ABSTRACT
This chapter suggests that three approaches may be helpful in getting a proper perspective in our thinking about the current scandals in the government. One is the historical approach, another is through analysis of the environment in which government operates, and a third is through an assessment of postwar trends in American public administration. A brief examination of the environment in which public administration operates in our democracy will also help to put the current examples of official misconduct in proper perspective. In a country that is committed to the largest possible measure of individual freedom and initiative and variety in its private enterprises, public administration cannot operate in a vacuum. In a democracy the public service must operate in a political atmosphere. It is right and proper that members of Congress and congressional committees should be interested in facts regarding government policies and procedures.
