Minneapolis spokesman. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1934-2000, 1941-01-24
Negro Flyers Protest
Against Segregated Air
Corps Plan for i. S.
By EnOc P. Waters, Jr.

condemning the. War Departments
plan to establish an all-Negro pur-
suit squadron as a part Of the
United States Army Air Corps was
adopted by the National Airmen's
Association here Friday.
At the same time, the associa-
ton made up of Negro flyers
throughout the country, voted to
intensity its campaign to have Ne
groes integrated without regard to
race into the United States Army
Air Corps which presently bars Ne
groes.
According to Under Secretary of
War, Patterson, the squadron con-
sisting of a ground crew of 400
men, SO pilots and q planes, viii
be set up at Tuskegee institute in
Alabama where a flying field and
other facilities will be provided.
The ground crew, according to
the announcement, will be trained
at Chanute field, Illinois, for sew
eral months before going to the
southern school. The squadron, it
is understood, will be commanded
by white officer.
Cornelius r. Coffey, who, in ad-
dition to being the president of the
Chicago chapter of the association,
is also national president, in COM
menting, said the action taken Fri
day is in line with the associations
policy.
"0ur fight for entrance into the
air corps has been long. We don't
intend to compromise now. Both
the army and navy have stressed
tradition in arguing against the
abolition of segregated units.
"In the air corps there is no ira
dition either favorable or unfavor-
able to complete racial integra-
ton. If we permit the establish
ment of Negro unit, it will be es-
tablishing a precedent which will
be hard to break down.
"We'd rather be excluded" Cot
fey said, than to be segregated.
There's no constitutional support
for segregated units and the only
traditions existing in aviation as
know it are ones which would
make complete Indignation sane
and logical"
Coffey is director of the aviation
school at Harlem airport which
handles fight training for a non
college and an advanced Civil
Aeronautics Administration pro-
gram, in both of which Negroes
and whites have participated with
out friction.
Villa B. Brown, secretary of the
association, and co ordinator for
Chicago's CAA programs, held up
the Civilian Pilot Training Pro-
gram as an example of success
full inter-racial project in aviation.
There is no segregation in the
CAA programs" she said, "and
there have been no race riots or
violence because of this fact.
think the War Department is at
tempting to inject the racial issue
where none has existed in the
past"
She described the CAA and the
National defense aviation classes
at Wendell Phillips high school in
Chicago where at least third of
each group is white. All instruc-
tors are Negroes, she said, and
there is no resentment on the part
of the whites because of this.
zone of the first ten youngsters
to win fight scholarships under our
non-college program early last
year." she said, twas a white
youth, Chester Krupa, who received
his private pilots license along
with nine Negroes, one of them a
girl.
II don't see why this same spirit
of inter-racial cooperation cannot
be carried over into the army air
corps"
AS an afterthought, she men
toned that one of the instructors
at CofFey's school, the largest priv
ate school controlled by Negroes, is
white.
The National Airmen's associa-
National defense aviation classes at
ton was organized in Chicago in
February, 1889, and includes in its
membership practically all Negro
flyers from some of the earliest
pioneers to CAA students. Most Of
the Negro CAA fight and ground
instructors are members. The or
ganization does not bar white men,
bers, in fact the Chicago chapter
has had several white members.
A 43-inch trophy, the coveted
award of all Negro flyers, is the