Former Connecticut Congressman Emilio Q. Daddario suggested last night that "perhaps a broad-scale capability in technology assessment" is the key to making future decisions about the direction of American technological development.

Daddario, an authority on science and public policy, delivered the Pollack Lecture for 1971-entitled "Technology and the Democratic Dilemma"-to a crowd of about 50 in Burr A. The Pollack Lecture is annually sponsored

by the Kennedy School of Government.

Daddario said that America faces several dilemmas "for which technological application is partly, if not solely, responsible," One is that the U. S. economy is "based on assured growth," yet infinite growth is impossible. The earth's resources are limited and the environment can only stand so much abuse, he said.

Another dilemma concerns less developed nations. Daddario said that because "the world's resources are simply not adequate to sustain a general extension of U. S. technology," America will have to either lower its own standard of living or give up the principle of economic equality.

Assuming that science and technology must contribute to the solution of these problems, Daddario said he advocates a program of "education of the public to perform the kind of town-meeting assessments of technology which must be arrived at."

Daddario retired from Congress this year to enter private business.