Both the art of governing and the formal abstractions of policy analysis have much to learn from careful accounts of the course of actual decisions, particularly when such descriptions are devoid of journalistic exposé and participant's whitewash. In this insider's detailed account of the substance and process that produced the U.S.–U.S.S.R. grain agreement, Professor Roger B. Porter has provided unusually rich materials for practitioners and theorists alike.

The events surrounding the 1975 negotiation of the five-year grain agreement with the Soviet Union reflect a variety of complex issues, including the interaction of U.S. domestic and international interests; relations between the superpowers; questions of technical economic analysis and stark partisan politics; conflicts among labor, management, and agriculture; the resolution of a work stoppage; policy regarding international trade and shipping and concern over prospective domestic food prices; congressional reactions and involvement; and the appearances conveyed to the press, the media, and the American public about the decision process. These interrelated and tangled issues involving many government agencies provide a complex case to illuminate the shaping and resolution of questions that constitute the art of governing at the highest level of the federal government.

The narrative of the grain agreement illustrates the decisive importance for action that derives from current and reliable data sources.