The Phoenix index., 1940-12-21
Saws Draft Act Assures Full
Protection For All Peoples
Major johnson
Speaks to $50
State Directors

WASHINGTON, d. C.-(SNS)-
Full protection of the interests of
all racial minoritieS in the Oper-
aticn of Selectlve Service is assur-
I'd, Major Campbell Johnson, exec
utive assistant an adviser On Ra-
cial Relations, at National Head
quarters, Selective Service System,
told more than $50 State Selective
Service directors and other officials
who met in Washington this week.
The Negro represents mot only
the largest minority group but also
the one concerning which there
is the greatest amount of interest in
all sections OF the country" Major
John pointed out. He said:
The total defense which our
Nation is planning deals with such
facors in our national life as edu-
cation, industry, armed defense
and probably as important as any
Of these, national morale.
ALL MUST BELONG
National morale is a composite
of the condition of morale of minor
ity groups. For that morale to be
healthy each group must have a
sense of belonging to the Nation on
self-respecting basis without any
of the badges of differentiation
which would set it apart as en-
titled to less than the full rights
and responsibilities of citizen
Ship
Referring to the provision of the
Selective Service Act which says
"there shall be no discrimination
against anv person on account Of
race or color" Major Johnson de-
clared:
1.-The desire of the ;Selective Serv-
ice System to operate with fair
ness and impartiality is not due to
this provision but independent of
it.
Had such a precaution not been
written into the Act, the Selec-
tive Service System would prob
ably have been just as eager that
it should operate without The pos
sibility of anyone being able to
raise against it Justly the charge
of bias of prejudice"
PLAY IMPORTANT PART
Recent information received at
National Headquarters indicates
that Negroes are playing an i'm
portant part in the actual operation
of the Selective Service System,
Major Johnson said. He reported
that with 33 States heard from
members of the race had acted as
registrars in 12,207 instances, that
80 of them are serving on local
boards, that there are 352 regiStr-
ants Advisory Board members, l20
examining physicians, nine Gov
ernment appeal agents, seven ap-
peal board members and one medi-
cal advisory board member. This
number will undoubtedly be great
ly increased when the other States.
including Pennsylvania, Michigan,
and New Jersey have reported.
Insofar as Selective Service
trainees are concerned, Major
johnson said, there is no question
that Negroes will be inducted in
fair ratio to their proportion Of
he Nations population. AS facilities,
units and training cadres increase,
more and more Negro Selectees will
enter the armed forces, he predict
ed. In this connection, he pointed
cut:
3,942 ANSWER CALL
THE number of selectees expect
ed for November and December of
this year included 3,943 Negroes or
1877 per cent of the total. While
only 3. per cent of the January
call will be for Negroes because of
back of housing facilities and
training cadres for authorized Me-
gro units, in February, the per-
centage of Negroes requested in the
call will increase to approximately
33 per cent.
THE per cent of Negroes in the
calls over the four month period,
November to February, will be
about 1872 per cent.