The reader is given a rare view of the operations of the Vatican in the diplomatic world and some fascinating sidelights into the Vatican archives such as the role Benjamin Franklin played in the selection of the first Catholic Bishop in the United States and what the Pope actually intended to do about Henry the VIII. The author brings the reader into the fascinating and colorful political world of the Vatican, a unique entity with the dual nature of political state which functions apart from its other position as center of the Roman Catholic Church. A separate politcal state with diplomatic offices in most countries in the world, the Vatican has a unique position as a listening post unlike any other country in the world. Robert Illing brings the reader into that fascinating world.