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In this article, two former staff members of the Secretary o f State's Policy Planning Staff present their views o f one of the federal government's most important policy offices. The article provides a description of the unit's organizational characteristics and responsibilities, anhistorical assessment o f the ofice under successive chiefs, and an evaluation and discussion of the characteristics that have contributed most to its effectiveness. The authors assess the ofice's effectiveness using the criteria that a successful policy ofice is one that can both influence policy issues and sustain that influence over a reasonable period. They conclude by identifying the principal characteristics, be they staffing, working relationships, organizational hierarchy, andlor substantive responsibilities that make for a first-rate policy analysis unit.