I should probably admit right up front that part of the reason I find this book intriguing is my love of old manuals and guides. Seriously. Cookbooks are my absolute favourite, but scouting handbooks, health textbooks, and travel guides are all lots of fun to read when they’re at least twenty-five years out of date.
But then there’s also this article, which points out the more serious side of the book:
The U.S. soldiers in Iraq during World War II were less focused on battles with troops than the sort of battle over the “hearts and minds” of the local population. Given that Hitler was also seeking support for those same hearts and minds, the book advises that learning about Iraq is key because “the best way to get along with any people is to understand them.”
