BETHLEHEM, Pa. (AP) - In today's atmosphere of open records and
ready lawsuits, a Lehigh University professor has come up with a
system of doublespeak to pan job applicants without risk.
    Under the system, dubbed ''LIAR'' or Lexicon of Inconspicuously
Ambiguous Recommendations, by economics Professor Robert J. Thornton,
managers and teachers can hide behind ambiguity when asked to write
recommendation letters.
    ''There must be a million people out there suffering from the
problem of how to write a letter of recommendation for a person who
isn't really qualified,'' Thornton said in a telephone interview
Monday.
    To describe a lackluster employee, Thornton said, a manager would
write: ''In my opinion, you will be very fortunate to get this person
to work for you.''
    To describe a candidate who is woefully inept, Thornton recommends
saying: ''I most enthusiastically recommend this candidate with no
qualifications whatsoever.''
    Any of the statements might be taken as praise, Thornton said. But,
he said, ''These phrases actually convey the complete opposite.
That's what makes them so strange and that's what makes them so
humorous.''
    ''Whether perceived correctly or not by the candidate, the phrases
are virtually litigation-proof,'' he said, noting that court rulings
have opened up employment records to workers.
    Other LIAR samples:
    -To describe a candidate who is so unproductive the position would
be better left unfilled: ''I can assure you that no person would be
better for the job.''
    -To describe a candidate who is not worth further consideration: ''I
would urge you to waste no time in making this candidate an offer of
employment.''