Abt

To the Editors of The Crimson:

Your news stories on the Eighth Congressional District, where Joseph Kennedy II is running against Clark Abt, report that Abt is a "Cambridge Businessman." He is much more than that. He has an engineering degree and a Ph.D. in political science from MIT. He bult a firm, Abt Associates, which is the largest and most successful social research firm in the nation. The firm, which is one of the largest employers of professorial persons in the city, has a commendable record in the employment of minorities, women and Blacks, in executive positions. Clark Abt, the author of half a dozen books, has had wide experience in the evaluation of health programs, job training, defense and other areas of social concern.

I do not agree with many of Abt's views--I am a Democrat who voted for James Roosevelt '68 in the primaries--but I respect his character and intelligence, and I know he is open to rational argument. I do not know Mr. Kennedy's views, for like any "modern" candidate, attuned to media and pollsters, he jumps erratically in response to the perceived shifts of the electorate. Since I think that a man like Clark Abt is a valuable person in politics, I shall vote for him. I should also say that for the past 15 years, I have been a director of Abt Associates (as have been Evelyn Murphy, Kenneth Arros, Adam Yarmolinsky and other Democrats). This is not an instance, however, of interest affinity, but a knowledge that permits me easily to endorse his qualifications. Daniel Bell   Henry Ford II   Professor of Social Science