What role did Allen W. Dulles play as director of the Central Intelligence Agency?

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Central Intelligence Agency seal — Central Intelligence Agency Seal of the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA).

Allen W. Dulles served as the director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) from 1953 to 1961, a period marked by significant organizational growth and his influential role in shaping U.S. foreign affairs.12

Appointed by President Dwight D. Eisenhower, Dulles oversaw several major covert operations, including the 1953 overthrow of Mohammad Mosaddeq in Iran and the 1954 removal of Jacobo Arbenz in Guatemala. Under his leadership, the agency also successfully obtained a secret 1956 speech by Nikita Khrushchev denouncing Joseph Stalin.1

However, his tenure faced significant challenges, including the 1960 downing of a U-2 spy plane over the Soviet Union and the failed Bay of Pigs invasion of Cuba in 1961. Following the latter, Dulles resigned that autumn.1