For the sake of simplicity it is often desirable to restrict the number of feedbacks in a controller. In this case the optimal feedbacks depend on the disturbance to which the system is subjected. Using a quadratic error integral as a measure of the response, three criteria of optimization are considered :1.The response to a given initial disturbance.2.The worst response to an initial disturbance of given magnitude.3.The worst comparison with the unconstrained optimal system.It is shown that for each of these criteria the gradient with respect to the feedbacks can be calculated by a uniform method. The solution may then be found either directly or by a descent procedure. The method is illustrated by an example.