The heads of these divisions, like barons in a feudal system weakened at the top by mutual suspicion and jealousy between king and prince, were constantly at odds if not at war... For the most part the barons were knowledgeable people performing in a way the times had completely outdated, a fact of which they were quite unaware.

Present at the Creation: My Years in the State Department (1969) - State Department Management / Leadership Perspectives