Published in 1959 at the height of the Cold War, this story describes the small Pyreneean principality of Sainte-Roche which is going broke, so at the suggestion of the young prince's new English valet Robert Brown) it decides to stage a fake Communist revolt to attract US financial aid. The revolt is frankly unbelievable (the prince's army of 52 is armed with flintlock muskets, a fact which supposedly does not detract from its credibility in the eyes seven visiting international journalists) but it duly convinces the US to supply generous aid, starting by rebuilding the only bridge leading to the principality (which had been blown up during World War 2 and never repaired). To finalize the agreement, the handsome young prince Andre and his valet (promoted to Foreign Secretary as the only fluent English speaker in the principality) go to Paris, where the prince falls in love with Betty, daughter and heiress of Adam K, Hopkins of the Hopkins hotel chain. Meanwhile the valet/foreign secretary is approached by crooks who had forged his references in hopes of getting at the principality's famous jewels. He tells them he has reformed and they get thrown out of France. Back in Sainte-Roche where modernization is in full swing, Betty persuades her father to visit hoping to renew her romance with the prince. Her father is more interested in buying land from the prince to build a hotel, and since the real government is uninterested, one of Brown's crooked former associates helpfully forges a contract with the prince. (spoiler warning) the crook Fishy Pike then tries to steal the princely jewels, but Brown fights him off and he is permitted to escape. Brown confesses his imposture and is told the prince (and the wise old abbe) already knew it, and they still want Brown as foreign secretary. Pike successfully palms off his fake contract on Hopkins, but is captured by the French border guards while trying to escape. Hopkins takes his contract around to the palace and finds his daughter in Andre's arms. The prince cheerfully informs him that the contract is invalid but he can grant the land to Hopkins as his father-in-law after he marries Betty. .My favorite line from this book is when one American adviser tries to explain to another how the people of Sainte-Roche feel about sudden modernization by asking "How would you feel if a Martian showed up and told you electricity was obsolete/" And the other American just replies "Better.' ( )