Copyright by Gregory Krauss 2007 - The University of Texas at Austin

win the ideological battle against the Communists, both by denying Communist
governments an opportunity to portray the U.S. as fearful of leftist political
philosophy and by increasing the number of Latin American visitors who stood to be
favorably impressed by the United States.
Much of Lister’s ability to affect policy occurred at the interpretive level. The
cables he sent out to embassies to clarify certain policies provided him an opportunity
to shape those policies—for example, on the threat of guerilla warfare in Bolivia.
Moreover, when speaking to students, Lister claimed to be trying to remove some of
their misconceptions about U.S. foreign policy. Many of the “misconceptions” he
addressed, however, were not misconceptions, but rather a true reflection of certain
strands in U.S. foreign policy thinking—for example, the “misconception” that the
U.S. cares if a country is economically socialist or capitalist. Lister’s speeches and
publications may have served not only to influence Latin American audiences, but
perhaps also to pressure U.S. foreign policymakers to take a nuanced approach to
fighting Communism
All in all, by 1973, Lister could probably have considered his career to have
been moderately successful. Although he had never risen to become an Ambassador
or a top State Department official, he had helped stop the advance of Communism
into Western Europe, particularly in Italy. He had also developed a strong record
combating Communist influence in Latin America. At 60, he was eligible for
retirement from the Foreign Service. But Lister still had more energy left. He had yet
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