The Ugly Missionary

Abstract

Much to the embarrassment of the State Department of the United States, The Ugly American by William J. Lederer and Eugene Burdick was among the ten best-selling books in the United States for a number of months. And even though there is no integrated plot it is a well-written book with a somewhat terrifying theme, the incredible cleverness of Communist agents in contrast with the bungling stupidity of American diplomatic personnel. For missionaries the reading of this book can be a highly instructive experience, for from the very first page missionaries can also see their own problems in jarring perspective. In this article Tida draws some of the parallels