red him that his government had no race
restrictions. The Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army admitted that
Negroes were barred from Ethiopia, and although documentary evidence
could not be produced, the ban was thought to have been imposed at the
request of the United Nations. The State Department claimed it was
unaware of any such ban, nor could it find documentation to support
the Army's contention. It objected neither to the assignment of
individual Negroes to attache and advisory offices in Ethiopia nor to
"most" other countries.[15-38] Having received these assurances, the
Department of Defense informed the services that "it was considered
appropriate" to assign black servicemen to the posts discussed by
Congressman Powell.[15-39] For some time, however, the notion
persisted in the Department of Defense that black troops should not be
assigned to Ethiopia.[15-40] In fact, restrictions and reports of
restrictions against the assignment of Americans to a number of
overseas posts on grounds of race or religion persisted into the
1970's.[15-41]

[Footnote 15-36: Jack Greenberg, _Race Relations and
American Law_ (New York: Columbia University Press,
1959), pp. 359-60.]

[Footnote 15-37: Memo, Dep ASA for ASD/ISA, 6 Feb 57,
sub: Racial Assignment Restrictions, OSA 291.2
Ethiopia.]

[Footnote 15-38: Ltr, Dep Asst Secy of State for
Personnel to Dep ASD (MP&R), 24 May 57, OASD (MP&R)
291.2.]

[Footnote 15-39: Memo, Dep ASD for ASA (MP&R) et al.,
24 Jun 57, ASD (MP&R) 291.2.]

[Footnote 15-40: Memo, James C. Evans for Paul Hopper,
ISA, 29 Oct 58; Memo for Rcd, Exec to Civilian
Asst, OSD, 21 Jan 60, sub: MAAG's and Missions,
copies of both in CMH.]

[Footnote 15-41: See AFM 35-11L, Appendix M, 14 Dec
60, sub: Assignment Restrictions; Memo, USMC IG for
Dir of Pers, MC, 31 Aug 62, sub: Problem Area at
Marine Barracks, Argentia, Hist Div, HQMC. See also
New York _Times_, December 5, 1959 and November 16,
17, and 18, 1971.]

_Congressional Concerns_

Congress was slow to see that changes were gradually transforming the
ar