the country's shift towards communism and believing the situation is being mishandled. He attempts to aid the locals by selling them powdered milk. However, he clashes with his former friend Deong, now a communist, who deceives local women into thinking Colvin is adding an aphrodisiac to the milk to seduce them. The women attack him, nearly killing him. Colvin returns to the United States but later goes back to Sarkhan and successfully establishes his milk business.

Jim Davis

Jim Davis, an African American from Los Angeles, serves in the French Foreign Legion in Vietnam. He is captured by the Vietnamese, who gouge out one of his eyes.

Deong

Deong is a Sarkhanese communist who betrays his former friend, John Colvin.

Donald

Donald is an elderly Chinese servant who has loyally served the U.S. Embassy in Sarkhan for many years. He is illiterate and speaks very little English. Ambassador MacWhite places complete trust in Donald. However, it is revealed that Donald is not what he seems. Through interrogation, Li Pang uncovers that Donald has been relaying information from the embassy to the communists.

Father Finian

Father Finian, a Catholic priest from Boston, is assigned to Burma. A Jesuit, he is not only an intellectual and scholar but also practical and tough-minded. He eagerly accepts the challenge of fighting communism in Burma, viewing it as an evil ideology. Determined to integrate, Father Finian learns the local language and adapts to the local cuisine, even though he initially struggles with it. He gathers nine local anticommunist Catholic men and asks for their input on strategy, avoiding the imposition of his own views. Eventually, he establishes a four-year college in Burma, where the curriculum includes the study of both communist and Western leaders' writings.

Ambassador Arthur Alexander Gray

Arthur Alexander Gray serves as the U.S. ambassador to Vietnam. When Senator Jonathan Brown visits, Gray meticulously prepares with his staff to ensure the senator only receives information that the embassy deems appropriate.

Colonel Edwin B. Hillandale

In 1952, U.S. Air Force Colonel Edwin B. Hillandale was sent to Manila, Philippines. He became extremely popular with the locals due to his embrace of their culture. His love for jazz and harmonica skills earned him the nickname "The Ragtime Kid." However, he was less favored by officials at the U.S. Embassy in the Philippines. Ambassador MacWhite, recognizing Hillandale's value, invited him to Sarkhan. Hillandale's knowledge of palmistry, highly regarded in the local culture, served him well at a dinner party hosted by the Philippine ambassador.

Thomas Elmer Knox

Thomas Elmer Knox, an American farmer from Iowa, temporarily resides in Cambodia. He knows more Cambodians than any other Westerner and has a deep appreciation for Cambodian cuisine. In Iowa, he raises chickens and has numerous ideas on improving the local chicken quality and increasing egg production. However, when he presents his ideas to American and Cambodian agricultural experts and some French officials, he is met with indifference. The officials are focused solely on developing canals and mechanized farms. Frustrated by their refusal to listen, Tom eventually forgets his innovative ideas for Cambodia after being treated to luxury trips to Paris, Indonesia, and India by high-level diplomats and businessmen.

Louis Krupitzyn

Louis Krupitzyn serves as the Russian ambassador to Sarkhan. In contrast to his American counterpart, Ambassador Sears, Krupitzyn is thoroughly prepared for his role. He began his diplomatic career in 1935 and has been posted in both the United States and China. Upon becoming the ambassador to Sarkhan, he diligently learns the language, immerses himself in the local culture, and attends lectures on Buddhist religion and practices. He outmaneuvers the Americans by convincing the Sarkhanese that a shipment of U.S. rice, intended to alleviate famine, actually originated from Russia.

Jeepo

Jeepo is a Sarkhanese individual skilled in working with machinery. He forms a good rapport with Homer Atkins, and together they develop a water pump designed to raise water economically and efficiently. Throughout the process of testing different versions of the pump, Jeepo identifies their flaws and informs Atkins. Unfazed by collaborating with an American, Jeepo engages in discussions as an equal. Ultimately, it is Jeepo who devises the final version of the water pump, solving a problem that had previously stumped Atkins.

Ruth Jyoti

Ruth Jyoti, the editor and publisher of one of Southeast Asia's premier independent newspapers, is invited to the United States. During a press dinner in San Francisco, she delivers a speech explaining why Americans in Asia are often ineffective.

Marie MacIntosh

Marie MacIntosh, a twenty-eight-year-old American, is inspired by a talk given by Joe Bing and decides to apply for a government service position in Sarkhan. She writes to her friends about her new, relatively luxurious and easy lifestyle.

Ambassador Gilbert MacWhite

In 1954, Gilbert MacWhite takes over from Louis Sears as the U.S. ambassador to Sarkhan. Unlike his predecessor, MacWhite is a seasoned foreign service officer with a substantial diplomatic career, despite being in his mid-forties. He has studied the communist writings of Karl Marx and Lenin and is recognized as an expert on Soviet theory and practice. MacWhite learns the Sarkhanese language and studies books on Sarkhanese history and politics. He is known for his courage, efficiency, imagination, and ability to learn from his mistakes—an attribute his predecessor notably lacked. Determined to understand how to counter communism, he travels extensively throughout Southeast Asia. He exercises sound judgment by inviting top American talents, such as Homer Atkins and Colonel Hillandale, to visit Sarkhan and implement their ideas. Once established in his position, he writes to the U.S. Secretary of State requesting permission to implement urgent and practical changes in the U.S. diplomatic mission to Sarkhan. His request is denied, leading him to resign as ambassador.

Bob Maile

Bob Maile serves as an official within the United States Information Service (USIS) in Setkya, a city in Southeast Asia. Ruth Jyoti credits Maile with significantly boosting U.S. prestige in the region. He easily connects with the local populace and has earned their trust. Unusually for an American, he even enrolls his children in an Asian school.

Major Monet

Major Monet, a French soldier stationed in Hanoi, commands a company of the French Foreign Legion. Coming from a long lineage of soldiers, he is well-versed in traditional warfare. However, his legionnaires frequently lose skirmishes against the communists. Major Wolchek advises Monet to study Mao Tse-tung's writings on modern warfare. Initially hesitant due to his pride as a Frenchman, Monet eventually recognizes the wisdom in Wolchek's suggestion.

Prince Ngong

Prince Ngong, a renowned Sarkhanese poet, drama critic, and government official, addresses the Sarkhanese cabinet. He insists they must address the offense taken by Ambassador Sears over a hostile cartoon published in a local newspaper.

Li Pang

Li Pang, both a businessman and soldier, represents Chiang Kai-shek, the Chinese nationalist leader. He is also a longtime friend of Ambassador MacWhite. During a visit to MacWhite, Li Pang interrogates Donald, the elderly Chinese servant, discovering that he has been leaking information to the communists.

Roger

Roger is one of the two elderly Chinese servants employed at the U.S. Embassy in Sarkhan.

Ambassador Louis Sears

Louis Sears, known as "Lucky" due to his successful political career, serves as the U.S. ambassador to Sarkhan. A former U.S. senator, he is in Sarkhan for just two years while awaiting a federal judgeship vacancy. During his tenure, Sears makes no effort to learn the Sarkhanese language or engage with the local people, leaving him largely unaware of the country's true state of affairs. He spends most of his time at cocktail parties and conversing with other diplomats. Sears exemplifies the flaws in U.S. diplomacy in Southeast Asia. The Russians find him so inept that they prefer he remains in his position, as his incompetence benefits them. Eventually, Sears secures his judgeship and is replaced by Gilbert MacWhite.

U Maung Swe

U Maung Swe is Burma's most prominent journalist. In 1954, during a dinner honoring Ambassador MacWhite, U Maung Swe thoroughly explains why U.S. prestige in Southeast Asia is declining.

George Swift

George Swift serves as the deputy chief of mission at the U.S. Embassy in Sarkhan. He is tasked with undermining Colonel Hillandale's appointment to read the king of Sarkhan's palm. Infuriated by Swift's actions, Hillandale punches him. Ambassador MacWhite, recognizing Swift's lack of cultural awareness, arranges for his transfer.

Major James Wolchek

Major James Wolchek, nicknamed "Tex" because he hails from Texas, is a seasoned combat veteran of both World War II and the Korean War. He sustained injuries in both conflicts. In 1954, he is stationed as a foreign observer with the French Foreign Legion in Hanoi, Vietnam, where he meets Major Monet. After a series of defeats by the communists, Tex realizes the French are losing because they adhere to outdated warfare tactics, while the communists employ Mao Tse-tung's modern strategies. Tex elucidates Mao's battle techniques, leading to a successful engagement for Monet and the legionnaires against the communists, during which Tex is slightly injured.