The Ugly American

Krupitzyn remembers the day soldiers in Russia shot and killed his parents, who received accusations of being dissidents. Later, he becomes a formidable academic whose essay, “The Dynamics of Soviet Dialectics” (23), wins a prestigious literary prize. Some of his colleagues give him the nickname “Lucky” (23). 

In 1935, Krupitzyn moves to New York to serve as a chauffeur to a diplomat. In 1945, he is assigned to observe the staff of Mao Tse-tung. After three years in China, he returns to Moscow and marries a woman named Nada Kolosoff. In 1949, he is assigned to be the Soviet Ambassador in Sarkhan. He and Nada prepare for the new position by learning the Sarkhanese language, customs, and by studying Buddhism, the predominant religion. After arriving in Sarkhan, he visits the monastery and speaks with the “Grand Leader” (26) of the Buddhists. They share an interest in philosophy and have a lengthy discussion. 

The year that Krupitzyn arrives, Sarkhan experiences a famine. After learning that the Americans will deliver 14,000 tons of rice for relief two days later, Krupitzyn buys five tons of black-market rice and delivers it to the areas of Sarkhan that are suffering the most. He promises that more will arrive in two days. He arranges for a bag checker to stencil “This rice is a gift from Russia” (28) on every bag of rice as it is removed from the American trucks. The Russians take credit for the 14,000 tons of rice. A week later, Sears learns of the incident and condemns the actions of the Russians. 

One month later, Krupitzyn writes a report to Moscow. He states that the uncouthness and incompetence of Sears almost makes him an ally to the Russians, given that he is so inept in handling the Sarkhanese. Krupitzyn is worried that the American government will begin to see Sears as a liability and remove him, particularly given the cartoons about him in the papers. He reports that he will instruct the editors to run favorable coverage of Sears for the immediate future. He closes the reports asking for information about a Catholic priest named Finian. The priest is working in one of their Sarkhanese provinces, and Krupitzyn is worried that he is involved in a papist plot against the Russians.

Finian recalls his experience as a Navy chaplain. During the war, he spoke with a group of Marines and told them that God would bless their campaign. A young Marine spat on the ground in front of Finian and said there was no God: He reiterated that he was fighting as a Communist “because Communism is worth it” (33). Although Finian believed that the boy dedicated himself to an evil cause, he also saw him as “older, wiser, infinitely tougher” (34) than any man he had ever met. 

After the experience with the young Marine, Finian begins studying Communist literature. He compares the zeal of Communists to that of the devout religious for their faith. By the end of his studies, “Father Finian knew that Communism was the face of the devil” (35). When he transfers to Burma, he is excited because he believes that his purpose lies in the fight in Sarkhan. 

Finian meets with the Archbishop of Mokthu and tells him he would like to be stationed in the country for a few months. The jungle beyond Mokthu is hostile and thick, and the Archbishop reminds him that it is dangerous, but he says he will help him. Finian gives himself three tasks to prepare himself: He must learn the native language, find a native Catholic to help him with his work, and accustom himself to the native food, which will lead to several weeks of dysentery. 

Five weeks later, Finian has accomplished his tasks. His Catholic helper is a devout man named U Tien. U Tien agrees to help Finian determine who among the Catholics are spies. U Tien gives him their names within a week. Finian and U Tien meet with eight Burmans who U Tien says will be loyal to their work. Finian asks them to describe their goal and says he will agree with the group’s decision. After a lengthy discussion, they agree that “[t]he important thing, the big thing, is a country where any man may worship and live as he wishes” (43). Finian tells them that the reason they are not free is because they allow the Communists to deny them power. They agree to meet the next day to read what the Communists say about their doctrines, and the meeting ends. 

The next day, they propose to gather intelligence on the local Communists. For two weeks, they compile a report on the extent of Communist activity in the surrounding towns. They agree that Communist propaganda relies on “the two themes of the evil of the Western white man and the love of the Communists for the common people” (47). 

They publish a small newspaper called The Communist Farmer on Finian’s ditto machine. Each issue features an article by a famous Communist. An article by Stalin justifies his slaughter of peasants in order to support collective agriculture. A piece by Marx mocks the stupidity of working peasants. Because eminent Communists wrote the pieces, the peasant readers see them as emblematic of the Communist Party’s views and are confused as to why they are being mocked. 

Local Communist leaders try to suppress the paper, which increases its popularity. As Finian hopes, “[t]he Communists slowly became buffoons in the eyes of the local Burmans” (49). Finian’s plan works better than he would have predicted, and he looks forward to accomplishing the same work in other provinces, such as Sarkhan.

Ruth Jyoti is the editor and publisher of the Setkya Daily Herald, “one of the finest independent papers in Southeast Asia” (54). Ruth documented and published the account of Finian’s work after she spent a month in Burma researching the story. 

In 1952, she goes to America for three months to learn about the press in the United States. In San Francisco, she reads several newspapers and is surprised to find that none of them are reporting an important conference in Setkya that will have profound effects on America’s relations with Asia. 

She meets with Joseph Rivers of the American State Department. He asks her if she knows Joe Bing, a newspaperman whom he claims is beloved by everyone. Ruth says that she can’t stand Joe Bing and that neither can most of the Asians. Rivers is stunned by her comments and insists that everyone loves Joe Bing. 

Two nights later, Ruth gives a talk at a San Francisco press dinner on the inefficacy of Americans in Asia and their inability to act diplomatically or respectfully. She tells them about Bob Maile, the most effective American she has seen. Maile learned the language and customs, and he made friends with anyone he could speak with. He tried to help fix whatever inconveniences in the lives of the locals he could. She believes that it is Bob’s refusal to brag about his accomplishments that makes him “the best known American in [her] country” (61). Ruth says that if there were more Americans like Bob, the Communists would not last long in Asia.