H. J. Eysenck's Unpublished Letter to the Driftwood

9th September 1996

Forum "Driftwood"

Dear Editor,

I understand that there have been some arguments concerning the competence of Professor Edward M. Miller with regard to his writings on psychological and social problems. The journal I edit, "personality and Individual Differences", has published 4 articles by Professor Miller, all of which were sent to expert reviewers in this field, and were assessed to have high scientific value and be worthy of publication. The fifth article has just been accepted following the same route, but has not yet appeared. As Editor I agreed with the referees, and we were eager to publish these articles.

As regards the question of the relative intelligence of blacks and whites, the American Psychological Association set up a special Task Force to look at this and other related topics. They found that there is no question that there is a pronounced difference in IQ between blacks and whites, amounting to something like 15 points. The reasons for the difference are still debated, and I agree with APA that there is no definitive evidence that the differences are genetic, although many psychologists believe that there is a genetic component.

Let me add that intelligence and individual differences is my special field of academic competence and that your library contains 24 of my books. There is no doubt in my mind about Professor Miller's competence in this field.

Yours faithfully,

H. J. Eysenck, Ph.D., D.Sc.,
Professor Emeritus of Psychology,
University of London.