Herrnstein said that the predicted problem of chronically unemployed workers could be handled "benevolently. To tell you the truth, I'm really out of my field in this area. All I was trying to do was to show the way I saw things going and what might be realistic to expect in the future."

Herrnstein characterized the Galbraith plan as one typically unrealistic. "He says that all ethnic groups and races have equal potential for achievement in any individual setting. I don't know that's not true, but I sure as hell do know that he certainly doesn't know if it is and it's up to him to prove it," he said.

Compensatory education programs, as they exist now, are a failure. I do feel that more money should be made available for experiments in that area. I've heardsome good leads on it, but nothing definite. In the meantime, I think it's imperative that the government stop throwing its money down a bottomless hole the way it's doing now," Herrnstein added.

In the long run, society should be "a lot more careful about the type of labor we superannuate unnecessarily." Beyond that, he said that society should "reward those people who do the most socially useful work."

Herrnstein said that this principle could be applied in education by dividing a student's performance by his I.Q. "It's obviously ridiculous to give somebody with a 160 I.Q. A's just for sitting on his ass, while a kid with an 80 I.Q. is breaking his back and getting D's."

He admitted that he was "in somewhat of a quandary as to how such a method could be adapted to society as a whole." When questioned about his definition of 'socially useful', Herrnstein said that would depend on the society.

"While it's true that someone who has organized people to clean up river pollution has done socially useful work, at the same time you can't really penalize too heavily the president of Con Ed whose company may have made the pollution. Because if you do, the price of electricity could go sky-high. It really is a complicated problem," Herrnstein explained.

***

The publication of "I.Q." has drawn comment from a number of sources. B.F. Skinner, Pierce Professor of Psychology, a noted behaviorist, called the article "a good exposition to date of the problem."

"What people should be aware of is that it's a social question, rather than a race question which Herrnstein is raising here. Thus, I am concerned about the creation of a society in which each person is decently treated despite his capabilities," Skinner added.

Michael Useem, assistant professor of Sociology, said that the article suffered from "the assumption that one facet of reality can explain the entire picture." Useem also said that what in the first part of the article Herrnstein says is only a potentiality, in his predictions he treats as actuality.

"While Herrnstein claims that equality of opportunity is ever increasing, in fact the counter is more accurate. Social mobility, as far as equality of opportunity is concerned, has shown no indications of a linear trend toward the society becoming more open," Useem added.

"I'm not sure the first part is all correct, but even if it is, the predictions in no way flow logically from it, "Useem concluded. "The first 14 pages seem to be very solid, very lucid analysis. The last two, which contain the syllogism and his predictions, bear almost no relation to what came before it," he said.

Psychology professor E.B. Newman, current chairman of the Psychology Department, said that he knew Herrnstein had been quite concerned with the problem for a long time. Newman said he thought the final impetus was what Herrnstein felt was an over-reaction to Jensen's article.

"I not only agree with his conclusions, but I think they're good. College is the first stage of growing up, a trial run. We need to know who's a good risk and who isn't. A meritocracy will help us determine who's competent and who's not," Newman added.