hiː fˈɜːst kˈeɪm tə ðɪ ɐtˈɛnʃən ʌv pˈiː.dˈʌbəljˌuː. bˈoʊθə, ˈæftɚ hiː hæd ɹˈɪʔn̩ ɐ pˌiːˈeɪtʃ.dˈiː. θˈiːsɪs æt ðə jˌuːnɪvˈɜːsᵻɾi ʌvðɪ ˈɔɹɪndʒ fɹˈiː stˈeɪt, ɔːlðˈoʊ bˈɑːɹnɑːɹd wʊd klˈeɪm ɪn ɐ nˈaɪntiːnhˈʌndɹɪd nˈaɪnti tˈuː nˈuːzpeɪpɚɹ ˈɪntɚvjˌuː ðæt hiː wʌz ʌnʃˈʊɹ æz tə wˌaɪ hiː wʌz tʃˈoʊzən, nˌɑːt hˌævɪŋ ɐn ɪntˈɛlɪdʒəns bˈækɡɹaʊnd.
He first came to the attention of P.W. Botha, after he had written a Ph.D. thesis at the University of the Orange Free State, although Barnard would claim in a 1992 newspaper interview that he was unsure as to why he was chosen, not having an intelligence background.