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The

ART

of

NEGOTIATION

 

 

 

 

by

GORDON WADE RULE

 

To My Country

CONTENTS

About the Author

Foreword

    I.     Introduction

   II.    What is Negotiation

   III.   Who Should Negotiate

   IV.    Preparation for a Negotiation

   V.     Conduct of a Negotiation

   A—Things To Do

   B—Things Not To Do

   VI.    Conclusion

PAGE

iv

1

5

9

19

33

33

42

49

Introduction to The Art of Negotiation

By Robert Antonio

Among the titles he held, Gordon Wade Rule was the Director, Procurement and Contract Clearance, at the Naval Materiel Command.  In that position, he reviewed and approved all significant Navy contract business clearances prior to contract award.  To say Gordon Rule had strong opinions is an understatement.  Gordon Rule was a legend in federal contracting and took on all those that he felt were wasting taxpayer funds.  As this guide shows, he also had strong opinions on foreign affairs.    

Gordon Rule wrote The Art of Negotiation in 1962, published and copyrighted it himself, and dedicated it to the United States of America.  He provided a brief autobiographical sketch in the front of the guide (About the Author).  In addition to his description, I will add that he was born in Washington, D. C., received his law degree at the George Washington University Law School, practiced as an attorney with Covington & Burling, started his own law firm, and served in two wars.  In 1963, he joined the Navy's procurement and contract clearance office.

I met Gordon Rule in 1976.  Since he was a legend in our world of contracting, I was looking forward to seeing him.  He entered the room and quickly directed our eyes to a document he presented.  Out of the corner of my eye, I took a quick peek at him.  He was dressed in a dark, vested suit, with his watch chain strung perfectly from one side of the vest, around a button, to the other side of the vest.  He had tufts of white hair on his head and a modest paunch.  All I could think of was Winston Churchill—the Prime Minister of Great Britain during World War II.  Years later, I met one of Gordon Rule's colleagues and told him about my first impression.  He smiled, laughed, and said "Gordon Rule not only looked like Winston Churchill, he thought he was Winston Churchill."   

For the past few years, I have searched the internet using Gordon Wade Rule.  You can find information on his adversaries and his other contemporaries.  However, I found little, if anything, on the internet about Gordon Wade Rule.  With this publication, I introduce Gordon Rule to the internet with the hope that the current generation of contracting professionals becomes familiar with one of our legends. 

This guide is published as closely to the original format as as I could.  It is presented in the same chapter and page format. 

The reader of The Art of Negotiation will note Gordon Rule's references to man, men, and he.  It must be remembered, that in 1962, the workplace was dominated by men.  It is hoped that this noticeable feature of the work will not distract the reader from the information provided in the guide.  Additionally, some individuals and events noted in the guide are now historical figures and events.

About the Copyright

In 1962, Gordon Rule obtained the copyright in his name.  This copyright appears on the last page of the guide.  The copyright expired in 1990.  I reviewed the copyright records maintained by the U. S. Copyright Office and could not identify any extension of the copyright.  Since the copyright expired in 1990, it is in the public domain.