To elicit eye-opening anecdotes - or eye-opening anything, for that matter - the interviewer does not have to impress his subject, to put on a natty and knowledgeable front. In fact, he may well learn that playing dumb is not dumb. "Stupidity is a reporter's greatest asset," said Cornelius Ryan. "Don't be afraid to say, 'I don't under- stand.' You'll be amazed at the help people are willing to give, once they know you are being honest with them."

And you may pay later if you feign understanding. "For fear the news source will think they- are dumb or especially thickheaded, many beginning reporters fail to ask enough questions, even though they don't clearly understand what has been told them," says John P. Jones. "In such cases they may learn by bitter experience that the dumbest thing they can do is return to their office with unanswered questions in their minds."

When a subject rambles or is unclear in his answers, draw him out by putting the onus on yourself.- "I'm sorry, but I don't understand"; "That's not quite clear to me. Could you give me an example?" If he still fumbles, move on to another topic, and try the original question later, from a different direction. Don't make the subject feel he is unable to get his point across, no matter how hard he tries,

Toward the end of the interview, if you still need an explanation of a certain point, volunteer a summary of what you think your subject has said and ask him to correct you.