles exchanged correspondence with family members especially Edith Foster Dulles, Eleanor Lansing Dulles, John Foster Dulles, Joan Dulles Buresch, Clover Todd Dulles, and Clover Todd Jebsen.
(arranged alphabetically by correspondent's name)
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No arrangement action taken or arrangement information not recorded at the time of processing.
Series 2: Writings, 1915-1969, is divided into two subseries, both arranged chronologically.
Physical Description21 boxes
Subseries 2A: Articles, 1915-1967, contains magazine and journal articles, as well as book reviews, about arms limitations, European politics in the 1930s, the role of intelligence-gathering in a democracy, and U.S.-Soviet relations during the 1950s. Of particular note is Dulles's never published article, "My Answer to the Bay of Pigs." Numerous drafts of the article, galleys Arthur Schlesinger's A Thousand Days with marginalia, and articles from major newspapers and magazines are contained within the files. Dulles began the article in response to the John F. Kennedy biographies that began to flood the market in 1965. Dulles abhorred the idea that members of the Kennedy administration were publicizing classified information. Mrs. Dulles insisted that a note remain with the files indicating that her "husband decided not to publish the article because there was so much more in his favor he could have said, had he been at liberty to do so, that the material herein was inadequate."
(arranged chronologically)
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Subseries 2B: Books, 1902-1969, contains drafts, galleys, articles, reviews, notes, and correspondence pertaining to Dulles' books and articles. Starting with his 1902 monograph on the Boer War, it documents the composition and publication of Germany's Underground, The Craft of Intelligence, and The Secret Surrender. It also contains drafts of two never published books, The Marshall Plan, and Communist Subversion. Scant materials on his collaborations with Hamilton Fish Armstrong are found.
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Series 3: Speeches, 1926-1968, is arranged chronologically and includes outlines, notes, clippings and some background material on venues. More often than not, Dulles used notes or outlines when speaking; consequently there are very few full textual copies of his addresses. As a witness to some of the 20 th century's most notable events, Dulles offered his perspective within the limits that his profession permitted him to share. His speaking engagements ranged from a talk on the major strategic problems of the Soviet Union at the Air War College in Alabama to extolling the virtues of public service as a career before the American Whig-Cliosophic Society at Princeton University.
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Series 4: Warren Commission Files, 1959-1967, is arranged by document type, broken down into correspondence (arranged alphabetically by correspondent and chronologically thereunder); administrative and reports (both arranged chronologically); writings (arranged alphabetically and thereunder chronologically); and interviews and media (arranged chronologically). This series includes correspondence, memoranda, reports, preliminary drafts of the final Commission report, clippings, articles and interviews relating to Dulles's service on the Warren Commission. The correspondence includes incoming and outgoing notes and letters, articles and clippings. Correspondents range from members of the Commission to citizens offering their own analysis of the assassination.
The administrative material documents the official activities of the Commission. Included are minutes, agendas, financial information and memoranda, which indicate how the Commission was organized and the guidelines for procedures. Included are intra-Commission memoranda as well as memoranda with other governmental organizations, including the F.B.I. and Secret Service. The findings of these two agencies, plus the Dallas police, were submitted to the Commission, and much of this material documents the life of Lee Harvey Oswald.
The first volume of the published Warren Commission report, signed by all the members, is catalogued separately.
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Series 5: Subject Files, 1915-1969, is arranged alphabetically by topic. This series contains clippings, articles, reports, memoranda, interviews, correspondence and speeches that Dulles compiled for reference purposes. The subjects range from Abwehr, the German Intelligence Service, to visa regulations. Topics generously represented include the CIA, the Soviet Union, communism, disarmament, Germany, Khrushchev, Vietnam, and the U-2 incident.
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Series 6 contains biographical and family papers; see Subseries descriptions for more information.
Series 6: Biographical and Family Papers, 1845-1969 is arranged into two subseries by form.
Physical Description10 boxes
No arrangement action taken or arrangement information not recorded at the time of processing.
Subseries 6A: Biographical Materials, 1909-1970, is arranged by form and chronologically thereunder. Material within this subseries includes miscellaneous items from Dulles' life such as his report card from the Ecole Alsacienne to condolences his wife received after his death. Various biographical articles and clippings from major news publications comprise a large part of this subseries as well. They chronicle Dulles' career from childhood author to CIA Director. Foreign news wires announcing the death of John Foster Dulles are located at the very end of this subseries. How Foster was regarded by various countries is evident through these wires, which in turn reflects the image of America in the eyes of the world.
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No arrangement action taken or arrangement information not recorded at the time of processing.
Subseries 6B: Family Papers, 1845-1937, is arranged by form. This series is largely composed of correspondence between members of the Todd and Gilman families. Of particular interest are letters from Clover Todd Dulles to her parents, cousin and grandmother during the first years of her marriage to Allen Dulles. They are quite descriptive of her and Allen's post honeymoon journey to Constantinople and the people with whom she comes in contact with while residing there. There is also genealogical material of the Todd, Gilman and Dulles families are contained within this series as well. Published family histories, notes, clippings, letters and published works by various family members provide ample documentation of the families' lineage.
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Series 7: Memorabilia, 1918-1967, is composed of various citations, certificates, degrees, awards that Dulles received throughout his lifetime. His passports, immunization records, various identification cards and military permits for travel in Europe document his activities as a government agent during turbulent times. Mrs. Dulles's passports plus a medal honoring her work with Russian refugees, are included here as well.
(arranged by type)
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Series 8: Photographs, Audiovisual and Oversize Materials, circa 1845-1969 is arranged with photographs first, organized into portraits, family photos, honors and awards, then general photos. Each section is arranged chronologically therein. The audiovisual material is divided into audio tape and phonograph records, each arranged chronologically. Almost all the audio material was recorded after his tenure at CIA and captures luncheon speeches, television appearances, and award ceremonies, including the presentation of the National Security medal by President John F. Kennedy upon his retirement in 1961. The remaining items consist of various oversize and custom-boxed items that include photograph and scrapbook albums, a copy of Dulles's first book The Boer War (published when he was eight), as well as genealogical material, and a volume relating to Dulles's participation in the Three-Power Naval Conference.
(arranged by type and then chronologically)
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No arrangement action taken or arrangement information not recorded at the time of processing.
The Allen W. Dulles Digital Files contain scanned images of professional correspondence, reports, lectures, and administrative papers. The Agency culled these documents from Dulles's home office immediately after his death in 1969 and they continue to maintain the originals. The Agency redacted the documents and provided PDF scans to Princeton University in Spring 2007. The collection spans Dulles's time as Chief of the Office of Strategic Services office in Bern, Switzerland during World War II, his work at the Central Intelligence Agency, and his retirement.
The Allen W. Dulles Digital Files are described in a separate finding aid: Allen W. Dulles Papers: Digital Files Series
Physical Description1 box