Chicago Economist George Stigler: Maybe an Incomplete

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Invitations to the White House are de rigueurfor Nobel prizewinners, but candor in the White House press room is not. Thus there were more than a few red faces at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue last week when conservative University of Chicago Economist George Stigler, 71, after a little chat with President Reagan in the Oval Office, was led into the briefing room for a few minutes with reporters. Someone half-heartedly asked the new Nobel laureate what he thought of Reaganomics. The professor, who is said to be a tough grader back home, lived up to his reputation, saying that he would not give the President an A at this point: "Maybe an incomplete."

Asked about supply-side economics, Stigler said: "It's not an orthodox economic category. It's a gimmick." With that, press aides abruptly concluded the briefing as reporters shouted, "Let him speak! Let him speak!"

Reaction to Stigler's remarks was mixed. "I think he was too flippant," said Republican Senator Charles Percy. "He misused the platform he was given." Interviewed on the campaign trail in Casper, Wyo., Reagan did not seem to understand what all the fuss was about. Said he blithely: "He wasn't talking about our program."