Part of the purpose of the “Background to Action” series was to demonstrate—in the title of one of the articles—“The Shifted Centre”: “… New York is to mid-century what Paris was to the early twentiethcentury: it is the center of western art.” Power and influence had ceded to the USA with the effect that “It has been a shock in Europe to find oneself on the receiving instead of the transmitting end of an aesthetic…” With Modern Art in the United States, Alloway's love of American popular culture had been matched by his respect for contemporary American art. The impact of the USA was felt keenly in the UK in 1957, from Modern Art in the United States, through the new interest in Americana in journals and magazines, to rock ‘n ’roll. It was only a matter of time before Alloway beat a path to the new center. In 1958, with the support and guidance of Stefan Munsing, the cultural attaché at the American Embassy that he had got to know through his position at the ICA, Alloway was awarded a Foreign Leader Grant from the US State Department. During the nine weeks of his trip, his itinerary took him to Washington, Philadelphia, New York City, Boston, Buffalo, Cleveland, Detroit, Chicago, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and then back to Washington and New York City. Nearly four weeks in total were spent in New York.

The one major disappointment was meeting Art News’ Tom Hess who “didn't seem to want to continue our association,” and Alloway ceased to be a regular contributor to the magazine. Otherwise, the trip enabled Alloway to immerse himself in contemporary American culture. There were visits to a new building by Frank Lloyd Wright, a poetry reading by e.e. cummings, a gig by Gerry Mulligan (“Big noise in a small cellar: it was wonderful”), and the offices of Astounding Science Fiction and Mad to meet the editor and “get info on back numbers.” His regular letters home to Sylvia Sleigh reveal unbridled enthusiasm for the USA in general, and New York City in particular.