OVERVIEWIT has become increasingly apparent in recent years that systems containing b quarks offer unique opportunities for studying the theoretical edifice of particle physics, the so-called "Standard Model." Although measurements with these b-quark systems offer a host of possibilities, the one that has riveted the attention of the particle physics community worldwide is the potential for understanding the origin of the phenomenon of CP violation-a small deviation in Nature's otherwise symmetric order that has been clearly observed but whose origins remain a mystery. The phenomenon of CP violation has cosmic consequences; in particular, it played a crucial role in the formation of our Universe. Thus, to understand it is one of the central goals in our quest to comprehend the orderly foundations of the natural world. The program of CP violation studies that we envision has great discovery potential; should the measurements disagree with predictions of the Standard Model, the observed pattern of CP violation will provide substantial and specific clues as to how the model should be extended.Capitalizing on recent advances in detector technology and newly acquired information on the properties of the b quark, it is r«jw widely accepted that a highluminosity, asymmetric e + e _ collider offers an ideal platform for an exhaustive study of CP violation. This fact was forcefully endorsed last year by HEPAP through the deliberations and recommendations of its subpanel on the U.S. High Energy Physics Research Program for the 1990s (the Sciulli panel, DOE/ER-0453P and the accompanying transmittal letter, April 1990). The thrust of HEPAP's recommendations was that the physics program of a B factory was compelling and that, given a technically sound proposal fof construction of a machine, funds for such a facility should be sought with high priority.While CP violation is the main motivation for the construction of a B factory, such a facility will also host a very exciting and broad-based program of bottom q,uark t charm quark, T, and two-photon physics. Important tests of the Standard Model are possible in this program and many gaps in our knowledge are sure to be filled in. Because the number and range of distinct topics is very large, an asymmetric B factory will be an ideal facility for the training of young physicists, and we envisage more than 200 Ph.D. theses during the lifetime of the program (conservatively estimated at 15 years). The specific machine implementation discussed heie has a single interaction region, though flexibility exists to expand this to two interaction regions, and therefore two detectors, should the user community consider this important enough to provide the extra funds. A OVERVIEW parasitic program of synchrotron radiation physics and nuclear physics would also be possible with additional funds.A very large international particle physics community is committed to physics studies at an asymmetric e + e-B factory. A group of physicists numbering more than 150 Ph.D.'s h?s been involved with the...