Retief of the Red-Tape Mountain by Keith Laumer is part of the Retief series, featuring the sharp-witted, no-nonsense protagonist, Jame Retief. Retief is a diplomat in the Corps Diplomatique Terrestrienne (CDT), but unlike his bureaucratic colleagues who are bogged down by red tape, Retief is action-oriented and often resolves diplomatic crises with his keen intellect and pragmatic approach.In this installment, Retief finds himself entangled in a complex situation involving bureaucratic inefficiencies and diplomatic absurdities, symbolized by "Red-Tape Mountain." The setting is likely on a distant planet or in an intergalactic setting where alien governments and Earth-based bureaucracy collide. As usual, Retief must navigate a world where rules, regulations, and officialdom create chaos rather than solving problems.