Harry Kendall

A Farm Boy in the Foreign Service Harry Kendall

This book provides an intimate view of the United States Information Agency's highly successful public diplomacy program during the Cold War and lessons on how it was done when communism, rather than terrorism, was America's chief concern. It is the story of a Louisiana farm boy whose encounter with Chinese culture during World War II started him on a career of "telling America's story to the world." The narrative begins as the writer accepts a State Department invitation to join ina 'Campaign of Truth' to counter communist anti-American propaganda and relates his experiences as he interacts with audiences in Latin America, Europe and Asia. It also relates his experience with USIA in keeping a world public informed on the unfolding drama of America's conquest of outer space and landing on the moon. Throughout, the emphasis is on the personal aspects of how the writer copes with life and work in foreign cultures on behalf of his country. Reviewers have described it as "heart warming," "superbly readable," and "one of the best books in its genre."