Circumferential inlet distortion in a high hub-tip ratio multistage machine is treated by analyzing the compressor as a region in which a large number of small stages produce a pressure rise that is a function of the local mass flow rate. The resistance to circumferential flow due to the blading is included through an empirical factor. It is found that the over-all attenuation of both total pressure distortion and axial velocity distortion is mainly dependent on the slope of the compressor pressure rise vs flow rate characteristic. The attenuation increases when the slope of the characteristic is made more negative. In addition, considerable flow redistribution is found to occur upstream of the compressor. The theory has been compared with interstage data obtained on a three-stage, low-speed compressor with axial clearances that are 26% of the total length and a hub-tip ratio of 0.675. It is found that the approximation of zero axial clearance (infinite resistance to circumferential flow) gives excellent results. In consequence, it appears that for the normal range of axial clearances, the circumferential flow within the compressor can be neglected in a first-order analysis of the effects of inlet distortion.