Minneapolis spokesman. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1934-2000, 1943-01-08

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and Irving j. Blumberg to Washin
BULLETIN
Sam Reed COOrdinating Committee
Twin City Branches National As
ISOLATION for the Advancement
of COlOred People
The bulletin said:
The tragic circumstances sur
rounding the demotion of former
Sergeant-Major Samuel Reed and
First Sergeant Clifford Clemmons
at Camp Lee, Virginia, dramatic
the vicious and undemocratic treat
ment of Negro citizens in the
armed forces. Because 25-year-old
Samuel Reed, a native Of st. Paul
and a graduate of the University
of Minnesota, is known and re-
spected by thousands of Twin City
citizens, his case has an especial
appeal to all progressive men and
women in these communities. The
facts in the case, as they have been
presented in documentary form to
the Committee, are as follows:
OCT. "a, 1912: Sergeant Reed
and Sergeant ClemmOns, with nine
other nOn-cOmmissiOned officers,
presented a list of recommends
tons to the top officer of Camp Lee
asking that cOlOred soldiers be
granted their "full and equal
rights on the military reservation
and in the surrounding community.
The list of recommendations cen
tered around charges of discrimi-
nation in the assignment and equip
ment of Negro Military Police; dis
elimination on public cOnveyances;
discrimination in the use of facili-
ties of the camp (pOst exchanges,
theaters, service clubs, sports cen
tiers and certain areas); the dis
criminatOry policy of the War De-
partment in limiting Negroes by
quota in some branches of the
service (the Army Air Corpse and
the opening of branches now closed
to Negroes (the Army Glider Pilot
training prOgram). Sergeant Reed
was the chairman of the commit
tee which signed the list of recon-
mendatiOns.
NOV. /, 1912: Sergeant Reed
was reprimanded by his superior
officers because of the alleged dis
appearance of a routine paper con-
corning an officer candidate which
was supposed to have been placed
on his desk. Since the paper re-
ferred to was Of such nature that
it could have been easily replaced,
it was felt that the matter had
ended.
NOV. 6, 1912: Without warning,
Sergeant Reed was placed under
arrest bysorders of Colonel Henry,
Brigade Commander.
NOV. 10, 1912: Master Sergeant
Reed was offered the alternative
of standing trial by court martial
or accepting demotion to the ranks
for his alleged destruction of the
paper referred to above. First
Sergeant Clemmons was also Of
fered the alternative of standing
trial by court martial or accepting
reduction to the ranks because he
had supposedly treated one of the
trainees in his charge in a brutal
manner" Both Of these non-com-
missioned officers being only too
familiar with the system of pref
udice and discrimination against
Negro soldiers (as evidenced by
their recommendations), FAC
cepted" the demotion. Sergeant
Reed was transferred to Fort Dix.
The whereabouts of Sergeant
Clemmons is unknown.
NOV. IS, 1912: Colonel Henry
called a meeting of all Negro non
commissioned officers of both the
9Th and 18th regiments at Camp
Lee and informed them he had
found il necessary to reduce these
two high-ranking nOn-cOmmis-
stoned officers in his brigade be-
cause they had protested against
the army policy of race segrega-
ton. Then, this commanding Off
Ger, in real southern fashion, told
these Negro officers that they
would have to shut their damn
mouths and accept the army's
policy and practice of discrimina-
ton or be busted and shipped"
The Twin City Branches of the
National Association for the Ad-
vancement of Colored People, and
representatives of many liberal and
labor organizations, angry at the
treatment which had been accorded
these men, protested the matter to
the War Department. The War
Department, through Major Cen
eral James Edmonds, replied that
"Their demotions were coinciden-
tai with the drafting and presenta-
ton of the set of recommendations
but had no relation thereto"
Our committee is in possession
of documentary evidence to sub
stantiate its belief that this was
no coincidence" The charges