lank Acknowledgments Parts of this book have appeared in somewhat different form in the Harvard Business Review, The Public Relations Strategist of the Public Relations Society of America, and The PR Encyclopedia, scheduled to be released by Sage Publications in 2004. Several of my former AT&T colleagues, especially Sue Fleming, Sheldon Hochheiser, and Bruce Brackett, searched their files and memories to help me keep dates, names, and events straight. Pat Pol- lino, who started at Western Electric with me several decades ago and today holds an impressive position at Mercer Management, provided the outside enthusiasm that I needed in order to get serious about this project. Most importantly, he introduced me to Paul Hemp at the Harvard Business Review, who convinced his colleagues that a PR guy from AT&T, of all places, might have something interesting to say- and then saw to it that I delivered the goods. Paul and his colleague Andy O'Connell taught me the value of good editors. Ellen Kadin, at AMACOM, picked up where they left off, patiently helping me shape a book that would appeal to a broader audience than I first thought. Several friends offered constructive comments and suggestions as I developed my manuscript. Ed Block provided the perspective of his own career directing public relations for AT&T. Gershon Kekst, one of the wisest PR counselors practicing today, helped me calculate the true meaning of my experience. Michele Tringali, who once handled public relations for AT&T's consumer long-distance business, helped me to better understand its intricacies and dynamics. Adele Ambrose and Burt Wolder helped me reinterpret several of the more significant experiences we shared. Molly Dowd and Magda Guillen of Kekst and Company were par- ticularly insightful "civilian" reviewers of the first draft and offered many helpful comments and suggestions. Jack Johnson gave me the Acknowledgments benefit of his experience in both the legal and investment banking professions and proved to be a sharp-eyed editor in additi