Aug 48; Ltr, Forrestal to President, 3 Aug 48,
D54-1-3, SecDef files.]

By mid-September the committee was still unformed. The White House had
been unable to get either Frank Graham, president of the University of
North Carolina, a member of the President's Committee on Civil Rights,
and the first choice of both the White House and the Pentagon for
chairman, or Charles E. Wilson, second choice, to accept the
chairmanship. Secretary of the Army Royall was particularly incensed
that some of the men being considered for the committee "have publicly
expressed their opinion in favor of abolishing segregation in the
Armed Services. At least one of them, Lester Grainger [_sic_], has
been critical both of the Army and of me personally on this particular
matter."[12-72] Royall wanted no one asked to serve on the President's
committee who had fixed opinions on segregation, and certainly no one
who had made a public pronouncement on the subject. He wanted the
nominees questioned to make sure they could give "fair consideration"
to the subject.[12-73] Royall favored Jonathan Daniels, Ralph McGill of
the Atlanta _Constitution_, Colgate Darden, president of the
University of Virginia, and Douglas Southall Freeman, distinguished
Richmond historian.[12-74] Names continued to be bruited about. (p. 314)
Dawson asked Forrestal if he had any preferences for Reginald E.
Gillmor, president of Sperry Gyroscope, or Julius Ochs Adler, noted
publisher and former military aide to Secretary Stimson, as
possibilities for chairman. Forrestal inclined toward Adler; "I
believe he would be excellent although as a Southerner he might have
limiting views."[12-75]

[Footnote 12-72: Ltr, Royall to President, 17 Sep 48,
OSA 291.2 (17 Sep 48).]

[Footnote 12-73: Ibid.]

[Footnote 12-74: Memo, Royall for Forrestal, 10 Sep
48, OSA 291.2 (10 Sep 48).]

[Footnote 12-75: Memo, Leva for Forrestal, 1 Sep 48,
and Handwritten Note by Forrestal, D54-1-3, SecDef
files.]

With the election imminent, the need for an announcement on the
membership of the committee became pressing. On 16 September Dawson
told Leva that a chairman and five of the six members had been
selected and had agreed to serve: Charles Fahy, chairman, Charles
Luckman, Lester Granger, John H. Sengstacke, Jacob B