Cattell died shortly thereafter, rending the issue, in the narrow, moot. However the whole incident clearly outraged a number of scientists. Electronic mail flew fast and furious. I have a Cattell file with over 80 entries, and I have no reason to think that I was party to all the messages. Indeed, the decision to publish the current special edition of this journal has been controversial.
Some facts are undisputed.
Cattell made major contributions to science, especially in the fields of psychometrics, theories of intelligence, and theories of personality. What is at issue is how he tried to have his scientific findings and beliefs turned into social policy. Cattell believed that intelligence is largely genetically determined. While some people might think that Cattell's estimates were on the high side, virtually every knowledgeable scientist believes that individual differences in mental competence are substantially determined by genetic inheritance. The APA itself has published numerous books and articles dealing with genetic contributions to intelligence, so the organization's policy is clearly not to regard a scientific discussion of these issues as anathema.