The Northwest enterprise. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1931-1952, 1931-10-22
Officials Admit
Fixed Policy
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| NCOnJlnueu from rage ID
of the standing Army to $4,000 in
Guiding some $4,000 men who now
comprise the newly organized Army
Air Corps. Up until the recent order,
which was authorized the first part
of the present year, all reduction i'm
the strength of the various units were
made in white regiments. 1t was only
IN the final year that the policy of
reduction was carried over to the
four authorized Negro units of the
standing Army. This policy gave rise
to the secret order" which called
FOR the absorption by the Tenth Cav
airy of LOG regulars at Fort Myer,
Va; EOS at West Point, N. Y, and
800 at Fort Leavenworth, Kan, max
ing total of 644 men to be alb
sorbed by this cavalry unit, whose
present strength is 10 men. SINH
lar absorptions in smaller numbers
were ordered in other Negro units.
No Negroes In Air Corps
The exact status of the Negro sol
der in the Army came to light in the
course of conversation. Aside from
the four Negro units, two of cavalry
and two of infantry, authorized by
Congress, which will be greatly re-
duced after November /, there are
not more than so colored men in the
Army. These 60 are, except in rare
instances, attached to white units
in the capacity of menials. Each one
of the three responsible officials who
took part in the discussion admitted
the fixed policy of the War Depart
ment to segregate as far as possible
Negro soldiers into Units by them
selves. No Negro soldier is a member
Of the coast artillery, the field artil-
lery, the Air Corps, the chemical war
iare service or the other highly spe-
cialized branches of the Army. Out
OF the $4,000 and more commissioned
officers in the regular army, only one
Is Negro, Colonel Benjamin o. Da-
Wis. now assigned to the R. o. T. C.
unit at Tuskegee Institute.
When asked why Negroes were not
admitted to the Air Corps, Secretary
Davidson said that there were not a
sufficient number of colored soldiers
with necessary qualifications to form
separate air corps unit and that
until such number should be avail,
able the policy of the War Depart
ment to keep Negroes out of white
units would be followed. The situa-
ions, he remarked, would be differ
snt with regard to colored men seek
ng to become pilots. He gave the
assurance that if Negroes with neces-
'ary qualifications should be able to
pass the rigorous physical examina-
ions to which they must submit,
whether they applied singly or sew
'rally, they would be admitted to
raining as pilots on an equal basis
With white students at the Army Air
school at San Antonio, Texas. The
act that the school was located in a
Southern city would make no differ
nee, he said.
That the situation as it exists with !
egard to the Air Corps is equally
rue of other technical branches Of
ne Army was admitted by General
loseley and Secretary Payne. The
ltuatlon with respect to all of these
ranches resolved itself down to the
roposition that Negroes must have
ufflcient number to form a segre-
ated unit, or in limited number
I instances, run the gamut of a Sc
les of simple eliminations by the
nyslcal examination route. before he
III be admitted to train himself to
ght the next war according to the
ever scientific methods. Little
ope seemed evident from the discus
on by these officials that the set
olicy, leading to inevitable exclusion
the. Negro soldier, would be-.
hanged.