IN NOVEMBER 1965 THE UNITED STATES CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION ANNOUNCED AN EXAMINATION FOR MANUAL LABORERS. THE UNITED PLANNING ORGANIZATION ATTEMPTED TO RECRUIT AND ASSIST INDIVIDUALS FROM THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA'S POOL OF "HARD-CORE UNEMPLOYED". A SAMPLE OF 189 OF THE 966 MALE APPLICANTS WAS INTERVIEWED BY 20 INTERVIEWERS WHO SOUGHT INFORMATION ON THE RESPONDENT'S LABOR FORCE PARTICIPATION, ATTITUDES AND MOTIVATION FOR WORK, JOB-SEEKING BEHAVIOR, FAMILY BACKGROUND, PERCEPTIONS OF IMPEDIMENTS TO WORK, EDUCATION AND TRAINING, KNOWLEDGE AND PARTICIPATION IN THE VARIOUS ANTIPOVERTY PROGRAMS, ETC. FINDINGS INCLUDED -- (1) ALL WERE NEGRO MEN, (2) 50 PERCENT WERE UNDER 26 YEARS OF AGE, (3) THE MEDIAN NUMBER OF SCHOOL YEARS COMPLETED WAS 10.7 COMPARED TO 9.4 YEARS FOR THE NONWHITE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA MALES, (4) MOST FREQUENT REASONS GIVEN FOR NOT GETTING A JOB WERE LACK OF EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE, (5) THE GROUP COULD NOT BE CLASSIFIED AS "HARD-CORE UNEMPLOYED" BUT RATHER "UNDER-EMPLOYED," (6) WHILE THE PERSONAL, EDUCATIONAL, AND FAMILY BACKGROUND WERE HIGHER THAN EXPECTED, THEY WERE SOMEWHAT BELOW THAT OF THEIR FATHERS, SUGGESTING SOME DOWNWARD SOCIAL MOBILITY, AND (7) THE GROUP HAD NOT TAKEN ADVANTAGE OF TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES PRESUMABLY AVAILABLE TO THEM THROUGH VARIOUS TRAINING PROGRAMS. (PS)