Program Planning in the U. S. Department of the Interior, 1946-53

PLANNING, John Gaus has suggested, not . . . a general political theory, or a doctrine of public functions and powers, but a process . . . of facilitating better decision-making.' One might add that planning is not the ultimate solution for all governmental problems, but it does offer hope of wiser judgments and more intelligent choices. It suggests decisions based on rational analyses and logical appraisals, rather than on hunch and horse-trading. The program planning process is pluralistic, and a complete study of its workings within a federal department would have to encompass relationships among its bureaus and divisions and with the public, pressure and interest groups, other agencies, and the Congress.2 This article is limited to several key developments and concepts related to the work of the Program Staff, a planning agency of the Secretary of the Interior from 1946 to 1953. At the secretarial level, program leadership is a dynamic and tremendously complex task. It relies upon a variety of formal and informal methods, and its limits are set by a wide array of factors, some internal and some with their roots in external political and social situations. Within the Department of the Interior there

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