St. Paul recorder. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1934-2000, 1945-04-13

William i. Rose OF brooklyn,
writing in the letter column of the
New York Herald Tribune for
March 20, 1915, seems to have hit
the nail squarely on the head in the
controversy raging over the all
colored 92nd Division. It will be
remembered that the 92nd Divi-
sion was given sharp raking over
the Goals in the daily newspapers
after a battle with the Nazis in the
Serchio sector of the Italian front
few weeks ago. Circumstances
surrounding the battle brought on a
statement concerning illiteracy
among Negro troops by Truman K.
Gibson, Negro civilian aide to Sec
rotary of War Stimson who recent
ly made a trip abroad to study con-
ditions among Negro fighting men
at first hand.
Said Mr.. Rose:
81 want to congratulate the New
York Herald Tribune and John
Chabot Smith for the singularly
fine coverage accorded a story
headed Army Studying More Eff
fective Negro Training Mr.. Smith
wrote about War Department in
vestigation to determine why some
Negro combat units have made I'M
satisfactory showings. Some re-
porters might have stopped there;
or some newspapers might have
limited his story to that bare fact.
Mr.. Smith went on to point out, and
the Herald Tribune printed, how
ever: ~ the percentage of litter
ates among Negro troops is nine
times higher than among white
troops; (2) illiterates require spe-
cial training, and (3) many re-
placements have been sent to the
(92nd) Division without adequate
infantry training
"Mr. Smiths account was factual
throughout. Yet it seemed clear to
me, after reading it, that the onus
for unsatisfactory performance by
some Negro units in Italy lies with
the War Department; and if any
investigation be required, it is of
the War Department to determine
why no program has been worked
out since 1910 to accord equal
training to all men going up to
front-line hell. In the name of COM
mon decency and national security,
it would seem such training is the
very minimum that might be ex-
pected.
"The informative and conscien-
tious journalism exemplifed in this
story, will, I am sure, be appre-
ciated by many white persons be-
sides myself; and particularly by
Negro aviators and other Negro
service men who have distinguished
themselves and their country in
combat.
civilian T. ROSE.
Brooklyn, March Is, 1916"
Reports from the 92nd Division
fighting with the Fifth Army in
Italy, meanwhile, display a violent
reaction to the magazine Newsweek
article Of February 26, entitled
"Luckless Ninety-second." The men
were said to be very bitter over the
magazine statement that "the Nine
ty-seeond crumbled under Nazi as
sault in the Serchio" in which a
reference was made that the en-
gagements was a two-day battle in
stead of a four-day battle as it was.
Truman Gibson, meanwhile, de-
clared while in Rome: ''You can't
train a man to be fighting soldier
for eight hours a day, then slap
him in the face with his race, when
he leaves camp at night"
Gibson was sent abroad by AS
sistant Secretary of War John J.
McCloy for the specific job of OBJ
serving the performance Of Negro
troops and Of studying the attitudes
Of both officers and men.
Gibson's reaction was that it is
too late to expect any major change
in the racial policy of the War De-
partment, but pointed out that
questions of the disposition of Me-
gro soldiers will play a large part
in any Congressional legislation for
universal military training.
The 92nd Division, Gibson de-
elared, was activated three years
ago and is made up Of enlisted per-