Maybe that’s a hopeless question, though, since you’re more likely to just tune out the jargon rather than remember it well enough to repeat it later.

I was on that conference call and took good notes. If Low’s comments were intended to apply only to Minerva, she certainly didn’t say so. In my questions I asked about all military programs involving the social sciences, and that includes HTS.

It’s clear now that AAA has a very specific agenda it’s pushing regarding military programs. I’m not entirely clear what that agenda is. But one thing’s clear: if you’re going to engage the press, you need to learn how to run a teleconference. The AAA conference call was, at its best moments, hopelessly overburdened with jargon and entirely too rigid in its format. It’s no wonder there has been confusion in the aftermath.

But since I asked what I thought were clear questions, and got what sounded like clear answers, I’m sticking by my reporting. I can’t allow a public affairs flack to rewrite a conversation after the fact.

Best,

David Axe