The idea was formed during an evening conversation at
Winthrop House in December 1964 which focused on "the irrationality of two particular social evils: the blind date and the mixer", as
The Harvard Crimson described it in 1965. After the discussion, students Vaugh Morrill and Jeffrey Tarr contacted lawyers and computer technicians for confirmation their plan was feasible and drafted a questionnaire in about two weeks with assistance from the
Social Relations department and their new collaborator Doug Ginsburg. By February 1965 they advertised the computerized date-making service, which planned to pair
Ivy League men with women from the
Seven Sisters. Participants filled out a 75-point questionnaire, covering hobbies, education, physical appearance, race and attitudes towards sex, that could then be mailed with a $3 fee. The questionnaire was geared to young college students seeking a date, not a marriage partner. Questions included "Do you believe in a God who answers prayer?" and "Is extensive sexual activity in preparation for marriage part of 'growing up?'" Participants provided two sets of responses, one describing themselves and another describing their ideal date. By mid-March, Operation Match lacked sufficient participation to break even after the computer processing costs, and the founders pursued publicity events. Connections at the
CBS television game show
To Tell the Truth allowed Jeffrey Tarr to appear on the program as a mystery contestant to promote the upcoming match event. The Operation Match organizers generated additional publicity by paying highly-desirable bachelorette Vicki Albright to join the matchmaking pool, as the 19-year-old
UCLA student had recently appeared on a
Newsweek cover. Registrations doubled in the week before the deadline. The questionnaires were transferred from paper to
punched cards and processed on an
IBM 7090 computer at the
Avco service bureau in
Wilmington, Massachusetts. == Expansion ==