St. Paul recorder. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1934-2000, 1952-11-07

SlSIdnL secretary Oh defense, Sa,
white troops in the army has
much evidence to the contrary
States.
Last week while President
Harry S. Truman was reporting
to $4,000 Negroes in front of the
offices Of AMP that he sees army
jimcrow fading away, AMP re-
ceived in its hands evidence of
gross discrimination against Ne
gro soldiers at Fort Sill, Okla.
1t appears that outside the
United States, overseas COM
mands are beginning slowly to
carry out the Presidents orders in
regard to equal opportunity for
all men in the armed forces.
Within the United States, how
ever, it seems that much needs to
be done before the army can be-
gin to brag about Indignation
here.
Individual Negro newspapers
have criticized the administrations
of various camps within continent
tai U.S.A. and so have soldiers.
The CTS who suffer from this
bias, however, dare not complain
too openly. According to reports
from Fort Sill, here is a basic list
of nine evils making life miser-
able for Negro soldiers stationed
there:
l. SCHOOLS-Schools are run
on a jimcrow basis. The post has
new modern schools, but only
white children may attend. White
children ride to school in army
buses provided by the post, driven
by men on the government pay
roll. Colored youngsters have to
go to school in Lawton, Okla, in
a 1913 Dodge bus furnished by
the state of Oklahoma and driven
by a boy 10 years old.
2. MOO CLUBS-The post has
two clubs for non-commissioned
officeds, but No. is for white
NCO's and No. 2 for Negroes.
Whites occasionally visit No. 2,
but Negroes cannot become mem
bers of No. 1.
3. SERVICE CLUBS-Officially
there is no service club segrega-
ton on the post, but hostesses
(white) remind the colored SOL
diers that Service Club No. 6 is
for them.
4. INTEGRATION OF UNITS
There is very little indignation
at Fort Sill. There is some token
Indignation of Negro enlisted men
in lower grades in certain stand
ard units, but that is all. The at
titude here appears to be that lac
cording to statement accredited
to a high ranking officer) Ne
groes cannot compare to white
soldiers and that there really
seemed to be no need for Ne
groes in the army.
5. HOUSING - Negro enlisted
men live together and are not al
lowed to live in so-caled white
areas. Even the Wherry housing
act (for CT families) is on a jim
crow basis. A civilian, J. D. San
ders who controls billeting on the
post, has told Negro non-coms
there was temporary housing
available, but only for white folks.
G. POST DUTY DETAILS -
Orders published for units to pull
guard duty at the post stockade
specify what number of guards
may be colored. Negro troops
feel this is to prevent the posi-
blIities of a Negro having charge
of white prisoners.
7. CIVIL SERVICE EMPLOY
MENT-Although Mrs. Ida w.
Boyd, a Negro, is technically SEN
ior hostess at the post, a Caucas-
ian woman has been brought in,
promoted and given the title of
post director. Although qualified
Negroes have applied for posi-
tons, they cannot get a job re-
CARELESS of vacancies. Negroes
do work as janitors and a few
mattresses.
s. ARTILLERY SCHOOL FAC
ULTY 49, The Artillery School
does not have a single Negro Of
ficer on its faculty. There is a
feeling that there are some quail
fled Negroes able to fill a fac
ulty post.
9. Capt. Edward Moon, Negro
dental officer, repeatedly is not
permitted to practice on Caucas-
ians.
This is the story of Indignation
at Fort Sill. known as the "artil-
Iery center of the world"
When President Truman ad-
dressed the cheering throngs here
in Chicago at the monument to
Negro soldiers in the midst of
Bonneville, he presented to the
people the picture given him by
his advisors about army inte-
grafton.
1t appears that in Europe the
spirit Of his executive order Of
l949 is being carried out after
Negroes had complained. but here