The study examines the operation of the three variables- conflict, co-optation and adaptation within the context of a program to t r a i n l i b r a r i a n s operated by the U.S. Office of Education under the authority of T i t l e II-B of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (Public Law 89-329). The program studied was administered by the Division of Library Programs of the U.S. Office of Education and the years 1968 and 1969 form the data base for the study, which i s exploratory in nature. Data sources for the study are unstructured interviews with directors of t r a i n i n g programs, regional and headquarters staff of the Division of Library Programs, deans and directors of l i b r a r y schools and s t a f f members of the American Library Association. In addition, program records and f i l e s and published materials r e l a t i v e to the Higher Education Act were consulted. A thirty-one item questionnaire was sent to a 20% random sample of the 4,620 t r a i n i ng program p a r t i c i p a n t s . There were 670 responses providing a 76% response r a t e . A questionnaire was also sent to the 120 persons who had served as a director of one or more of the t r a i n i n g programs and seventy-eight responses, or 67%, were received. Significant conclusions of the study are: (1) Closed decision making eliminated many real organizat i o n a l conflicts but generated a high level of apparent conflict with actors in the process. (2) A proposition developed by James L. Price, that centrali z a t i o n of decision making lowers conflict in organizations, was supported but found to be too s i m p l i s t i c. (3) Actions of an i n t e r e s t group resulted in pre-co-optation of the program and insured that the training program would serve primarily the i n t e r e s t s of a single i n t e r e s t group within the library profession. (4) Centralization of decision making produced a very low level of adaptlveness within the administration of the program.