illikopf, and
Alphonsus J. Donahue. The sixth member, still uninvited, was to be
Dwight Palmer. Dawson said he would wait on this appointment until
Forrestal had time to consider it, but two days later he was back,
telling the secretary that the President had instructed him to release
the names. There was final change: William E. Stevenson's name was
substituted for Billikopf's.[12-76]

[Footnote 12-76: Memo, Leva for Forrestal, 18 Sep 48,
D54-1-3, SecDef files.]

Although only two of Forrestal's nominees, Lester Granger and John
Sengstacke, survived the selection process, the final membership was
certainly acceptable to the Secretary of Defense. Charles Fahy was
suggested by presidential assistant David K. Niles, who described the
soft-voiced Georgian as a "reconstructed southerner liberal on race."
A lawyer and former Solicitor General, Fahy had a reputation for
sensitive handling of delicate problems, "with quiet authority and the
punch of a mule." Granger's appointment was a White House bow to
Forrestal and a disregard for Royall's objections. Sengstacke, a noted
black publisher suggested by Forrestal and Ewing and supported by
William L. Dawson, the black congressman from Chicago, was appointed
in deference to the black press. Moreover, he had supported Truman's
reelection "in unqualified terms." William Stevenson was the president
of Oberlin College and was strongly recommended by Lloyd K. Garrison,
president of the National Urban League. Finally, there was a trio of
businessmen on the committee: Donahue was a Connecticut industrialist,
highly recommended by Senator Howard J. McGrath of Rhode Island and
Brian McMahon of Connecticut; Luckman was president of Lever Brothers
and a native of Kansas City, Missouri; and Dwight Palmer was president
of the General Cable Corporation.[12-77]

[Footnote 12-77: Interv, Nichols with Ewing; Interv,
Blumenson with Leva. Donahue resigned for health
reasons shortly after the committee began its work;
see Ltr, Donahue to Truman, 23 May 49, Truman
Library. Luckman did not participate at all in the
committee's work or sign its report. The
committee's active members, in addition to its
chairman, were Granger, Sengstacke, Palmer, and
Stevenson.]

These were the men with whom,