The "Brainpower Lag."

In the fall of 1960 a U.S. captain set his compass wrong and flew over Canada, not California as planned. A major made an arithmetic error that significantly affected the fuel calculations, forcing an entire group of jets to land at the wrong airport. Observers began to question the competency of military officers. Of the air force top brass, only 43 percent of 119,000 line officers held a college degree. The military took its problem of lack of brainpower seriously, and $63 million was set aside annually for a military-education program. Among the goals were to double the number of officers with advanced degrees and to revise standards for commissions.

Classrooms in the Military.

By 1964 the military's program was in full force, and two researchers, Dr. Harold Clark of Teachers College, Columbia University, and Harold Sloan, research director at Fairleigh-Dickinson College...