They are the most famous and controversial directors in the history of the CIA – Allen Dulles, Richard Helms, William Colby, and William Casey – and they shared a professional history from start to finish. All were recruited by William “Wild Bill” Donovan to the CIA’s forerunner, the Office of Strategic Services. Each would see his career end badly.

In a discussion of his new book, a follow-up to his earlier, acclaimed biography of Donovan, former TIME magazine correspondent Douglas Waller examines the four protégés who adopted Donovan’s adventurous ways in overseeing missions during and immediately after World War II.

The event continues the series War Stories: World War II Remembered, co-presented by the Kansas City Public Library and the Truman Library Institute. It is made possible by grants from the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation.