Descripción
Original b/w illustrated staple-bound wraps 20x27cm with maps inside. xiv, 89pp with several b/w photos. Wraps good only with tears, and separated from the text block. Interiors very good, lightly tanned. Extremely rare, not recorded by Worldcat or Library Hub, and no other references found. No author is indicated, but it includes an open letter from USAID Yemen's Director James Megellas, addressed to Prospective Employees. The US had opened its Legation in Taiz in May 1959, followed by an International Cooperation Administration Representative's office later that year. The ICA office became a USAID Mission in May 1962 in line with the US Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, and the Legation was raised to the status of Embassy in Feb 1963. Megellas (1917-2020) was a highly decorated WW2 hero, who served with USAID for 18 years in Yemen, Panama and Vietnam. With USAID's Mission still in its infancy, this was prepared to familiarise new arrivals with a general description of the country, of the post, housing, food and clothing, recreation and social life, travel and transport, communications, health conditions, protocol, and miscellaneous items (servants, churches, finances etc). The Introduction evokes curiosity, stating "Yemen is a land of striking vistas and fascinating contrasts; until quite recently the country maintained a position of deliberate isolation from the rest of the world, and many of its customs and practices were tied to those of the 13th Century". Director Megellas' warmly enthusiastic letter, opening "Assalam Aleikum - Ahlan wa Sahlan!", promises that Yemen "presents a tremendous opportunity" for the dedicated and adventurous. He openly addresses the Cold War angle, and the need to promote development based on Western ideology: the aim is "to provide the Yemeni both directly through our program and by example, an opportunity for economic freedom on a self-help basis. It must be noted that the Communist Bloc has been active with an economic assistance program in Yemen for about three years longer than the Free World, and the size of their program has been estimated to be roughly three times as large as ours" (pp. xiii-xiv). The post was centred in Taiz, and Part II includes a description of the city - "dramatic in setting and appearance ", "a picturesque Arab town built within walls and has many mosques and minarets" - and how best to get there via Asmara by air. The Programs to which the newcomers would have been attached are described, along with progress to date, including: Roads (Mocha to Sanaa via Taiz and Ibb); Water Supply and Environmental Sanitation for Taiz; Water Development and Conservation (studying some of Yemen's major wadis before embarking on their development); Special Scholarships (Lebanon) ("for a limited number of Yemeni boys"); and the Taiz (Yemen) American Community School (pp37-41). The photos give a flavour of the country and its people, as well as the Mission and its facilities. The maps are of Yemen (1cm to 24km, showing completed USAID roads, programmed USAID roads, Chinese roads, and existing tracks); and The Arab States. N° de ref. del artículo 5076
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