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420

(1944) [MARC] Author: Gunnar Myrdal
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420 An American Dilemma
nothing about the Negro’s performance as a soldier. Deliberate attempts
have been made to minimize the Negro’s military record. For instance, on
August 7, 1918, a secret document was issued from General Pershing’s
headquarters, in which French officers were urged not to treat Negroes
with familiarity and indulgence, since this would affront Americans, and
“not to commend too highly the black American troops in the presence of
white Americans.”®*
After the First World War the Negro became qiute an insignificant ele-
ment in the armed forces. The peacetime strength of Negro troops in the
regular Army had been fixed by Congress in 1866 at two infantry and two
cavalry regiments, which means that Negroes were much less well repre-
sented in the Army than in the general population. Their participation in
the National Guard was about equally small. The Navy stopped using
Negroes entirely some twenty years ago, except as messmen or in similar
menial tasks. There were no Negroes in the Marines. In 1940 there were
only two Negro combat officers in the regular Army and none in the
Navy. Out of over ioo,ooo officers in the Army Reserve, only eex) were
Negro.*®
In October, 1940, the War Department announced that the Negro
personnel should be increased in such a way that Negroes would con-
stitute the same proportion in the Army as in the general population of
the country; and, further, that Negroes would be represented in all
major branches of the Army.** It seems, however, that at least during the
early stages of the expansion, Negro units were not organized as quickly
as were white units. There were several complaints about Negro volunteers
being turned down with the excuse that there were no vacancies for them.*’
The situation has changed since then, however; it is expected that Negroes
will soon have a 10 per cent representation in the Army. The Navy, to a
certain extent, has relaxed its policy of excluding Negroes. According to
an announcement of April 7, 1942, it has started accepting Negroes for
combat and certain other service, but only in the Naval Reserve—which
means that, after the War, Negroes will again be allowed to serve only as
messmen. Also, Negroes may become promoted to petty officers within
segregated Negro reserve outfits, but that is as far as they will be allowed
to go.** Negro women are completely excluded from the women’s branch
of the Navy (the “WAVES”).
The promise that Negroes would be represented in all major branches of
the Army has been fulfilled. But there is no uniform proportional repre-
sentation. Engineering outfits, quartermaster corps, and other service
groups have a larger part of the Negro troops than do other branches
of the Army. It seems, however, that the difference is much smaller than
was the case during the First World War. What has particularly hurt the
feelings of the Negroes has been the unwillingness to give them propor-

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