The official policy of the United States government for its military and foreign service personnel is that they are to represent the interests of the USA to other governments. When anyone identifies too closely with the culture and behaviors of another country, that person is often construed to have "gone native," and may be transferred out of sensitive assignments, or even may be rotated out of the country concerned, judged unreliable for official duties in the context of interest.

Personnel in sensitive positions who marry foreign nationals often lose their security clearance.

The Alleys of Eden presents ordinary human beings in dire straits. It gives opportunity for discussing how individuals respond to civilian clashes of culture and to the pressures of military service which can include causing the suffering and death of other human beings.

1. What circumstances brought Lanh to the life of a Saigon bar...