Assignment--Pentagon : the insider's guide to the Potomac puzzle palace / Perry M. Smith ; foreword by Harold Brown.

Includes bibliographical references (pages 216-218) and index.

1. Introduction -- 2. The Pentagon: Realities and Myths -- 3. Rules of Thumb: Helpful Hints on How to Get Ready to Work, Survive, and Thrive -- 4. Pentagon Truisms -- 5. The Strange Language of the Puzzle Palace -- 6. Where Were You When the Page Was Blank?: The Agony and the Ecstasy of the Action Officer -- 7. The Branch and Division Chiefs: A Forgotten Breed -- 8. Flag Officers, Senior Civilians, and Political Appointees: The Need for Leadership -- 9. Difficult Bosses -- 10. Operating in the Tank: A View from the Inner Sanctum -- 11. The Joint Staff -- 12. The Office of the Secretary of Defense -- 13. The Complex Pattern of Rivalry and Competition -- 14. The Planning, Programming, and Budgeting System -- 15. Working with Defense Contractors -- 16. Some of the Fudge Factory's Deficiencies -- 17. Some Pentagon Freebies and Pleasures to Investigate -- 18. Interviewing -- 19. How to Give and Receive Briefings in the Pentagon -- 20. Phrases to Avoid.

21. A Scholar's View of the Pentagon -- 22. Military Ethics in the Pentagon -- 23. Future Shock: Pentagon Changes Through the Year 2000 -- App. A. Annotated Bibliography -- App. B. Sample Welcome Letter -- App. C. Transition into the Pentagon Checklist -- App. D. Interview Checklist: Some Questions to Expect -- App. E. The Heartbreak of House Hunting -- App. F. Family, Cultural, Academic, and Job Opportunities -- App. G. Glossary -- App. H. Maps.