The Green Revolution -- in contrast to the Red

So the American planners turned to the most up to date theory. It was called The Green Revolution (as opposed to The Red Revolution the Russians were exporting). It was based on the new type of high-yield wheat that had been developed by a scientist called Norman Borlaug. And the development agenicies brought in 170 tons of the experimental dwarf wheat developed by Borlaug in Mexico.

That's one passage out of "The Lost History of Helmand Afghanistan" by Adam Curtis of the BBC, a fascinating long-read story of attempted positive US intervention in the 1950s.

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