From the late 1960s to the spring of 1970 there was an acceleration of anti-war protest and political movements. At Stanford University this period was characterized by controversy, deep divisions within the university community, disruption of classes, student strikes, and the presence of uniformed police on campus. In this environment of turbulence and violence, a major decision was reached to remove ROTC from Stanford. It was a decision that raised questions concerning the legitimacy of the governing role of the board of trustees, the president, the faculty and the students. It caused a crisis in the decision-making process and an altering of the power structure of the university. It extended beyond the single topic of ROTC, beyond the question of legitimate authority, to include such matters as the ethics of classified research, rivalry between academic disciplines, and the very fundamental question of academic freedom. This document attempts to identify and analyze, from a political perspective, the decision-making process that produced the "ROTC decision." It begins with an exploration of the Stanford decision-making system and proceeds to describe the "political perspective." (Author/KE)