¹ The University of Birmingham and the William Astor Foundation funded my study visit. I am also grateful to the officials at all levels of OEO who gave freely of their time.

² For instance, James, E., America Against Poverty, London: Routledge and Kegan Paul, 1970Google Scholar; Moynihan, D., Maximum Feasible Misunderstanding, Glencoe, Ill.: Free Press, 1970Google Scholar; Brager, G. and Purcell, F. (eds), Community Action Against Poverty, New Haven: College and University Press, 1967Google Scholar; Clark, K. and Hopkins, J., A Relevant War Against Poverty, New York: Harper & Row, 1970.Google Scholar

³ For two, often contrasting, views on the effectiveness of these tactics, see Moynihan, , op. cit.Google Scholar, and Piven, F. and Cloward, R., Regulating the Poor, London: Tavistock Publications, 1972.Google Scholar

⁴ Moynihan, , op. cit., p. 158.Google Scholar

⁵ OEO, News Summary, 12 08 1969.Google Scholar

⁶ Ibid., p. 1.

⁷ OEO, Redirection of the Office of Economic Opportunity (pamphlet), 1970, p. 3.Google Scholar

⁸ OEO, Digest, 1972, vol. 2, no. 5, p. 2.Google Scholar

⁹ For a description of the educational criticisms and a reply by Rumsfeld, see Rumsfeld, D., Experiments in Education (pamphlet), OEO, 1970Google Scholar. See also OEO, An Experiment in Performance Contracting. Summary of Preliminary Results, 1972.Google Scholar

¹⁰ OEO, Further Preliminary Results of the New Jersey Graduated Work Incentive Experiment, 1971.Google Scholar

¹¹ It is worth noting that Dick Boone, a former Associate Director employed by the poverty programme, had advocated delegation before Nixon came into office.

¹² It should be noted that the research aspects of Head Start remained with OEO, while in some cases the Office of Education still used Community Action Agencies to man the projects.

¹³ OEO, Annual Report, 1969–70, 1971, p. 2.Google Scholar

¹⁴ It was later that the delegation of health programmes to another government department was started.

¹⁵ See OEO, ‘Guidelines for OEO Special Impact Program, Fiscal Year 1969’, duplicated, p. 2.Google Scholar

¹⁶ Particularly, Caplovitz, D., The Poor Pay More, New York: Columbia University Press, 1963Google Scholar; Black, H., Buy Now and Pay Later, New York: Morrow Press, 1961Google Scholar; Margolius, S., The Innocent Consumer v. the Exploiters, New York: Trident Press, 1967.Google Scholar

¹⁷ OEO, Consumer Action for the Poor, 1969, p. 2.Google Scholar

¹⁸ See NCIC, Neighbourhood Consumer Information Centre, Washington, DC, 1971.Google Scholar

¹⁹ For instance, Rumsfeld, D., Nation Press Club Address, OEO (pamphlet), 1970, p. 3.Google Scholar

²⁰ OEO, Annual Report, 1971, 1972, p. 10.Google Scholar

²¹ However, Professor S. M. Miller has pointed out to me that the recent delegation of manpower training could adversely affect minority groupings. The gains made by the manpower schemes of the poverty programme towards obtaining preferential local job treatment for disadvantaged groups may not be maintained as these schemes are taken over by the central administration.

²² OEO, News Summary, 14 07, 1960, pp. 5–6.Google Scholar

²³ Of course, this was not the total amount spent in rural areas. Within the OEO some legal, health and other programmes would be located in rural areas. Other government departments would be responsible for food stamps, medicare, and so on. The $3.1 million was used for what the poverty programme called ‘community development’.

²⁴ A full account of these programmes can be found in: OEO, Health Programs (pamphlet), 1971Google Scholar; Langston, J. et al. , Study to Evaluate the OEO Neighbourhood Health Centre Programat Selected Centres, vol. 1, OEO, 1972Google Scholar; OEO, Legal Services (pamphlet), 1971Google Scholar; also the monthly journal, Law in Action; Institute for Research on Poverty, Educational Benefits of Head Start; a Quantitative Analysis, University of Wisconsin, 1968Google Scholar; Crook, W. and Thomas, R., Warriors for the Poor, New York: Morrow & Co., 1969Google Scholar; see also the monthly magazine Vista Volunteer.

²⁵ OEO, Annual Report, 1969–1970, 1971, p. 12.Google Scholar

²⁶ Michael Harrington made this point at a very early stage. See his ‘The politics of poverty’, in Larner, J. and Howe, I. (eds), Poverty, New York: Apollo, 1965.Google Scholar

²⁷ Figures published by the OEO in The Poor in 1970: a Chart book, 1972.Google Scholar

²⁸ Rumsfeld, D., New Directions for Community Action (pamphlet), OEO, 1970, p. 2.Google Scholar

²⁹ OEO, Annual report, 1969–1970, 1971, p. 19.Google Scholar

³⁰ In addition, some CAPs had been prominent in helping to ‘cool’ race riots once they had started.

³¹ Rumsfeld, D., New Directions for Community Action, op. cit.Google Scholar

³² Quoted in OEO, Digest, 1971, vol. 1, no. 5, p. 2.Google Scholar

³³ Rumsfeld, D., New Directions for Community Action, op. cit., p. 6.Google Scholar

³⁴ OEO, OEO News, 22 09 1969, p. 1.Google Scholar

³⁵ For an account of community action conflict tactics which achieved changes in welfare departments, see Piven, and Cloward, , op. cit.Google Scholar

³⁶ Rein, M. and Miller, S., ‘Social action on the installment plan’, in Denzin, N. (ed.), The Values of Social Science, New Brunswick: Transaction Books, 1970, pp. 97–8Google Scholar. Professor Miller also points out that, on the other hand, demonstration projects can be used to legitimise activities which would not have been acceptable as part of a regular on-going programme.

³⁷ OEO, News Summary, 12 08 1969, p. 7.Google Scholar

³⁸ Despite this, the use of conflict strategies by groups funded by the OEO has not entirely disappeared. The present writer certainly found it in Lower East Side, New York. Hopefully, an account will be given in another paper.

³⁹ Table selected from larger table and financial details in OEO Digest, 1972, vol. 2Google Scholar, no. 5, by permission of the Office of Economic Opportunity.

⁴⁰ OEO, 1971 Category Account (pamphlet), 1972, p. 3.Google Scholar

⁴¹ OEO, Digest, 1971, vol. 1, no. 8, p. 2.Google Scholar