In this paper, the author explores the re-interpretation of historical circumstance created by Thomas A. Dooley III in his book Deliver Us From Evil: The Story of Vietnam's Flight to Freedom (1956), to reveal a Euro-centric view of the world, which confers less importance to the “brown” people of the Orient than it does to the “white” people of the Occident. This implies Dooley's insidious use of expansionist rhetoric in his description of events to support America's belief in its exceptional position in the universe, which finds its roots in a 17th-century concept of America promulgated by the Puritans upon their arrival in the New World. Dooley's fictionalized first-person account of what happened during his tour-of-duty in Vietnam can be classified as either a memoir or a travel narrative, depending on the means of classification. In this survey, the author proceeds under the assumption that it is a sensationalized memoir. Despite the critical success the book received when it was first published, scholars have largely overlooked the cultural and historical significance of the text. In the beginning, the author outlines the Dooley family tree to provide adequate background information, followed subsequently by a brief description of the memoir and a discussion of Post-Colonial literary theory.

Thomas A. Dooley III was born to Thomas A. Dooley Jr. and Agnes Wise Dooley, a scion of a well-known Roman Catholic Irish-American family in Saint Louis, Missouri on January17, 1927. His grandfather Thomas Anthony Dooley Sr. achieved his wealth and status as a “selfmade” man, rising to become the General Manager of the American Car and Foundry Company in St. Louis, Missouri (Fisher 1997: 13). William K. Bixby, who was a philanthropist and collector of art and rare books, in and around the Saint Louis area, was one of Dooley Sr.'s superiors “in the corporate chain of command” (15) and a close personal friend, who aided Dooley Sr.'s rise to prominence. Thomas Anthony Dooley Jr. followed in his father's footsteps, ultimately assuming his position as General Manager upon his death (17). As a youth, Thomas Anthony Dooley III attended the best schools money could buy, thanks to his grandfather's insistence.