What position did john foster dulles hold in president eisenhower’s cabinet?

John Foster Dulles served as U.S. Secretary of State under President Dwight D. Eisenhower from 1953 to 1959.

 Secretary of State

Further context/detail:

The office of Secretary of State is the USA's cabinet-level official in charge of foreign relations and foreign policy.  In other countries, a similar position would be called "Minister of Foreign Affairs."

John Foster Dulles was Secretary of State under President Eisenhower.  He held the office from 1953 to 1959.  He wanted a change from what had been the "containment policy" which the US had followed during the Truman Administration, as recommended then by American diplomat George F. Kennan.   Dulles felt the containment approach put the United States in a weak position, because it only was reactive, trying to contain  communist aggression when it occurred.

Dulles sought to push America's policy in a more active direction; some have labeled his approach "brinksmanship."  In an article in LIFE magazine in 1956, Dulles said, "The ability to get to the verge without getting into the war is the necessary art."  He wasn't afraid to threaten massive retaliation against communist enemy countries as a way of intimidating them.

i confess that there are several parts of this constitution which i do not at present approve, but i am not sure i shall never approve them: for having lived long, i have experienced many instances of being obliged by better information or fuller consideration, to change opinions even on important subjects, which i once thought right, but found to be otherwise. it is therefore that the older i grow, the more apt i am to doubt my own judgment, and to pay more respect to the judgment of others.