Unofficial ambassadors

"Although the United States emerged from World War II as a military superpower, American policymakers knew that it would take more than the potential for force to succeed in foreign relations. Military planners decided that sending families to foreign bases would help to solve military problems such as low morale, servicemen's crime, and fraternization with local women, as well as respond to the demands of wives and children undergoing emotional and financial hardships with their husbands and fathers abroad." "Those who viewed military families as representatives of their nation believed that they could project a friendlier, more humane side of the United States' campaign for dominance in the Cold War and were essential to the ideological battle against communism. In this untold story of Cold War diplomacy, Donna Alvah describes how these "unofficial ambassadors" cultivated relationships with both local people and military families in private homes, churches, schools, women's clubs, shops, and other places."--BOOK JACKET.