The Ugly American by William J. Lederer and Eugene Burdick; 1958; 285 pages; W.W. Norton & Company, New York, NY; 5/12/09-5/15/09

In the days when the French where still fighting in Vietnam and Americans thought it could never happen to them, Lederer and Burdick wrote a scathing book about diplomacy among Americans.  Most of the career diplomats are arrogant, who don’t think they need to know anything about the country they are being posted to or the people who reside there.  Those who really make a difference are dismissed because there ideas are too small or because they are not “professionals”.  This book was written on factual people that the authors’ knew and they provide a factual epilogue to show where they got the characters.  This book rings true today and should be read by every American and especially those who are thinking of working overseas or are in the military.  RRRR