Book Reviews : The Washington Lobbyists. By LESTER W. MILBRATH. (Chicago: Rand-McNally, 1963. Pp. xiv, 431. $6.00.)

• DOI: 10.1177/106591296401700451
• Date: 01 December 1964
• Published date: 01 December 1964
• Subject Matter: Articles

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The chapter on &dquo;The Alliance for Progress&dquo; has special significance in 1964. He
is not bemused by the visionaries who expect Marshall Plan results in a comparatively
brief period. There was recognition, however, that some elements of Marshall Plan
organization could conceivably, but not certainly, be incorporated into the Alliance
for Progress format. He was particularly concerned with the reliance on bilateral
arrangements and with the absence of an effective regional authority among the
recipient states. In a postcript he gave implied approval to the establishment of the
Inter-American Committee on the Alliance for Progress. Certainly any rational
effort to &dquo;Latinize&dquo; the Alliance would have Professor Mason’s support.
Both friends and critics of foreign aid should examine and ponder his basic con-
clusions, which he asserts are supported by demonstrated facts. These conclusions
are: (1) &dquo;that in at least a large part of the less developed world foreign aid can
make and has made an effective contribution to economic development,&dquo; and (2)
&dquo;that most countries, developed and underdeveloped, desperately want to be inde-
pendent of external control.&dquo; Advocates of foreign aid will consider the support too
mild and restrained. But the questioning student and the uncertain citizen will find
the prescription sensible and persuasive.
M. R. MERRILL
Utah State University
The Washington Lobbyists. By LESTER W. MILBRATH. (Chicago: Rand-McNally,
1963. Pp. xiv, 431. $6.00.)
This is a book about Washington lobbyists as individuals and is based prin-
cipally on lengthy interviews with a random sample of 101 lobbyists, supplemented
with interviews of 38 persons in Congress. No one has ever presented data in such
quantity about lobbyists before and therefore this is an important book. I hope that
Milbrath’s efforts will stimulate others to build on his contribution.
The book is organized into four parts. The first is introductory and,...