This study questioned the importance of literature for fostering international understanding in junior high school, sought to find those attributes of literature which promote international understanding, and attempted to define criteria for selecting such literature. Questionnaires were sent to all American state education departments and to 18 publishers of literature textbooks for junior high schools. In addition, interviews were conducted with educators in five foreign countries and with UNESCO personnel, and professional writings on the subject were surveyed. Findings indicated that although those interviewed and surveyed felt literature to be an important vehicle for fostering international understanding in the junior high school, only the Danish Ministry of Education had undertaken a program to accomplish this aim. Attributes found to be peculiar to literature as a medium for international understanding were its ability to produce vicarious experience, its ability to stimulate identification with a fictional character, and its universality as an art form. It was recommended that teachers and local boards of education be encouraged to use literature as a resource in teaching international understanding. (DD)