This dissertation analyzes U.S. policy on higher education during the American occupation of Okinawa. As the rise of the Cold War shaped the character of the Ryukyu Islands, postwar educational rehabilitation was positioned as the basis of an ideological battle between the United States and the Soviet Union. Among educational rehabilitation projects, the University of the Ryukyus Project was a centerpiece of Cold War educational policy. The U.S. military expected that the university would consistently educate new pro-American elite groups. With the scope of education policy expanding, however, the military was forced to handle many issues which required advanced academic skill. To accelerate the reconstruction process, the Army sought assistance from outside experts. MSU was selected as the mentor of the University of the Ryukyus because its excellent curricula satisfied the Army's requirement of practical programs. While many scholarly works argue that postwar Okinawa succeeded in developing a democratic educational system, Okinawans were in fact disillusioned with American educational system because undemocratic practices and wide-spread racial and economic discrimination raised uncomfortable feelings in Okinawan society. Ironically, Okinawan teachers and the students of the university became the vanguard of the restoration movement in Okinawa.
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