  On the basis of experiments conducted in the 1970s and earlier, it is
believed that, in a compound nucleus (CN), fluctuations in transition strengths
are drawn from a Porter-Thomas distribution (PTD), a $\chi^2$ distribution of
one degree of freedom. However, work done post-1990 at the Los Alamos Neutron
Science Center (LANSCE) and Oak Ridge Electron Linear Accelerator (ORELA)
facilities has yielded instances of neutron resonance data sets of superior
quality that are inconsistent with the PTD. In view of the importance of the
status of the PTD to the foundations of statistical reaction theory, the
question arises whether other data acquired at these facilities can be mined
for evidence of deviations from the PTD? To date, the focus has been on data
taken in the regime of isolated resonances. In this letter, arguments are put
forward in support of the analysis of measurements of the total cross section
in the regime where resonances are weakly overlapping.
