Systematic analysis of organic pollutants began a quarter century ago with the decision to apply current methods of organic qualitative analysis to multigram amounts of mixed organic pollutants recovered from extremely large sample volumes, by carbon adsorption or liquid extraction. The available tools (classical organic chemical analysis, sensory methods, molecular complexes, X-ray diffraction, ultraviolet and infrared spectrometry, and primitive chromatography). These tools accomplished some landmark achievements in abatement of organic chemical pollution of water supplies, including: the foundation of oil spill source detection by passive labeling, the analytical proof that forced the conversion of the detergent industry to biodegradable products, the first discovery of unforeseen pollution by chlorinated pesticides, and the first animal studies of carcinogenicity of organic water contaminants. (Portions of this document are not fully legible.)