The Omaha guide., 1943-02-06
SAYS FOR
NEGRO BOYS
TO BE BEST
OF SOLDIERS

Forces in matters affecting Negro
es were the immediate cause of my
resignation as Civilian Aide to the
Secretary of War.
The Army Air Forces are growing
in Importance and independence. In
the post war period they may be-
come the greatest single compon-
emit of the armed services. Biased
policies and harmful practices est
ablished in this branch of the Army
can all too easily infect other bran
ches as well. The situation had
become critical. Yet, the whole
course of my dealings with the
Army Air Forces convinced me thar
further expression Of my views in
the form Of recommendations with
in the Department would be futile.
I, therefore, took the only course
which can, I believe, bring results.
Public opinion is still the strong
est force in American life.
To the Negro soldier and those
who influence his thinking, l say
with all the force and sincerity 1T
my command tina 1.-THE man in uni
form must grit his teeth, square his
shoulders and do his best as a sol
der, confident that there are nil
lions Of Americans outside Of the
armed services and more persons
than he knows in high places with
in the military establishment, who
will never cease fighting to remove
every racial barrier and every hum
Hating practice which now con
front him. But only by being III
all times a first class soldier a
the man in uniform help in this
battle which shall be fought and
won.
When I took office. the Secretary
of War directed that all questions
Of policy and important proposals
relating to Negroes should be re-
ferred to my office for comment or
approval before final action. IL
December, 1910, the Air Forces ref
erred to me a plan for a segregated
training center for Negro pursuit
pilots at Tuskegee. 1 expressed nv
entire disagreement with the plan.
giving my reasons in detail. NV
views were disregarded. Since
then, the Air Command has never
on its own initiative submitted any
plan Or project to me for comment
or recommendation What inform
alton I obtained, I had to seek out.
Where I made proposals or recon-
mendation, l volunteered them.
This situation reached its climax
in late December. 1912, when I
learned through Army press re-
leases sent out from St. Louis and
from the War Department in Wash
1ngton that the Air Command was
about to establish a segregated Of
ficer candidate school at Jeffer-
son Barracks, Missouri. to train
Negro officers for ground duty
with the Army Air Forces. Here
was a proposal for a radical de-
parture from present Army prac-
tice, since the officer candidate
training program is the one large
field where the Army is eliminat-
ing racial segregation Moreover
I had actually written to the Air
Command several weeks earlier in
an attempt to find out what was
brewing at Jefferson Barracks.
The Air Command replied as late
as December IL, 1912, giving NOT
even the slightest hint Of any plan
for a segregated officer candidate
school. It is inconceivable TO me
that consideration of such a pro-
ject had not then advanced far
enough for my office to have been
consulted, even if I had not made
specific inquiry. The conclusion
is unacceptable that the Air Comm
and does not propose to inform,
much less counsel with. this office
about its plans for Negroes.
But the reactionary policies and
discriminatory Practices Of the AR
Forces are much more serious
than the matter of ignoring nv
office. 1t should be understood
that from the beginning the Air
Command did not want Negro YER
sonnet Resistance bred Of thar
attitude has been met ever since.
Moreover even now the air comm
and views the Isl Of the Negro as
an experiment" designed to det-
ermine whether he can do this or
that in the field of aviation. This
attitude is the result of wholly un-
scientific notions that race some
how controls a mans capacity and
aptitudes. The tragedy Is that bv
not wanting the Negro in the
first place and by doubling his
capacity, the Air Command has com
mitted itself psychologically to
courses of action which themsel-
ves become major obstacles to the