The Phoenix index., 1941-02-01
EDITORIALS
Would Stir
Continued From Page u

the N M A, ana secretary hIIOA,
Admiral Nimitz, Capt. Clark and
captain in charge Of naval en-"
listments, representing the U. S.
navy. Details of the conference,
held on January 8, were not re-
vealed until this week
DR.. Giles, after calling atten-
ton to Col. KnoX's statement that
Negro coud be enlisted only as
a messman, pointed to the races
record as gunners under Admiral
Perry. Admiral Farragut and at
Saratoga and Manila in the SpanlsF
Americn war. He termed the Of
ficiaI attitude an innovation" and
said it was resented in speeches
and radio broadcasts by liberal
whites and Negroes, pointed to the
growing sense of justice even III
the South and the liberal record
of the Knox newspaper, the Chica-
go Daily News
"MUST BE REALISTS"
In his reply, Secretary Knox de-
clared, "We have our problems; we
are all sufficiently intelligent to
know we must be realistS. If we
put Negroes in the navy it would
he like putting them III hell. The
relationships on shipboard are such
that white and colored just cannot
be mixed. 1t has been tried and
has failed
Dr. Thomas replied: "Mr. Sec
retary, we have lived in hell SO
long we have become acclimated
That is all we have been used to
for $50 years. Put US i'll hell and
we will work our way out"
Saying he was a Texan and his
children had been taught in Rhode
Island by a ,colored teacher, Mrs.
Jackson, whom they like so well
they didn't want to be promoted
out of her class and that he "had
no prejudices personally" Admiral
Nimitz said it would be impossible
to use Negroes. When a ship sailed
often the crew would be depleted
by being left behind or illness. Re-
placements are made by calling at
the nearest port. Because colored
and white could not be assigned
together. it would be impossible to
replace Negroes If they manned a
ship, he opined. o
Negroes are superior generally
to the whites who enlist and would
therefore have to be made petty
officers" he went on. THE white
enlisted personnel would not stand
for this"
A GUNNER'S MATE
There are also Negroes on ships
as other than mess1nen, the adj
niral continued, although they are
classed as messmen so they Will
I not be made petty officers. There
was one, he declared, who was a
chief gr,nner's mate and zone Of the
! most efficient men in the navy" but
there was trouble over his rank
He was finally assigned over
| number OF FIuplnOS.
white men will not tolerate
colored petty officers, and I have
heard Negroes don't like them
either" the admiral conclude.
This attitude, said DR.. Thomas
probably came from the higher
ranking officers and he doubted
whether the enlisted pe1sonne
would object. He suggested {
referendum to Obtain their attitude
When DR.. Alexander asked Wher
did America intend to put int
practice the principles Of democ
racy this nation says she is pre-
pairing to defend, there was silence
ence.
DISCUSS EMPLOYMENT
The issue of Negroes replacing
NaziS in defense industries was
raised. Dr.. Giles said they were
not employed at the Rock ISlanc
arsenal in Illinois. in New Jersey
munitions factories or the air.
plane industry generally. Col
Knox declared that at the Wash
ington Navy yard one out of every
four workers is colored, and "thiS
is true of all other navy yards
particularly the naval arsenals."
The secretary then promised tt
study fully the prospect Of using
Negroes on the new West Indian
| bases.
AS the conference ended naval
representatives led by Admira
Nimitz praised the committee anc
expressed surprise at knowing what
| the mission was, believing they
had been called to discuss the pos
sibility Cf colored physicians in the
navy. The admiral mentioned that
one of the difficulties was that 7s
per cent of the navy personnel
had educations from the fourth to
the seventh grade, to which DR..
Thomas said that IS per cent OF
his practice in Kansas was among
whites with no more education than
that, and since he had 70 difficult
ty he believed the navy would have
none if the problem were approach
! ed with an open mind.