A vector measure result is used to study the complementation of the space $K(X,Y)$ of compact operators in the spaces $W(X,Y)$ of weakly compact operators, $CC(X,Y)$ of completely continuous operators, and $U(X,Y)$ of unconditionally converging operators. Results of Kalton and Emmanuele concerning the complementation of $K(X,Y)$ in $L(X,Y)$ and in $W(X,Y)$ are generalized. The containment of $c_0$ and $\ell_\infty$ in spaces of operators is also studied.

We study the complementation of the space $W(X,Y)$ of weakly compact operators, the space $K(X,Y)$ of compact operators, the space $U(X,Y)$ of unconditionally converging operators, and the space $CC(X,Y)$ of completely continuous operators in the space $L(X,Y)$ of bounded linear operators from $X$ to $Y$. Feder proved that if $X$ is infinite-dimensional and $c_0 \hookrightarrow Y$, then $K(X,Y)$ is uncomplemented in $L(X,Y)$. Emmanuele and John showed that if $c_0 \hookrightarrow K(X,Y)$, then $K(X,Y)$ is uncomplemented in $L(X,Y)$. Bator and Lewis showed that if $X$ is not a Grothendieck space and $c_0 \hookrightarrow Y$, then $W(X,Y)$ is uncomplemented in $L(X,Y)$. In this paper, classical results of Kalton and separably determined operator ideals with property $(*)$ are used to obtain complementation results that yield these theorems as corollaries.

The Banach spaces $L(X, Y)$, $K(X, Y)$, $L_{w^*}(X^*, Y)$, and $K_{w^*}(X^*, Y)$ are studied to determine when they contain the classical Banach spaces $c_o$ or $\ell_\infty$. The complementation of the Banach space $K(X, Y)$ in $L(X, Y)$ is discussed as well as what impact this complementation has on the embedding of $c_o$ or $\ell_\infty$ in $K(X, Y)$ or $L(X, Y)$. Results of Kalton, Feder, and Emmanuele concerning the complementation of $K(X, Y)$ in $L(X, Y)$ are generalized. Results concerning the complementation of the Banach space $K_{w^*}(X^*, Y)$ in $L_{w^*}(X^*, Y)$ are also explored as well as how that complementation affects the embedding of $c_o$ or $\ell_\infty$ in $K_{w^*}(X^*, Y)$ or $L_{w^*}(X^*, Y)$. The $\ell_p$ spaces for $1 = p < \infty$ are studied to determine when the space of compact operators from one $\ell_p$ space to another contains $c_o$. The paper contains a new result which classifies these spaces of operators. A new result using vector measures is given to provide more efficient proofs of theorems by Kalton, Feder, Emmanuele, Emmanuele and John, and Bator and Lewis.

Classical results of Kalton and techniques of Feder are used to study the complementation of the space $W(X, Y)$ of weakly compact operators and the space $K(X,Y)$ of compact operators in the space $L(X,Y)$ of all bounded linear maps from X to Y.

J. Elton used an application of Ramsey theory to show that if $X$ is an infinite dimensional Banach space, then $c_0$ embeds in $X$, $\ell_1$ embeds in $X$, or there is a subspace of $X$ that fails to have the Dunford--Pettis property. Bessaga and Pelczynski showed that if $c_0$ embeds in $X^*$, then $\ell_\infty$ embeds in $X^*$. Emmanuele and John showed that if $c_0$ embeds in $K(X,Y)$, then $K(X,Y)$ is not complemented in $L(X,Y)$. Classical results from Schauder basis theory are used in a study of Dunford--Pettis sets and strong Dunford--Pettis sets to extend each of the preceding theorems. The space $L_{w^*}(X^* , Y)$ of $w^*-w$ continuous operators is also studied.