210	The Story of the Jewish Defense League

binto the colleges regardless of lack of merit, was blithely bexplained away to the student as follows: “This information bwill help the College Board evaluate and improve its tests band services to ensure that they are fair and useful to all bcandidates whatever their racial or ethnic origin. It will help bcolleges get a diversified freshman class . . . ” It was a bald battempt to destroy merit.

bOn July 11, 1969, Michael J. Scarlata, Director of the bOffice of Personnel of the New York region of the United bStates Post Office Department, circulated the following bmemo to operations managers, station superintendents, band executive office heads:

b“The Post Office Department in cooperation with the bGraduate School of Business Administration, New York bUniversity, is interested in providing an unusual educa- btional opportunity for minority groups. This opportunity bconsists of a fellowship for graduate study leading to a bmaster’s degree in Business Administration. Financial assis- btance to supplement income may also be available. Puerto bRican and Black employees who have a bachelor’s degree bare eligible for this program.” We knew of tens of thousands bof struggling Jews who would have liked to be eligible for bthis program.

bAnd as early as October 18, 1968, The New York Times bcould write: “More than one [New York] city employee has badmitted that officials close to the Mayor [Lindsay] have bshown them how to falsify applications so that they could be bappointed to jobs for which they did not have legitimate bqualifications. One official who agreed to talk about hiring bpractices argued that applications had to be ‘dressed up,’ to bget more Negroes and Puerto Ricans into sensitive anti- bpoverty positions.” The drive for reverse discrimination, bpreferential treatment, and eventual quotas and the bnumerous clausus had proceeded openly and under the bnoses of Jewish leaders, who not only did nothing effective babout it but in many cases sympathized and supported it, bsince they and their children were in no way affected and bthe call of liberalism easily drowned out the cry of Ahavat bYisroel.