The Michigan chronicle. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1936-current, 1942-11-14
CHALLENGES
STATEMENTS
., MADE BY AMP
Office of War Information
Falsely Hit OF
Charge

Elmer Davis, director OF the Office
OF War Information, today made
public the following letter which
has been sent to Claude A. Bar
nett, director OF the Associated Ne
gro Press, 35O7 South Parkway, Chi
csgo, Ill:
Dear Mr., Barnett:
My attention has been called to
a news story published in a NUM-
Der of Negro newspapers under a
Washington, D. c., dateline of Oc-
tober 81, 1912. and accredited to the
Associated Negro Press. This story
charges. among other things. that
the Office Of War Information en-
ploys only four Negroes out of a
total Of 4,407 worker. These are
only two of a number OF misstate-
ments of fact made in the story.
In the first place. | should like
to point out that the Office OF War
Information has never and does not
employ 4,407 persons. This was the
total number asked for in our bud
get which we did not expect to
reach TIL next summer. and may
never reach at all. On October 81,
1912, the date on which the release
was published, the entire field and
departmental staff of the Owl in
cluded less than $500 employees.
OF this number 1885 employees
were on the departmental staff in
Washington.
u am at a loss to understand
how any reporter who has visited
any Washington office of Owl
could charge that Owl has only
four Negro employees
AS you probably know, the Of
flee Of War Information does not
make nota,ions OF racial identity on
any Of the personnel records OF Its
employees, Therefore, it is not pos
sible to tell from our personnel
files he exact number of Negro
workers now employed by Owl. On
July 81, 1912, however. at the re-
quest of another government agen-
cy, our personnel office made a
quick check OF individual Negro
employees by contracting the vari-
Gus Owl divisions in Washington.
AT that time total Of .298 persons
were employed in the Washington
divisions. or this number 1903 or
more than per cent of the total
owl Washington staff were Ne
groes. A breakdown OF these 1903
Negro employees revealed that IS
were employed in professional
clerical, administrative and fiscal
classifications and 43 were working
in craft, protective and custodial
jobs This proportion OF more than
8 per cent OF all Owl employees is
greatly at variance with the charges
in the story.
l might add that although the
total Washington staff has decreas-
ed from 1898 or July 81, 1912, to
1926 on October 81, 1912, the en-
ployment Of Negroes in professional
and clerical positions has increased
during that period The 1903 Negro
employees listed on July 81, 1912.
did not include number OF Negro
professional and clerical employees
in the field offices and other di-
visions of owl.
It may be of interest 10 YOU to
know that Negroes are employed
as information specialists organi-
cation analysts, field representa-
tives and in other responsible po-
sItions in the News Bureau. the
Bureau Of Intelligence. the Bureau
Of Special Operations, the Bureau
OF Publications and Grsphics and
In other divisions Of OWL would
like TO make it clear. however, that
these persons were employed on
the basis OF their training. expert
ence. and background and not on
the basis OF their race. There is no
separate Negro division established
anywhere within the Office of War
Information, and Negroes are en-
ployed on merit alone in all di-
visions.
The story accredited to the As
ISOLATED Negro Press alleges further
that only $4,000 is being spent on
owl on work for Negroes. | do
not understand the meaning Of this
allegation. As the director OF a news
service you are no doubt aware of
the fact that every facility OF the
News Bureau Of Owl is being uti-
Lied for the Negro Press This in
cludes our. field offices. our wire
service. or photographs units. our
graphic units and every other unit
which services the daily newspa-
pers. Similar attention is given to
the Negro public in all other bu-
reaus of the owl.
At the present time. the Office
of War Information is spending
more than SlOOOOO on single