The Ugly American

William Lederer’s The Ugly American is a frightening novel of the reality behind the secretive red-tape curtain of American diplomatic relations. Although a fictional account, The Ugly American is based on shockingly true facts. Authentic and infuriating, this 1960’s bestseller unmasked the blundering hypocrisy of America’s postwar top-level diplomats. In this compelling masterpiece, Lederer reveals the fallacies of American foreign affairs through his detailed and unmitigated analysis of the precarious and sensitive situation American diplomacy was in following World War II. He points out throughout the book three essential steps a country must take toward achieving efficient diplomatic relations: 1) information, 2) identification, 3) integration. Using these three as the basis for his analysis of both Americans and Russian diplomats, Lederer compares and contrasts the two opposing sides, exposing the fallacies of democratic American foreign policy while commending the Russian Communists’ excellent political connections with surrounding Asian countries.

The Ugly American’s main story unfolds in Sarkhan, an poverty-stricken Asian country with a struggling economy. Senator Louis Sears, America’s first post-WWII ambassador, takes the office through a political favor by his Democratic Party. Ambassador Sears can be described very simply as an ignorant man. Not only did he not know Sarkhanese but he was completely oblivious as to the real situation the country of Sarkhan was in. His Russian counterpart, Louis Krupitzyn, however, is quite the opposite, not only in his knowledge of the country but most importantly in his dedication and focus on spreading Communism. After continuous skirmishes and misunderstandings with the Sarkhanese press, Ambassador Sears resigns and is substituted by former judge Gilbert MacWhite. MacWhite correctly evaluates and analyses the situation in Sarkhan and sets out to remedy Sears’ blundering mistakes and errors.

After studying the language, history, culture, religion and various other aspects of Sarkhan, MacWhite decides to travel in Asia, visiting other countries with similar problems in hopes of getting a different perspective and arriving at a solution. It was in Vietnam where he first realized that to combat the Communists, he had to fight according to how they fought not how he thought was better. Upon his return to Sarkhan, he writes a letter to the American government requesting that before a new official be sent to Sarkhan, several of his listed demands be met. First and most importantly, the person had to have studied both the history and culture of the country, be fluent in Sarkhanese and willing to serve in Sarkhan for at least two years. He goes on to list a few more such as a ban on tax-free whiskey along with the required reading of Communistic literature by Marx, Lenin, Mao Tse-Tung and others. However, his request are denied and regretfully, he resigns.

Although a master story teller, Lederer wrote the book for the purpose of exposing the truth behind the facade of American diplomacy. He does this superbly, explaining and unraveling the mysteries of politics, while showing the price America paid for not following those three steps and the victory Russia had in diffusing Communism throughout Asia because of it. The Ugly American proved to be an excellent book, not only because of its clear, simplistic style, but more also because of its penetrating insights into the real world of diplomacy. Although written in the ‘60s, Lederer’s masterpiece still serves as a reminder of the dangers and perils of ignorance and incompetence.