so.[14-27]

[Footnote 14-25: Min, War Council Mtg, 11 Jan 49, FC
file; see also Interv, author with W. Stuart
Symington, 1974, CMH.]

[Footnote 14-26: Memo, SecAF for Chmn, PPB, OSD, 30
Apr 49; Memo, Asst SecAF for SecAF, 20 Apr 49, sub:
Department of Air Force Implementation of
Department of Defense Policy on Equality of
Treatment and Opportunity in the Armed Services;
both in SecAF files.]

[Footnote 14-27: Min, PPB Mtg, 5 May 49; Memo, Reid
for SecDef, 10 May 49, sub: Equality of Treatment
and Opportunity in the Armed Forces, FC file.]

To achieve maximum benefit from the Air Force plan, Reid and his
associates had to link it publicly with the inadequate replies from
the other services. Disregarding the views of some board members, he
suggested that Johnson reject the Army and Navy answers and, without
indicating the form he thought their answers should take, order them
to prepare new proposals.[14-28] Johnson would also have to ignore a
warning from Secretary of the Army Royall, who had recently reminded
him that Forrestal had assured Congress during the selective service
hearings that the administration would not issue a preemptory order
completely abolishing segregation. "I have no reason to believe that
the President had changed his mind," Royall continued, "but I think
you should be advised of these circumstances because if any action
were later taken by you or other authority to abolish segregation in
the Army I am confident that these Southern senators would remember
this incident."[14-29]

[Footnote 14-28: Ibid.]

[Footnote 14-29: Memo, SA for SecDef, 22 Apr 49, OSA
291.2.]

Despite Royall's not so subtle warning, Reid's scheme worked. The
Secretary of Defense explicitly and publicly approved the Air Force
program and rejected those of the Army and Navy. Johnson told the
Army, for example, that he was pleased with the progress made in the
past few years, but he saw "that much remains to be done and that the
rate of progress toward the objectives of the Executive Order must be
accelerated."[14-30] He gave the recalcitrants until 25 May to submit
"specific additional actions which you propose to take."