St. Paul recorder. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1934-2000, 1946-07-12

how asinine it is to draw color
lines.
Then, later, on the other side
Of the world we sweated together
making an old fishy-smelling Japan
restaurant into the Tokyo Foreign
Correspondents Club.
Ryan and l have known each
other under some trying circum-
stances, and we have always met
and moved about on a strictly man
to-man basis, heretofore.
Also, there are a few other guys
aboard the press ship, USS APP
palachian, proceeding to Bikini,
whom l have known elsewhere.
There's Clete Roberts of Abe
who was one of the early crowd
If correspondents under Mac
Arthur's command in Australia,
back in the days when we weren't
exactly winning the war.
There's Larry Scion of the Lon
don News Chronicle, whom | knew
both in Europe and the Far East;
there's Keith Wheeler of the Chi
cago Times, who was out in China
in a ricksha when last | saw him;
there's Tom Priestly of Universal
Newsreel and Bill Tyree of United
Press, who are my eliminates and
acquaintance of long NARROWER
age standing.
There are a few others left over
from the wars, and several with
whom I've been on the same as
signments back in the States -
among these Volta Torrey of Pop
ular Mechanics Magazine and
Frank Bartholomew Of United
Press.
We nod to each other and pass
chatter when our paths meet on
this big ship Of many divisions but
the camaraderie that existed among
newsmen who saw and covered the
war doesn't exist aboard this craft.
Occasionally, the "old gang" will
get together and swap a yarn or
two, but a wet rag is always thrown
into the conversation by some glor-
flied Stateside copyboy who saun-
ters up and asks silly questions
like, What did you do when they
were shooting in your direction ?"
Too many of the people aboard
this vessel simply "don't belong"
to that democratic society of news
men who saw the war.
I'm from the South
The Southerners come I'D when
the gang is having a setto and
preface whatever they have to con-
tribute by saying, "I'm from South
Carolina, y'know"-as if that mat
tered.
Such announcements are doubt
less meant for me and catch them
dexterously, throwing out a sharp,
That's too bad" and carrying on
with Gliding Clete Roberts about a
headlong dive into a New Guinea
foxhole.
The rebels create a queer situa-
ton aboard the Appalachian and
the Navy policies, which those bald
faced double-talkers in Washington
claim brook no discrimination, aid
and abet the Dixie attitude toward
this lone colored citizen among
Crossroads correspondents
The full ramifications of this are
what confound my good friend,
Cornelius Ryan.
He is first of all an Irishman
who works for this St. Louis paper
because he's trying to learn some
thing about the States. During
the war, he represented an English
newspaper and he still has the basic
unbiased attitude Of the United
Kingdom peoples.
He tells me he noted for several
days that my seat at the ward
room table is at the end; that |
get served last and the three others
at the table are two places away
to the side and before me.
He asked, rather bluntly, one
day: What sort of plague is there
at your end of the tablet"
tried to explain to him that
such is the way of Americans and
he nearly floored me with the told
to us) observation that fear Pm
contaminated because of my color
is silly because all the messmen
are also my color and the food
would certainly already be con-
taminated if color has anything to
do with it.
He went on to say he's found
America a disappointment because
Of "shallOwness." Our nation lacks
culture and good manners, this
keen-minded Irishman says.
The national white attitude on
the race question. including that
Of the so-called liberals, stinks to
the high heavens, he contends, and
sets out to prove it by announcing:
From now on I'm sitting with you
at meals"
Now, really, I'm having some
thing Of a time with Ryan.
Navy Gets Blame
There are others to whom the
attitude Of the Navy officer who
assigned ward room seats is often
sive. They have come over and
kidded me about the "jim crow
corner" because we've discussed the
matter at other times and under
stand the thing :. at least under
stand the thing =. or at least each
other.
They are willing to, or at least
have no qualms about sitting be-
side me, but they know they might
lose a good contact with or a good
tip from a Southern-born scientist
or newsman II they did so. They
are pragmatists who detest but
give ground to Americas racial
attitudes.
Ryan is something else. He hates
the thing, thinks it's petty. and
rrnposes to do something about it.
What's more, he's belligerent
enough about his convictions to
fight about them should anybody
try to talk him awav from me.
Interesting thisl
And. about the Navy well.
it's sort Of responsible for the
whole thing.
I'm not the basic reason for the
anti-colored attitude aboard this
ship. It's the pattern Of separa-
ton. segregation and selection Of
mental tasks for colored that sets
the stage.
Colored are serving as messmen,
cabin hnvS, cooks and general ser
wants ONLY. aboard this craft. Al
most all Of them thought they