Spruille Braden (/ˈspruːl ˈbreɪdən/ SPROOL BRAY-dən;[1] March 13, 1894 – January 10, 1978) was an American diplomat, businessman, lobbyist, and member of the Council on Foreign Relations.

[3] As an agent of Standard Oil, he played a role in the Chaco War between Bolivia and Paraguay[4] and espoused an openly anti-union position.

[8] Braden accused Perón of being pro-Axis and anti-United Nations, and of plotting against Allied interests in South America, including the protection of industrial and commercial Axis assets and massive violations of human rights.

When the company's interests were threatened in Guatemala by President Jacobo Arbenz Guzmán, Braden helped to conceive and execute the 1954 coup d'état that overthrew him.

Diplomatic "finesse and patience" are all right under the Marquis of Queensbury rules, but they may bring defeat if applied in a bar-room brawl, such as we are engaged in with the Kremlin.