Missionary Capitalist, Nelson Rockefeller in Venezuela. DARLENE RIVAS: Chapel Hill: The University of North Carolina Press, 2002.

Abstract

In recent years, many writers have examined the foreign interests of Nelson Rockefeller, as well as those of the larger Rockefeller family. How should one view the historic legacy of the Rockefeller family interests abroad? Shouldone regard Nelson Rockefeller as a self-serving figure, ruthlessly exploiting the Third World and Latin America in order to advance his own narrow business interests? Or, should one see him as an enlightened businessman, generously attempting to lift Latin American countries from poverty? In addressing these questions, scholars have adopted a number of approaches. Some studies, such as Edward Berman's The Influence of the Carnegie, Ford, and Rockefeller Foundations on American Foreign Policy: TheIdeology of Philanthropy, have dealt with the intersection between Rockefeller interests and wider US hegemony abroad.