The brothers grew up in a family of government officials. Their grandfather, John Watson Foster, served as Secretary of State for the final six months of Benjamin Harrison’s administration. Additionally, Robert Lansing, the Dulles brothers’ uncle, served as Secretary of State under President Woodrow Wilson. Clearly, the Dulles brothers were brought up under a powerful family, and this transitioned into the eventual professional careers of both John Foster and Allen Dulles. Both brothers were successful lawyers for the influential law firm Sullivan & Cromwell. While working in law, their influence in the company paired with their background of the American government provided them the opportunity to bring the two together. This linkage eventually moved the Dulles brothers closer to the government over …show more content…
Allen was stationed to work as an intelligence agent in Bern, Switzerland at the United States Embassy. While there, Dulles gathered valuable information from German émigrés, resistance figures, and anti-Nazi intelligence officers regarding German plans and activities. Allen was able to network throughout Europe, continuing to gain valuable information regarding German war efforts and plans. While Allen worked in Switzerland, John Foster stayed local and continued his career as a lawyer. During World War II, Dulles served as a lawyer on the War Trade Board. The War Trade Board was responsible for the exports and imports of the United States. John Foster, serving as the board’s lawyer, was ultimately responsible for the German negotiations that allowed the for the multinational money network to keep Germany afloat during the war. After the war, the Dulles brothers’ roles continued to evolve to keep up their global