Services (the Fahy Cmte), 28 Mar 49, p. 18.]

[Illustration: BROADENING SKILLS. _Stewards on the USS Valley Forge
volunteer for classes leading to advancement in other fields, Korea,
1950._]

The Navy instituted several changes in the branch in the wake of the
Fahy Committee's recommendations. On 25 July 1949 the Chief of Naval
Personnel ordered all chief stewards designated chief petty officers
with all the prerogatives of that status; in precedence they came
immediately after chief dental technicians,[16-77] who were at the
bottom of the list. That the change was limited to chief stewards did
not go unnoticed. Joseph Evans of the Fahy Committee staff charged
that the bureau "seemed to have ordered this to accede to the
committee's recommendations never intending to go beyond Chief
Stewards."[16-78] Nelson, by now a sort of unofficial ombudsman and
gadfly for black sailors, urged his superiors to broaden the reform,
and Kimball warned Admiral Sprague that limiting the change to
chief stewards might be "justified on the literal statement of (p. 420)
intention, but is vulnerable to criticism of continued discrimination."
Without compelling reasons to the contrary, he added, "I do not feel
that we can afford to risk any possible impression of reluctant
implementation of the spirit of the directive."[16-79]

[Footnote 16-77: BuPers Cir Ltr 115-49, 25 Jul 49.]

[Footnote 16-78: Memo, Evans for Fahy Cmte, 23 Aug 49,
sub: Progress in Navy, Fahy Papers, Truman
Library.]

[Footnote 16-79: Memo, Under SecNav for Chief,
NavPers, 10 Aug 49, MM (1) GenRecsNav.]

Admiral Sprague got the point, and on 30 August he announced that
effective with the new year, stewards--first, second, and third
class--would be designated petty officers with appropriate pay,
prerogatives, and precedence, and that their uniforms would be changed
to conform to those of other petty officers. He also amended the
bureau's manual to allow commanding officers to change the ratings of
stewards without headquarters approval, thus enlarging the opportunity
for stewards, in all other respects qualified, to transfer into other
ratings.[16-80] These reforms brought about a slow but steady change
in the assignment of black sailors. Between January 1950 and August
1953, the percentage of Negroes in the general service rose from 42 to
47 p