 What was the basic purpose of The Bell Curve?
The Bell Curve was not circulated in galleys before publication. The Bell Curve isn't a typical work of trade nonfiction. Herrnstein and Murray didn't do this, so it wasn't until a full year or more after The Bell Curve was published that the leading experts on its subject had a chance to go through the underlying data with care. Therefore, as time went on, the knowledgeability of the Bell Curve discussion grew, but the attention paid to that discussion inevitably shrank. It wasn't until late 1995 that the most damaging criticism of The Bell Curve began to appear, in tiny academic journals. The Bell Curve , it turns out, is full of mistakes ranging from sloppy reasoning to mis-citations of sources to outright mathematical errors.
 to show that our government really can't help poor people become more successful
 to show that our government really can't help poor people become more successful  to get people to stop believing in IQ tests  to explain how to improve peoples' intelligence  to help people learn how to improve their social status