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The Ugly American
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The Ugly American

novel by Lederer and Burdick
Written and fact-checked by
Britannica Editors
Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree....
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History

The Ugly American, novel by William J. Lederer and Eugene Burdick, published in 1958. A fictionalized account of Americans working in Southeast Asia, the book was notable chiefly for exposing many of the deficiencies in U.S. foreign-aid policy and for causing a furor in government circles. Eventually the uproar led to a congressional review of foreign aid. Although some of the novel’s characters are committed to the local people, many others are incompetent and out...

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