Efficient planning and execution of development programs must be based on accurate information concerning current economic and social conditions and changes in these over time. This paper points out the absence of adequate statistical information on the American Indian and the need for such information by the Federal Government, the various States, the tribes themselves, and the private organizations active in the field. Information compiled for reservations was more adequate a hundred years ago than it is now, despite the fact that over this period Federal expenditures for Indian programs have risen from $7 million to perhaps $500 million, and the number of Indians under Federal jurisdiction has risen from 290,000 to nearly 400,000. After describing and analyzing this current lack of information, the paper presents a detailed outline for an informational handbook on American Indians which will provide the economic and social data which are essential to any rational development program. (Author/NQ)