Minneapolis spokesman. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1934-2000, 1949-08-26

lteHratiOn and are meeting with
/ excellent results, but the army
lays behind,
Last month. James G. Evans.
formerly civilian aide 70 the
secretary OF war. now civilian
aide To the secretary OF defense,
circulated a memorandum 10 con-
fcreos and intimates on the Hltua-
ton which shows q wide diHpAr-
ity between what the navy and air
force are doing m against what
the army Ia doing.
He wrote Of the decentralization
Of the Negro air unit at Lock-
bourne air force base and sub.
scqurnt tranAferrRi Of personnel
20 other units stationed through
out the world. Tho air force, In
hopping onto the Indignation band
kagon. went all the way In It's ef-
forts Ia carry out the policy. In
the postwar army, for example, no
Negro alrman were stationed In
overseas units, nor were they
given q chance 10 apply for duty
On u non aggregated basis, Now.
however. Negro airmen are being
sent To all posts and stations with
In and without the country.
Notably enough. there are Negro
alrmon now serving with the air
lift In Germany.
The navy, which began It's pro-
gram In 1914, has progreRsed a
hong way along the line OF elimin-
atIng segregation. Formerly,
Negroes were accepted under q
quota system for duty only In tho
mcRAmens branch. In 1914. the
navy began scotchinR this policy,
No that tho current number OF
Negroes accepted for this duty has
been steadily on the decline.
Negroes now arc accepted for
any and all Raalgnnlsnta. FOrmar
Negro navy officers In reserve
status, arc belnG invited 20 70.
turn 10 active duty, and plans
arc bcinK deVrloped % attract
Negro youth 20 enter new open.
Ings In the naval service.
The recent graduation OF En-
sign Wesley Brown, first Negro
graduate Of the Naval academy.
serves 10 give impetus to these
new plans and programs.
Although the army. through the
adoption of the Glllem board re-
port In I0l8. assured Negroes Of
a better treatment and wider OPP
portunities, very little II any pro-
greSs has been made along that
line, The army had complete In
tsRrRtion In liz officer candidate
schools from the beginning Of the
war. but this was but only frac-
ton Of what could have been done.
Evans memorandum cites the In
crease Of Negro officer percent
age In the postwar army. num-
bering the actual strength on duty
at about 400.
However. efforts % put com.
PIets Indignation into the army
10 being stymIed by tho hide
bound, pFeJudIosd southern offi-
Ger sIsmcnt which II against tho
policy.
In q few instances. what would
seem 70 be- a move toward com
pIets Indignation fiEEleS out be-
fore the move II completed. A. the
recent inaugural parade in Wash
Ingt0n. Negro troops were inte-
grated with whites, but following
the parade, they were shuntcd
once more back TO their segrega-
ted units.
On the national guard scene.
there has been much difference Of
opinion between the army high
command and the individual stat
US. A. q point OF information.
Negro officers themselves are
against the Indignation policy be-
cause that would mean they would
find their status Of being n big
FISH in . little pond" substituted
for that Of a little fish In q big
pond"
Connecticut, New York. New
Jersey. Illinois and California are
the only states having an lntegra-
ton policy In their national guard
units.
Much remains 10 be done, e.
pecially, as far ~ the army Ii
concerned. As Evans put II, "utili-
EatIon and placement" should be
based upon birth date, training
and proficiency without regard 20
race"
While this proposal was enter
tanned In preliminary discussions
with the army action did not
result"
The army II currently restudy-
ing the policies which were CO.
ordinAted by the postwar oiliem
board report, but the air force and
the navy are going ahead with
their schemes. with excellent sue