The Ugly American: Revival?

The 1958 novel The Ugly American written by William Lederer and Eugene Burdick was a 1958-59 bestseller. It was a wake up call to U.S. to improve its relationship with the new Asian nations. Inserted in a series of chapters/side stories were flaws of U.S./Asian diplomacy and the story of U.S. ambassador to a fictitious Asian nation which was a former European Colony. The authors said that during cold war era (1946) between Democracy (U.S., its allies) and Communism (Russia, China), US was unprepared in propaganda and diplomacy. Universal pictures made it into a film with Marlon Brando as the ambassador to a newly created Asian nation.

The book’s strong political points were that many high to low level embassy workers did not know the culture, history, religion, politics, economy and the language of the nation they were assigned. These matters disappeared in the movie because the state department monitored the script and the shooting from beginning to end. Only Marlon Brando’s popularity saved it from a total loss.

Parts of the book dealt with Magsaysay, the Huk rebellion, Vietnam, a Col. Lonsdale who was one of the few U.S. officials in Asia who knew what to do but failed because of lack of support/understanding from higher ups. The book was published in the 1950s when the political psychological propaganda, shooting war between the East (Communist Russia) and West (US) was very hot. In 1950s, North Korea invaded South Korea, Vietnam revolted against the French, there were guerrilla wars in Malaysia and the Philippines.

Today 2025, only Vietnam can be called a communist state but the polite word is ‘socialist’. Today, Cambodia, Laos, all Asian are free but called corrupt democracies. Communism failed in Asia when World War 2 ended in 1945 for 3 reasons: 1. Russia was too busy in Europe building up its satellite states, Lithuania, Latvia, Poland, Hungary, Romania, Yugoslavia, etc. It did not have the men, arms, money to support their Asian allies; 2. China’s Mao defeated Chiang Kai Shek in 1949 but China was badly hurt by China’s civil war (1921-1949) and the war against Japan from 1931 to 1945. It just couldn’t give enough support (money, arms) to the communists in Malaysia, Philippines, Burma, Cambodia, etc.; 3. Indonesia with a population of 80 million in the 1940s was fighting for independence (Merdeka) against the Dutch and the British.

Today Indonesia population is about 300 million. About 90% are Muslims. Muslim nations in Africa, Middle east and Asia turned to Russia and China for military, financial and political support in their fight for freedom. However, communism never became a factor in the political affairs on the former colonies. Communists do not believe in God and in religion. Muslims believe in God and on religion. Communism did not become a part of Asia’s life, culture, tradition, and beliefs.

Hence Southeast Asia did not turn red. The worries, projections in The Ugly American about red dominance in Asia did not happen. However, we may hear the phrase Ugly American again because of Trump’s policies, biases, speeches, tariffs, orders, decrees singling out/focusing colored people, Asians, minorities, immigrants, LGBT, the sick, dying, hungry, the Les Misérables. P.S. You can read the book/watch the movie in YouTube, Google, etc.