The diary is arranged by interview and visit. John Marshall is an associate director of the Rockefeller Foundation's Humanities Division. The Humanities Program focus is to stimulate cultural growth by increasing aid to interpretative studies of recent studies, assist American studies in other countries, and grants in creative writing, music and the other arts. Marshall takes a trip to the Near East from 16 March to 4 April, 1954 to survey higher education in the Near East, American studies abroad and attend a conference in Cairo, Egypt. He attend attends the Stratford Ontario Shakespeare Festival from July 13-15, 1954 in Canada and speaks to various professionals in the arts.