Hartford-Springfield chronicle., 1940-06-15
NATIONAL DEFENSE & THE NEGRO|
By EMMETT J. SCOTT (FOrmer Assistant to the
 Secretary of War)

Washington, D. c. - National defense, National unity continue to be the theme songs of Senators, Congressmen,, Washington corres- pondents-and, of course, of prac- tically every element of our Amer ican population throughout the country, fifth columnists'' alone excepted.
 The present war in Europe has demonstrated that "It can happen here" The first hysterical out bursts, however, have given way to solid, realistic thinking; at the same time, a wave of patriotic fervor has spread over the coun- try demanding that, at whatever cost, adequate defense must be provided.
 1 On this question, there is no division of sentiment in Congress, or elsewhere. There has not been any appreciable demand even for a clearer statement than has so far been made as to why the country is in such a state of unpreparedness when thought is taken of the fact that nearly $8,- 0O0,000,000 has been spent for the army and navy under New Deal auspices during the past seven and one-half years for that very purpose alone.
 ] General George c. Marshall, chief of staff, U. s. army, has advised the House military affairs committee that ''man-power is the army's tragic shortage" and that the maximum peace-time enlisted strength is inadequate to meet emergencies stemming from the present situation.
 With this fact set forth and taken to heart, it now becomes imperatively necessarily for the administration to take note of the discriminatory attitude of the generals and the. admirals who formulate the defense plans of the government toward that al- ways-loyal group of our American citizenship, the Negro group.
 While calling for united patriot ism, the New Deal is breaking down the morale of the Negro group, and discouraging their pa triotism by announcing that pre- sent plans do not contemplate the enlistment of colored men in the various armed services of the government, while at the same time expressing despair that Ca tragic shortage" exists in the man power of the present army organization. Colored newspapers throughout the country have car ried statements calling attention | to communications received from army officials discouraging the i thought that colored men are to | be used in army service.
 Although there are several hun dred colored reserve officers, and 30,O00 trainees are desired by the army for fourteen days, none of these colored reserve officers have been called for training.
 In this present emergency, sure ly the government cannot com placently wish to have in the i body polite a discouraged group who have come to feel that they are regarded as pariahs after all of the proof they have given in every war of the republic of their complete loyalty and their effec- tiveness as combat troops.
 Tho1y 4I21y right to resent, the naughty at titude of army brass hats who look upon them with contempt and deny them the privilege of even having the Negro units of the National Guard brought up to authorized limits. Even now the National Guard is nearly 12,000 under authorized strength, and here is a shortage that could be easily taken up by colored appi- cants if our army officials were more just and more fair than they are now.
 They resent, and they have a right to resent, their exclusion from the army air corps. In fact, whole-heartedly they resent the whole attitude of army monguls who are taking this un-American attitude toward American citizens
 This is not the time for colored voters in the Northern states to beg for recognition, and for the opportunity to serve their country. They have political power, and they should use that political pow CT by informing their representa- tives in Congress-the Senate and the House of Representatives, of how indignantly they feel, and they should insist that they are willing no longer to remain vic tims of an outmoded social caste system which has no business in army defense plans.