The guardian. [volume] (Boston, Mass.) 1901-1960, 1948-04-10

l4Ollo. Rub oHAAAAAAAAb l14C N4eNlo Va
my radio Hallicrafter 1 picked
up the hearings purely by
chance and heard the Gener-
ais crisp voice as If he was just
across the table.
~ ~ ~
SENATOR SALTONSTALL Of
Massachusetts drewthe historic
role of putting the Jackpot"
question of the day. The other
solonS had mostly beaten round
the bush. The room was still and
tense as the ex-Bay State Gov
ernor referred to the protests
against JIM CROW in the Armed
Services and asked the General
for statement.
- - ss
THE GENERAL was only
loosely quoted by your dailies. He
said much more. He pointed out
to CIVIL RIGHTS opponents
that race prejudice in the Armed
Forces is only a mirror of re-
Election" Of the poor conditions
in civilian life. no more, no less.
1t was a challenge for CIVIL
RIGHTS to get on the ball. The
rest would be easy.
- Sc e
I DO NOT HOLD for the ex-
treme segregation which I first
saw when I joined the Army,
declared the famous five-Star
general to a gathering, including
southerners. He told the Senate
that when he joined the army
there were four completely jim
crow colored outfits, the oath,
25th infantry and 9th and 10th
Cavalry. Colored regulars had no
other choice. He said he was
against that policy.
80
THE GERMAN ADVANCE in
1874 was halted only after 2400
coIored on-combat troops had
VOLUNTEERED to shoulder a
gun and rush into the line to
service heroicalIy with white
troops, the General told the SEN
ate funny the dailies left this
out tool. He said that he and
GEN. GEORGE C. PATTON were
overjoyed at the result and liked
this new idea. Patton had col
cred mixed in his 3rd Armored
Division.
SPEAKING AGAINST complete
Jim crow army set-ups, the Cen
eral told the Congress that coll
ored troops under that system
were not used to their best abil-
tiles in the last war. He opinion
ed that colored troops FOUGHT
BETTER in mixed units. He said
it worked out very we'll" ibid
your daily editors miss this, too?'
THE MIXING of colored troops,
based on the successful expert
mentS of the last war was openly
advocated by the General, who,
when a schoolboy, insisted eel
ored team-mate play football or
else there just wouldn't be any
game. You know the story. The
General had to speak within linn
its. He couldn't say all he
thought.
so THE PLAN Of gradual mix
ing, as endorsed by the General
will not of course be accepted as
solution. He was frank in saying
it was not a complete solution.
But he believes in it for start.
He would take former TALL
white divisions and insert col
cred battalions, companies, plat
oons, perhaus even squads, UNI
till the alI-white, and alL-colored
pattern was finally washed out
in time.
THE REASON WHY the Gen
eral did not favor immediate
full indignation at this time was
NOT based on racial feeting. He
said that, in general, the colored
lads hadn't been able to acquire
the education and technical
training equal to whites. He said
under complete migration the
white lads would get the best
ratings and commansd: colored
would still mostly get a bad deal.
- - 80
THIS ARGUMENT of the Cen
eral, while sincere and without
racial rancor, will of course be
sharply challenged. The Army,
Navy and Airforce schools have
a capacity for educating ALL
EQUAL. Our civilian schools and
colleges, north and south.
SHOULD fill in the gap if they
observed the CIVIL RIGHTS
program.
- 80 80
THE REPORT Of General
Dwight D Eisenhower must be
analysed in the fairness and