Description
First edition of The Craft of Intelligence, inscribed by CIA Director Allen Dulles, to one of the ghostwriters of the book, Charles J.V. Murphy.
Octavo, viii, 277pp, [1]. Gray cloth over black cloth spine, title in gilt on spine. Stated “First Edition” on copyright page. Faint dust along top edge of text block, otherwise a clean copy, free of any marks. In the publisher’s dust jacket, $4.95 retail price on front flap, light shelf wear, a bright example.
Inscribed by Allen Dulles on the front free endpaper: “To Charles J.V. Murphy / with deep appreciation for all his help and wise advice, with the sincere regards of the author. Allen W. Dulles / Oct 2, 1963.”
Journalist Charles J.V. Murphy (1904-1983) approached CIA Director Allen Dulles in 1960 about the possibility of writing his memoirs. Dulles granted Murphy a desk at CIA headquarters to begin ghostwriting the book, but after Dulles’ firing in 1961, he was promptly exiled from the building. The work on the book continued with the help of fellow CIA officer E. Howard Hunt, and Murphy advising. After Dulles’ dismissal in 1961, Murphy authored a critical article in Fortune on the Bay of Pigs invasion, analyzing the failed operation and highlighting the flaws in planning and execution.
Murphy helped shape Dwight D. Eisenhower’s, Crusade in Europe (1948) and King Edward VIII’s, A King’s Story (1951), and wrote extensively on aviation, defense, and intelligence.Â
