Commodore Perry and the Opening of Japan . By Ferdinand Kuhn. Illus. J. Graham Kaye. New York: Random House, 1955. v, 183. Index. $1.50.

complex scale, comparable conflicts between the desire of officials in underdeveloped countries for help and their shame at fully revealing the scope of the needs of their countrymen; fear, misunderstanding, indifference, and opposition among the beneficiaries; problems of communication in cooperative ventures; conflicts of authority and jurisdiction; problems of decision-making and of the execution of decisions; and, above all, the delicate interactions between the particular part of the economy or culture directly and immediately affected by technical aid, and other components. While each of these case histories presents failures, each also offers successes. The programs of the land reform in Taiwan, of the hookworm campaign in Ceylon, and of the introduction of democratic employment practices in Japan represent large measures of success. The reasons for both failures and successes are illuminating. The editors and contributors are to be commended for their initiative and competence in carrying through this project.