The Ugly American

Louis Krupitzyn is born in Russian in 1917. As a child, he sees his parents, wealthy farmers, shot to death by Russian soldiers. Rather than anger, he only feels fear and resolves to become powerful. He lives in a state orphanage and learns to hate the type of people that his parents were. In 1934, Krupitzyn writes a nationally recognized essay on Soviet politics, and in 1935, he begins his diplomatic career. He works and studies in New York, Prague, and Pekin, and even serves on Mao Tse-tung’s staff as an observer. He marries a women in the foreign service, and together they work in Moscow and study Southeast Asia.

Krupitzyn and his wife receive assignment to work as ambassadors in Sarkhan and bring it into the “Communist orbit.” To prepare, they study Sarkhanese language and culture for two years. Krupitzyn learns that the ideal Sarkhanese man is “slender, graceful, and soft spoken,” so he loses 40 pounds and takes ballet listens to mold himself to this ideal. They arrive in Sarkhan one week after Louis Sears accepts his own position in Sarkhan. Krupitzyn introduces himself to Sarkhanese officials in their own language, then meets with the “Grand Leader of all the Buddhists in Sarkhan” and discusses philosophy with him in Sarkhanese for many hours.

Later that year, a typhoon strikes Sarkhan and wipes out much of the year’s crop, causing a famine. One of Krupitzyn’s informants, a translator in the American Embassy, tells him that Americans are shipping millions of pounds of rice to Sarkhan to ease the food shortage. Krupitzyn announces in Sarkhanese that the Russians will soon bring rice to help the struggling people. When the American shipment arrives, Krupitzyn’s agents write on each rice sack (in Sarkhanese) that the rice is a gift from Russia. When the Americans distribute the rice, they cannot read the Sarkhanese writing and do not realize that it appears that the rice is from Russia. The Americans realize what happened a week later, and Sears, embarrassed, vows to retaliate. However, the Sarkhanese still believe the Russian Communists are their “friend and provider.”

A month later, Krupitzyn sends his report to Russia, asserting that Ambassador Sears, in all his stupidity, is their greatest asset, since he keeps the other Americans busy with social functions, posturing, and tours, and doesn’t let his staff travel to rural areas. However, Krupitzyn thinks that the negative Sarkhanese press about Sears might convince the American government to replace him. To that end, he intends to convince local newspapers to start praising him, ensuring that the Americans keep Sears where he is. Krupitzyn also makes note of concerning rumors about a Catholic priest named Father Finian operating in Burma.