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 to survey Arab studies, Language and translation projects. The diary includes reports on Egypt and Iraq's current political climate.