Freedom to Serve

I. Public Papers of the Presidents in seven volumes

October 8, 1947: Address Broadcasted to the Women of the United States.
February 17, 1948: Remarks at the Opening Session of the Women’s Bureau Conference.
January 13, 1949: Special Message to the Senate Transmitting Inter-American Convention on the Granting of Political Rights to Women January 13, 1949.
May 25, 1949: Remarks to the President’s Conference on Community Responsibility to our Peacetime Servicemen and Women.
November 15, 1949: Address at the Annual Meeting of the National Council on Negro Women.
January 10, 1950: Letter to the US Representation on the UN Commission on the Status of Women.
November 5, 1951: Remarks to Members of the Defense Advisory Committee on Women in the Services.
September 11, 1952: Remarks at a Ceremony Marking the Issuance of the “Women in the Armed Services” Commemorative Stamp.

II. Oral histories

III. Truman’s Desegregation of the Military

“Digest of War Department Policy Pertaining to Negro Military Personnel” by J.S. Leonard, January 1, 1944. Memo.
“Negroes in the Armed Forces,” ca. 1945.
Statement by Truman Gibson, Jr., April 9, 1945.
Truman Gibson, Jr. to John J. McCloy, August 8, 1945.
Circular No. 124—“Utilization of Negro Manpower in the Postwar Army Policy,” April 27, 1946.
A. Philip Randolph to Harry S. Truman, with attached White House memos, July 7, 1948.
Matthew Connelly to Grant Reynolds, July 21, 1948, with attached memos, September 8, 1948.
Initial Recommendations by Fahy Committee, May 24, 1949.
President’s Committee on Equality of Treatment and Opportunity in the Armed Forces Progress Report, June 7, 1949.
Interim Report, July 27, 1949.
Further Interim Report to the President, October 6, 1949.
Charles Fahy to Harry S. Truman, with attachments, October 11, 1949.
Charles Fahy to Harry S. Truman, December 14, 1949.
First Report on the Racial Integration Program of the Air Force, February 6, 1950.
Correspondence between A. Philip Randolph and David Niles, with attachments, April 25, 1950.
Freedom to Serve, Equality of Treatment and Opportunity in the Armed Services, a Report by the President’s Committee, May 22, 1950.
Anna Rosenberg to Earl McGrath, January 10, 1953.
Earl J. McGrath to Anna Rosenberg, January 15, 1953.

IV. Truman’s Committee on Civil Rights

Telegram, Paul Burney to Harry S. Truman, May 9, 1945.
Address by Tom C. Clark, June 21, 1946.
Press Release, Department of Justice, September 26, 1946.
Walter White to David K. Niles, September 26, 1946.
Correspondence between Thelma Pallette and Harry S. Truman, December 12, 1946.
Report to President’s Committee on Civil Rights, “Federal Criminal Jurisdiction over Violations of Civil Rights,” January 15, 1947.
Address Given by Walter White at the Lincoln Memorial, June 29, 1947 [the date is incorrect on the description for this speech—it reads May 29, 1947].
Memorandum, Frank S. Horne to Philleo Nash, with Attached Statement to the President’s Committee on Civil Rights, November 24, 1947.
Press Release, “Will Henry Wallace Get the Negro Vote,” by Walter White, January 8, 1948.

V. Election of 1948

VI. Audio clips

Accessible at http://www.trumanlibrary.org/audio/audio.htm

June 29, 1947 Address before the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.
September 17, 1949 Radio Address on Democratic Women’s Day.
July 24, 1998 Colin Powell’s speech to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Desegregation of the Armed Forces.

Documents