From the Publisher

By Robert L. Miller

Do you ever wonder how Washington really works? Twenty-three leaders of top U.S. and foreign corporations tried to find out last week in a three-day, TIME-sponsored visit to the nation's capital. White House Chief of Staff John Sununu opened the TIME Executive News Conference with a spirited defense of the President's first 100 days. Cabinet Secretaries painted a dismaying picture of U.S. drug, environmental and educational problems. One morning was spent in the CIA's domed and soundproofed "bubble" with officials, including Director William Webster. In a majestic Supreme Court conference room, Associate Justice Anthony Kennedy paced cheerfully as he quoted from Shakespeare and the Constitution. Assuring his visitors that it was all right to stay longer, Kennedy quipped, "Hey, I'm going to be here for the rest of my life."

At the end, the participants appeared more confident about America's international position than its domestic challenges. "I was impressed by the seriousness of our domestic problems," said James Harvey, chairman of Transamerica Corp. "But at least we are squarely facing them. In business, half the solution is simply knowing the problem."

FOOTNOTE: OUR GUEST JOURNALISTS: Dwayne Andreas, Archer Daniels Midland; J. Robert Ave, Lorillard; C.M. Bishop Jr., Pendleton Woolen Mills; Howard Cooley, Jockey International; Ronald Davis, Perrier; *J.F.A. de Soet, KLM; Patrick Foley, DHL Corp.; R. Michael Franz, Murata Business Systems; Ernest Gallo, Gallo Winery; James Harvey, Transamerica; Kim Duk-Choong, Daewoo Group; Philip *Knight, Nike; Gunter Kramer, BMW; George Lawrence, American Gas Assn.; Richard Maher, Christian Brothers Winery; Henri Michel, Aerospatiale; Mechlin Moore, Insurance Information Insti*tute; Hideo Nakao, NEC Electronics; Steven Ross, Warner Communications; Anton Rupert, Rembrandt Group; Robert Sinclair, Saab; Preston Robert Tisch, Loews; Graham Whitehead, Jaguar.*