The Ugly American Book Report

Between 1954 and 1975, the United States interfered with Russia’s spread of Communism in Vietnam. The book, The Ugly American, became a synonym with everything wrong with American foreign policy by telling the story of two very different American Ambassadors’ interactions with people in Southeast Asia and their styles of handling particular episodes. While Ambassador Louis Sears is unfocused, easily manipulated, and oblivious, his successor, Ambassador Gilbert MacWhite, is determined, a strategist, and has good judgement, making him a more successful ambassador.
After eighteen years as a successful senator, Sears loses his fourth election and is ready for a change. Confidently, he asks the DNC for a Federal judgeship, in which they respond …show more content…
The Russian Ambassador, Louis Krupitzyn, takes advantage of a U.S. gift by telling the people of Sarkhan that the gift is from Russia. Because the Russians have spies working in the American embassy, they learn that 14,000 tons of rice are en route to the most famine-struck area of Sarkhan. Krupitzyn buys as much rice as he can and goes to that area and tells the hungry people that more food is on its way from their good friend, the Russians. When the Americans deliver the food, Krupitzyn announces that the profit-hungry capitalists were only there because Russia hired them to help deliver the food. He even reports that, “The American Ambassador is a jewel. He keeps his people lined up with meetings, social events, and greeting and briefing the scores of senators, congressmen, generals… and so on.” Krupitzyn goes on to warn, “That the American press has been very critical of Ambassador Sears for his inability to counter the tricks played on him with the grain ships… It is to our advantage to have him remain here” (Pg 40). He even shares his plans to release editorials in the local paper praising his and suggests that a Communist paper known as the Pravda attacks him so that the state department thinks he is doing a good …show more content…
He believes Catholicism and Communism cannot coexist, so he seeks out good and honorable like-minded men to help him agitate Communist areas and open the eyes of the Southeast Asians. While learning the language and acclimating to the weather and native food, Father Finian finds nine friends with whom he can trust. The men discover through discussion a list of objectives, oppositions, and actions necessary to attain their hope for Sarkhan and its neighbors. They create a newspaper called the Communist Farmer, which includes hints on how to increase agricultural production, and advice on how to use fertilizer. The paper appears on the surface to be informative, unbiased, and nonthreatening to the Communists, until the people began to read the articles that included speeches of famous Communists. Two speeches included were that of Karl Marx attacking the stupidity and backwardness of peasants, and Stalin justifying the killing of Russian farm peasants. With the information Finian gives the Burmans, they start to laugh at lies made at Communist rallies because they are armed with the truth. Eventually the Communist press prints almost nothing by replies to the Communist Farmer. One of their men even infiltrates the Communist group in Burma and learns that a high Russian spokesman plans to visit and settle the anti-Communist uprising, so they record him saying things like “Peasants are