The elementary geometric structure
                    of compact Lie groups  
         
              by  W. G. Dwyer and C. W. Wilkerson 

We give geometric proofs of some of the basic structure theorems for
compact Lie groups. The goal is to take a fresh look at these
theorems, prove some that are difficult to find in the literature, and
illustrate an approach to the theorems that can be imitated in the
homotopy theoretic setting of $p$-compact groups.