Learn English – Origin of figurative use of ‘ugly American’ in the pejorative sense of ‘ignorant, arrogant U.S. citizen abroad’

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The expression "ugly American" evidently became famous through a novel—William J. Lederer & Eugene Burdick, The Ugly American (1958). The title character, Homer Atkins, although physically unattractive, is a capable engineer and an honest representative of U.S. interests abroad (specifically, in a fictionalized Burma), but he is appalled and frustrated by the incompetence, greed, and arrogance of other U.S. representatives. One of the ironies of the book is that the physically ugly American is among the most admirable Americans.

But as the cover of a 1999 reissue of the novel observes, the book's title "became a synonym for what was wrong with American foreign policy." And at some point, the meaning of the term expanded to cover any rude, oblivious, entitled U.S. citizen abroad, whether the person is associated with the U.S. government or not.

My question is, when did this change in the understood meaning of "ugly American" from a literal description of Homer Atkins to a figurative description of a stereotypically ignorant, abrasive, entitled U.S. citizen abroad occur?

I checked a number of dictionaries of idioms, slang, and clichés, and could not find any account of when the pejorative sense of "ugly American" emerged. An item in the Congressional Record of June 9, 1960, however suggests that it may have happened rather quickly:

Mr. [Frank] BOW [of Ohio]. Mr. Speaker, the Department of State may well be proud of Miss Frances Knight, Director of the U.S. Passport Office.

In many instances State Department personnel are subject to criticism and ridicule, many times without justification. My knowledge of them is that they are generally a very fine group of devoted public servants, dedicated Americans.

However, Miss Knight's article "Don't Be an 'Ugly American,'" inserted in the Congressional Record of June 6, 1960, is proof positive of a sincere desire to create a proper and true image of Americans abroad. As in the State Department, so among our tourists abroad, a small minority cast unfortunate shadows on the unoffending majority.

Evidently, Knight's article, which appeared originally in Parade Magazine (June 5, 1960) was an argument and a plea for U.S. tourists to express their patriotism by improving their manners and respect for the countries and people they visited while traveling abroad.

Is there any evidence that the figurative meaning of "ugly American" that Knight invokes arose even earlier than June 1960?

Best Answer

The Ugly American

The term was used as the title of a 1948 photograph of an American tourist in Havana by the Cuban photographer Constantino Arias. Richard P. Horwitz, Ed.,The American Studies Anthology

American in Havana

My sense of this is of a pejorative nature and it predates the book and the congressional record entry of 1960. But I do not purport that this answers your question.

Wikipedia relates badly behaving American travelers to Twain and D. O. Stewart. ugly American - pejorative

This ngram shows even earlier use of ugly American. I reviewed the summary of each from 1800 to 1950 (only 3 pages worth). They describe ugly buildings, ugly people but nothing to suggest to me the figurative transition you seek.

ngram 'ugly american'

There are also references to post '9/11' and the actions, primarily militarily, that earn the figurative sense. gnovis.com

“Are You An Ugly American?” This term, in its post-9/11 reemergence, created a common enemy among the actors on the international stage whom have most critically written that “it is not the American who is ugly but America which is ugly”

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