ercent of the Navy's 23,000 man black strength, with a
corresponding drop in the percentage of those assigned to the
Steward's Branch.[16-81]

[Footnote 16-80: BuPers Cir Ltr 141-49, 30 Aug 49. See
also Memo, Under SecNav for Chmn, PPB, 22 Dec 49,
sub: Implementation of Executive Order 9981, PPB
291.2; Memo, Chief, NavPers, for SecNav, 4 May 50,
sub: Equality of Treatment and Opportunity, Pers
42, GenRecsNav.]

[Footnote 16-81: Memo, Dir, Plans and Policy, BuPers,
for Capt Brooke Schumm, USN, PPB, 17 Jul 50, sub:
Secretary of Defense Semi-Annual Report, Negro
Enlisted Personnel Data for, Pers 14B; Memo, Head,
Strength and Statistics Br, BuPers, for Head,
Technical Info Br, BuPers, 25 Aug 53, sub:
Information Requested by LCDR D. D. Nelson
Concerning Negro Strength, Pers A14; both in
BuPersRecs.]

Yet these reforms were modest in terms of the pressing need for a
substantive change in the racial composition of the Steward's Branch.
Despite the changes in assignment policy, the Steward's Branch was
still nearly 65 percent black in 1952, and the rest were mostly
Filipino citizens under contract. Secretary of the Navy Kimball's
observation that 133 stewards had transferred out of the branch in a
recent four-month period hardly promised any speedy change in the
current percentages.[16-82] In fact there was evidence even at that
late date that some staff members in the personnel bureau were working
at cross-purposes to the Navy's expressed policy. Worried about the
shortages of volunteers for the Steward's Branch, a group of officials
had met in August 1951 to discuss ways of improving branch morale.
Some suggested publicizing the branch to the black press and schools,
showing that Negroes were in all branches of the Navy including the
Steward's. They also studied a pamphlet called "The Advantages of
Stewards Duty in the Navy" that gave nine reasons why a man should
become a steward.[16-83]

[Footnote 16-82: Kimball was sworn in as Secretary of
the Navy on 31 July 1951. Ltr, SecNav to Granger,
19 Nov 52, SecNav files, GenRecsNav.]

[Footnote 16-83: BuPers, Plans and