inety or from 19 to 31 percent if the enlistment
standards were lowered to eighty. It also pointed to the experience of
the Air Force where with no quotas in the third quarter of 1949 black
enlistments accounted for 16.4 percent of the total; even when a (p. 373)
GCT quota of 100 was imposed in October and November, 10 percent of
all Air Force enlistees were black.[14-124]

[Footnote 14-124: Memo, Actg D/PA for Karl R.
Bendetsen, Spec Asst to SA, 13 Dec 49, sub: Ten
Percent Racial Quota; D/PA Summary Sheet, with
Incl, for SA, 28 Feb 50, sub: Fahy Committee
Proposals re: Numerical Enlistment Quota; both in
CSGPA 291.2 (2 Nov 49). The quotations are from the
former document.]

The committee quickly pointed out that the Army had neglected to
subtract from the monthly figure of 11,000 blacks those physically and
mentally disqualified (those who scored below eighty) and those in
school. Using the Army's own figures and taking into account these
deductions, the committee predicted that Negroes would account for
10.6 percent of the men accepted in the 8,000 monthly intake, probably
at the GCT eighty level, or 5 percent of the 6,000 men estimated
acceptable at the GCT ninety level.[14-125]

[Footnote 14-125: Memo, Kenworthy for Karl Bendetsen,
19 Oct 49, sub: Manpower Policy, Fahy Papers,
Truman Library.]

On 14 December 1949 the Army, offering to compromise on the quota,
retired from its statistical battle with the committee. It would
accept the unlimited enlistment of Negroes scoring 100 or better,
limiting the number of those accepted below 100 so that the total
black strength would remain at 10 percent of the Army's
population.[14-126] Attractive to the committee because it would
provide for the enlistment of qualified men at the expense of the less
able, the proposal was nevertheless rejected because it still insisted
upon a racial quota. Again there was a difference between the
committee and the Army, but again the advantage lay with the
committee, for the White House was anxious for the quota problem to be
solved.[14-127]

[Footnote 14-126: Memo for Rcd, Kenworthy, 14 Dec 49,
sub: Conference With Maj Lieblich and Col Smith, 14
Dec 49, FC file.]

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