St. Paul recorder. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1934-2000, 1943-07-23

The committee, IN a tWO-d
Washington with the Vice Presi-
dent, Attorney General Biddle,
VINO Chairman McNutt and off
Gals of the War and Navy Depart
ments, the War Production Board,
Selective Service and the Office of
War Information, discussed the
outstanding problems, policies and
conditions hampering fullest par
ticipation in the war effort by the
Nations colored press and popula-
ton.
Among these were the need for
governmental action toward the
elimination of mounting race ten
sions; fuller utilization of colored
manpower in the nations war in
dustries; and ending of discrimin-
atory policies in the armed forces;
improved news coverage of the ac-
tivities of colored servicemen in
theatres of war; draft deferment
for vital men in the newspaper in
dustry and ALLEGATION of needed
printing materials.
Voicing their support of the
ideals fought for and supported by
Vice President Wallace, the COM
mittee expressed the conviction
that the recent Detroit Race riots
were brought as a result of race
hatreds and requested that Mr..
Wallace speak out against these in
an address which he is scheduled
to deliver in that city on the twen-
trends toward Fascism" in this
country, the Vice President indi-
Gated that his speech would con-
tain an attack upon what he termed
''the first steps toward Fascism";
the condoning of lynching, the
spreading of race hatreds and the
denial to minorities of the right
to full participation in government.
Following the conference with
the Vice President, the group met
Assistant Secretary of War John
J. McCloy with whom they dis
cussed problems of treatment
of colored soldiers in the Army,
inclusion of qualified colored
men in Army public relations
bureaus in Washington and in
the field, increased mobility for
colored correspondents in war
zones, increased coverage of col
ored troop activities by Army
public relations and Signal Corps
men in the war theatres, and the
Army policy on recruitment of col
ored women for the WAC.
In answer to requests for War
Department action in cases of I'M
fair treatment of colored soldiers,
Mr.. McCloy requested that spe-
cifc cases of such treatment be re-
ported to the War Department
where they would be thoroughly
investigated.
Both Mr.. McCloy and Col. STAN
ley Grogan, chief of the War De-
partment Bureau of Public Rela-
lions, agreed to the fairness of the
request for colored representation
on the public relations stats of the
army units in the field, but failed
to commit themselves upon the
necessity for colored writer's on
the Washington BPR staff.
In answer to suggestion that
colored war correspondents be CIV
en- opportunity to move freely from
one theatre of war to another in
order to insure better news cover
age, Colonel Grogan pointed out
that this could not be done from
Washington, since permission for a
correspondent to enter a theatre of
war had to be given by the Com
mander of that theatre and that
facilities were not always avail
able in the desired theatre for the
acceptance of additional CORES
pondents.
A request for the breaking down
of casualty lists according to race
was similarly turned down because
of the difficulties involved. Mr..
McCloy stated that a request for
increased coverage of the activi-
ties of colored troops in the vari-
Gus theatres of war had been pre-
scented to Secretary of War Slim
son shortly before his departure
for England and that more news of
the activities of colored troops ov-
erseas might be expected.
It was pointed out, however,
that the questions OF policy AFFECT
ing the WAC would have to be
submitted to Col. Oveta Culp Hob
by, commander Of the WAC, and
that publishers would be advised
of the policy as soon as it could
be ascertained.
A series of five questions pre-
scented to Navy Department off
Gals, pertaining to admission Of
colored women to the WAVES, at
tendance Of non-segregated schools,
commissions for colored enrollees
in the Navy, and the admission Of
colored men to Naval aviation
were answered "off the record" al