This book proposes a model of corruption that analyzes the phenomenon for the most part as a hidden but integral feature of the American political system, a resource designed not to undermine the workings of government but actually to expedite them. While it is, of course, individuals who actually engage in corruption, their motives are often beyond simple avarice; moreover, it is the political system that condones and even encourages such actions. The book contains five case studies of contemporary American political corruption on the federal level: the HUD scandals, Wedtech, Iran-Contra, procurement irregularities in the Pentagon, and the savings and loan fiasco. In his final chapter the author suggests some ways in which political corruption and its effects might be reduced.