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On April 10, 1917, four days after war was declared, letters were sent by the Committee to the Secretary of War and Secretary of the Navy. They read in part:

I wish to call to your attention the desirability of extending the scope of examination of recruits for the Army and Navy to include examination of their mentality, to the end that irresponsible men, those whose mentality is such as to interfere with their judgment and stability, may be rejected for the fighting arms of the Army and Navy.

I have been advised that the Canadian authorities have experienced trouble in this direction, and that a number of recruits trained and sent to the front have had to be returned because of their unfitness, due to mental defect.

It is doubtless true that many of the class I refer to could be utilized in connection with some branch of the War and Navy Services if their condition is known and they are properly directed; but it seems evident that these people are not qualified for the services required of those who carry arms and do the actual fighting. * * * *

It is quite likely that it would be well worth while for our Government to instruct the medical officers at the recruiting stations to give special attention to the mental age of those who may enlist or be drawn for service. It may be possible in this connection to utilize the Public Health Service officials, who are trained in this work, to give the necessary instruction to these medical officers at the recruiting stations.* * * *

I am directed to advise you that if the facilities of this Committee can be of service to the Government in this connection, or in any other way, those services are at your disposal.

(Signed) Joseph P. Byers,
Executive Secretary.

On April 19, a letter was sent from the Committee on Provision to the President of the American Psychological Association, Professor Robert M. Yerkes of Harvard University, who had but recently been named chairman of a special committee of that association to consider the possibility of applying mental tests to the recruits for the Army and Navy. That letter asked for information as to the nature of the special committee's work and concluded, "If in any way the Committee on Provision can second the efforts of your association along this line we shall be glad to do so."

Much correspondence followed between April 19 and the middle of May.

April 28, Byers to Yerkes:

Yours of the 27th received. I am very glad to learn from it of the action of the American Psychological Association. Our Committee, of course, does not want to do anything to cause confusion in the minds of Washington officials. However, if there is anything that we can do to cooperate with other efforts in the same direction, we want to do it.

May 4, Yerkes to Byers:

* * * It is extremely important, as you already appreciate, that psychological and psychiatric activities in the service of the Nation be coordinated and correlated to the utmost. If individuals work independently and diverse methods of examining are employed, results are sure to be more or less unsatisfactory and misunderstanding may develop. * * * * *

Already a committee of the American Psychological Association, headed by me, is being organized to prepare methods for the psychological examining of recruits in the Army and Navy. I have not the least desire to interfere with individual or institutional liberty or initiative, but I conceive it to be my duty to point out that unless a method is prepared which has the approval of the leading psychological authorities, our work is almost certain to be brought to naught. I am, therefore, going to ask that you aid me in centralizing this work. I shall gladly confer with you at the earliest opportunity. I am enclosing a list of the already organized committees of psychologists.

H. H. Goddard, Vineland, New Jersey
L. M. Terman, Stanford University, California
T. H. Haines, Columbus, Ohio
F. L. Wells, Waverly, Massachusetts
W. V. Bingham, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
R. M, Yerkes, Cambridge, Massachusetts
G. M. Whipple, Urbana, Illinois

On or about May 13, Professor Yerkes, Doctor M. J. Greenman, Chairman of the Committee on Provision, and Mr. Byers had a conference in Philadelphia at which Professor Yerkes reported that a request made by his committee at Washington for funds amounting to twenty-five thousand dollars, to finance its work, had been denied; and further, that the American Psychological Association had no funds for this purpose.

There was no time for delay. The Committee on Provision was vitally interested in the preparation of simplified intelligence tests that could be used for large groups of men. That seemed the only solution if the plan was to be made effective. The Army and Navy authorities were interested if such group testing could be made possible. The materials and methods, however, would have to be perfected before presentation to the government officials for adoption.

Just before the conference with Professor Yerkes, the Director of The Training School, Professor Johnstone, had been advised of it by telephone and told the chances were good for getting the School involved "up to its neck." His anticipated reply was, "You can go the limit."