The Apache sentinel., 1945-03-30
Full Report
Negroes Courage Upheld
In Inquiry
Vol. II, No. 80.


(The following is reprinted through
= the courtesy of the New York Times.
1t was wirelessed from Rome on
March Nth by its correspondent,
Milton Bracker)
The circumstances surrounding
the American Ninety-second Divi-
sion and its combat record present
"a rather dismal picture" but one
that may contribute greatly to work
ing out the difficult Army race prob
lem in the future, it was asserted
here today by Truman K. Gibson,
Jr., civilian aide to Secretary of War
Henry L. Stimson.
All the enlisted men in the Ninety
second Division are Negroes. The
Divisions accomplishments SO far in
the Tyrrhenian sector of the Italian
front have been limited in terms of
the map and highly controversial in
terms of general discussion through
out the Mediterranean theater.
Largely because of this contro-
verSy, spread to the general and
Negro press at home, Mr.. Gibson
came here at the end of February
He has visited most Negro units,
as we'll as high Army officers. His
appraisal must be taken most seri-
ously because he is the official rep
resentative of the War Department
and is a Negro. He also is the first
government official to make can
did publishable appraisal of the
situation,
To understand the situation it
must be realized that the generaliza-
ton that Negro troops can't fight"
mas been depressingly prevalent on
and behind the Italian front vir-
tually since the Ninety-second Divi-
sion arrived. AS usual it has been
picked up by the worst elements in
repeated by high officers of unqueS-
toned integrity, although often they
are men whose knowledge of the
Ninety-second Division is not first
hand.
Defends Negroes Courage
Mr. Gibson denied this generaliza-
ton on the basis of his inspection
"If the division proves anything" :"
he said, sit does not prove that
Negroes can't fight. There is no ques-
ton in my mind about the courage
ofNegro officers or soldiers and any
generalization on the basis of race is
entirely unfounded."
Mr.. Gibson then frankly went
into the TOUGHEST aspect of ALL He
conceded that certain units of the
Ninety-second Division had engaged
in more or less panicky retreats,
particularly at night when the atti-
tude of some individual soldiers
seemed to be I'm up here all alone;
why in hell should stay up here2' >"
But, he added, mot all the Strag-
Cling and running has happened in
the Ninety-second Division"
In other divisions, he said, it
seemed to be that it was more often
the case of some individuals falling
back in every unit while with the
was likely to be the behavior pat
tern of some patrols or platoons as
units"
High 1lliteracy Is Blamed
In the relatively high percentage
Of iRiteracy of the division Mr.. Glib
son felt lay the key to the trouble
and certainly a. reason for making
unfair any comparison of it with
veteran white outfits like the Thirty
fourth Division. Ninety-two per cent
of the Negro Division were in Glass
or Glass in Army literacy tests.
Glass 5 is the worst. Seventy five
per cent of the Ninety y-second's men
were in Glass 4, semi-literacy.
you can't apply the same train
ing schedules where that many men
are illiterate as where only per
cent are" Mr.. Gibson commented.
He said that normally all Glass 5
men would have had special period
of "basic education" but that the
men in the Ninety-second were not
because the division was being acti-
waited at the time they were called
up and they were sent to it imrnedi-
ately.
General Army figures show 46.4
per cent of Negroes are in Class 5
and 35 per cent are in Glass 4,
against 4 per cent Of whites in Glass