7
Lowry 23 13
Scott 6 4
Sheppard 4 1

[Tablenote a: In January 1950, probably as a result
of a decline in backlog and the raising of
enlistment standard to GCT 100, this percentage
dropped to 8.8.]

[Tablenote b: Negroes in 61 percent of the courses
offered as of 26 Dec 1949.]

_Source_: Kenworthy Report.

At the end of the first year under the new program, the Acting Deputy
Chief of Staff for Personnel, General Nugent, informed Zuckert that
integration had progressed "rapidly, smoothly and virtually without
incident."[16-30] In view of this fact and at Nugent's recommendation,
the Air Force canceled the monthly headquarters check on the program.

[Footnote 16-30: Memo, Actg DCSPER for Zuckert, 14 Jul
50, USAF file No. 3370, SecAF files.]

To some extent the Air Force's integration program ran away with
itself. Whatever their personal convictions regarding discrimination,
senior Air Force officials had agreed that integration would be
limited. They were most concerned with managerial problems associated
with continued segregation of the black flying unit and the black
specialists scattered worldwide. Other black units were not considered
an immediate problem. Assistant Secretary Zuckert admitted as much in
March 1949 when he reported that black service units would be retained
since they performed a "necessary Air Force function."[16-31] As
originally conceived, the Air Force plan was frankly imitative of the
Navy's postwar program, stressing merit and ability as the limiting
factors of change. The Air Force promised to discharge all its
substandard men, but those black airmen either ineligible for
discharge or for reassignment to specialist duty would remain in
segregated units.

[Footnote 16-31: Memo, ASecAF for Symington, 25 Mar
49, sub: Salient Factors of Air Force Policy
Regarding Negro Personnel, SecAF files.]

Yet once begun, the integration process quickly became universal. By
the end of 1950, for example, the Air Force had reduced the number of
black units to nine with 95 percent of its black airmen serving in
integrated uni