October
2
1948
achieved in this way is indicated
by
the experience of the United States, where
100,000,000
acres that were on their way downhill have been restored nearly
to
their original fertility by
the
erosion-control measures
of
the Federal Soil Conservation Service and the new methods
of
arming taught by this service on demonstration farms. It goes without saying
at
industrial aotivities equally require revision from
the
conservation point
of
view, not only to eliminate water &stage, pollution of streams, and
so
on, but to stop &e production of articles-like
the
new electric gadget
for
grinding up garbage and flushing
it
down &he kitchen drain-that do more harm than good.
p
3
65
Unfortunately, conservation and technological prog- ress alone will not ward
off
khe
food and raw-materials crisis. Current production of foodstuffs, dothing fibers, and shelter materials
is
shoct
of
reasonable current: needs
by
at least
3
per cent; conservation and technology
wdl
do
well, therefore, to provide more rthan a bare subsist- ence
for
the
pveseM
world population. Meetifig the
re-
,quiremet&
of
the future population, which, if unchecked, will
be
2.7
billion by
1970
as against
2 2
billion today, appears out
of
the
question.
hus
not
only ncreased research and a world-wide conservation program but
en-
ergetic measures
to
limit population growth are imme- diately necessary.
BY
THOMAS
SANCTQN
IVd~i~gton
eptember
24
URING the ast war the race
issue
was
by
all odds
the
army's most serious morale problem. t caused Jittle administrakive war within the
framework
of
the big war, and a sizable foreign campaign codd
have
been mounted with
the
material and man-hours diverted to this phantom battlefront.
A
tremendous
war
potential was wasted
in
lthe
duplication
of
training
and
transportation facilities, the required poliltical and social adjustments and iaison activities,
and
the brawls, dis- couragements,
nd
destruative attitudes of white and Negro troops. Despite
progress
at cefltain traini'ng levels, the prob-
lem
of effective Negro integration is still largely un- solved. At the same time, Russia's raceequality doctrines create far more serious psychlogical and propaganda difficulties for he army than did
he
self-defeating racism
of
Nazi Germany.
For
these
reasons President
T,man's
appointment this week
of
a seven-member 'advisory committee to elp end
Idhe
demobilization-era lethargy about race pr&)ems in the ervices was of first-rank military significance.
The
task
of
this
cumnittee will be in general to undertake the reeducation and eindoctrination
of
the
command
groups on he basis of the services' own costly war-
time race experiences. The committee will undoubtedly
insist
upon a more active and imaginative use
d
bhe army's official Gillem Board report, which strongly advo- cated
that
white and Negro
troops
be mixkd in small units like platoons. Lester Granger and
John
H.
Seng- stacke, two Negro members of the commi,ttee, are un- equivocally against segregation in any form
as
a fixed amy policy, and they may succeed n persuading
he
whole committee and the defense esta'blishment to support recommendations for experimen,tal units in which inte- gration is complete-with
a
view
to
establishing
dtf
mately the principle of integration khroughout the services. sions, such
s
khe Ninety-second and Ninety-third, were militarily inefhcient.
The
economic, educatiuml, and
psyk
chological disadvantages suffered by Negroes in civilian life were reflected
in
he
poor morale
of
these divisions. During the Battle
of
the Bulge, however,
2,250
Negro volunteers from
labor
nd
nun-combat ssignments, after a brief period of training, wele interspersed
as
rifle platoons among front-line white &mops. Their
per-
formance was xceBent,
and
offcia1 urveys evealed th& a
Iwge
majority
of
he
white 'troops and oflicers approved their use. The. Gillem Board's recommmda- tions
were
largely based on this experheat.
In
accordance with
khe
board's recommendations, the army
has
now abandoned
he
rinciple
of
all-Negro divi- sions and integrated Negro regiments with white regi-
,
ments within divisions. Except in
rare
instances inte- gration has not been carried out at the platoon level. Negroes are now being rained-in limited but never- theless ignificant propoations-in pecialized ombat branches Iike
&e
paratroups and mechanized units. Sepa- rate recreational and posit-exchange
,
facilities are pro- vided for Negro training
areas,
Eut regulations state khat Negroes
n
white
areas
may
not
be
barred from these facilities
on
the
basis
'of ace. Negroes will
no
longer be trained
in
khe
South.
On May
3
there were
63,5
11
Negroes in the army,
11.15
per cent
of
&e total personnel
of
569 704.
The
navy
at &e beginning
of
Ithe war excluded
Ne
goes from
all
combat ratings. They were assigned ex. dusively as messmen and
in
bhe commissary
branches
However, race relations
among
whitte and
Negro
seamen During $he war the army found that all-Negro divi-
a
were excellent
t
sea, where
they
were
at
off
from communi9 antagonisms, and
t ne
navy found it expedi- ent to give
up
its all-Negro vessels and to liberalize its integration practices. This policy
brought
a
historic order
n
1946;
“Effwtive immediately
dl
res.tri&rns
govern-
ing types
of
assignments for which
Negro
naval per- sonnel are eligible we hereby Lifted. Henceforth they shall be eligible for all types of assignments in all
ratings in all activities
and
all
ships
of
e
service.” However, the navy falls far short
of
implementing the spiri,t
of
&is order. More than two-bhirds of the
Negro
navy personnel are
still
employed
s
stewards or
in
commissary units. The Negro enlistment
of
17,740
is
51/2
per cent
of
total
navy personnel. The air corps trained
a
;token
group
of Negro fighter pilots at Tuskegee Field during
the
war. This program encountered
local
prejudice and obstruction and
has
since
been
moved
to
Lochbourm
Air Base, Colm-
bus,
Ohio
The
ir
force
now
trains Negroes
in
all
branahes, including fighters and bombers, though he majority of its Negro personnel
are
service
troops.
Since
its
separation from the army
he
air
force
has
indicaked that it will continue
to
use the Gillem recommendations
as
a guide. The command observes
a
poliq of complete integration in
its
oflicer-training program at: Randulph
Field.
Negro enrolment ithere
is
ody
1
per cent, but James
C
Evans
civilian aide
to
the Defense
Secretary,
reports that
this
small iipre is due to the lack of quali- fied Negro applicants. The Randolph program, he says,
is
an
encouraging sign that the new air force contem- plates
an
effecbive use
of
the nation’s Negro component. In general terms, the rnili.tary’s attitude
on
race can be charaderized
as
“a grudging adjustment” to realities, he phrase used in an excellent critical analysis of post- war race developments submitted to Secretary Forrestal
by
sixteen Negro civilian leaders who were called in for advice
last
April. Thhis group told rtihe armed services hat the lack of progress since the war was discouraging and
ithat
,the army had failed
to
solve the basic problem
of
race morale. The army points to
the
high rate of Negro reenliskments
s
an indication
that
Negro service men themselves are not dissatisfied.
The,
Negro
leaders maintain,
nd
the
army admits, hat
bhis
is
in some de-
gree
the res& of
l
of
opportunity
and
securi,b ’in civilian life. The’army,
like
the nztion
of
which
it
is
a cross-section, faces
a
&lemma: military
logic
urges integration, but widespread prejudice-shared
‘by
privakes and generals alike-argues more vociferously against it., And like the nation, khe
army
is
being harried constantly- toward more rational racial practices
y
militant
Negro
leadership whose interference
it
resents. Phillip Randolph‘s threat
of
a
March on Washington during
the
war helped to open many restricted employment areas
t
Negro
lzbor
and &hereby increased
the
country’s
s8tril&g
power.
The
pressure which he and
other
Negroes have exerted
in
recent months
to
end the disgrace
of
segregation in the services may contribute as materially
o
military efficiency.
Dublin,
September
17
INCE
Mr.
Attlee
chose
to spend
a
short holiday in Eire-a purely private visit, he emphasized-and
then
to
call on Northern Ireland, the newspaper boys have been
busy
with
mors.
In
spite
of
denials and diplomatic headshakes
bhey
have insisted ;that th,e
Day
of
Union was fast approaching.
I
often
think
as
I
read these effusions, concocted largely in
he
Palace bar or similar
ports
of call around Dublin, that in
the
interest
of
union Mr. Costello’s noncommittal answers are
a
clear indica- tion
of
he
Line
to
follow. One quality that the Irish,
nmth
and
sou ,
have
in
common s
a
fear
of losing
face. The North
may
be
s
MARGARET
BARRINGTON
s
an
IriJhzuomdn
who
ldver
dt
SKibbereen
in
Coanty
Cork She
wr2te r
7ega
lady
for
tho
BBC
and
has
contributed
to
the
New
YorR
Herald
Tribune
md
Commonweal.
coaxed, ajoled, and maneuvered-there must be
no
coercion. Mr. Costello understands, what Mr. De Valera never could,
that
the
5rst
move must come from
the
North. He-can
do
lMe more than hcold the
door
open
with
welcome
on
th
rnsut.
Neither
Du:blin
nor
West- minster should attempt any ovmt
pressure.
The
war has ,brought about
a
great change
in
the-rela- tirons between Nor& and
South.
At
the
time of
the
split the nohern industrialists, backed by
the
smaller busi-
ness
Gterests and &e farmers, saw in Brikain their
only
market and aheir political and financial support. All during ,the
initend
between
the
two
world wars the Tories held power in England, and the
Tories
from
bu;h
sentiment and interest were prepared to keep the Stor- rnont group in power.
But
this wax has altered that.
A
Labor
government
Which
handed
back India, gave
up
Egypt, and cleared out of Palestine was
not
likely to back the
North
in maintaining an exclusive and expensive government.
The
Stormomt
group,
still
clinging
to
1
”
5
F’
k