established
by this Railroad Company and the State of Alabama is (p. 481)
indicative of extremely poor judgment on your part and reflects
unfavorably on your qualifications as a commissioned
officer.[19-23]

[Footnote 19-23: Memo, CG, 3380th Tactical Training
Wing, Keesler AFB, Miss., for (name withheld), Jul
53, sub: Administrative Reprimand; NAACP News
Release, 23 Nov 53; copies of both in SecAF files.]

As the young pilot's commanding officer put it, the lieutenant had
refused to accept the fact that military personnel must use tact and
diplomacy to avoid discrediting the United States Air Force.[19-24]

[Footnote 19-24: Memo, Cmdr, 3615th Pilot Tng Wing,
Craig AFB, Ala., for Cmdr, Flying Dir, Air Tng Cmd,
Waco, Tex., 4 Aug 53, sub: Disciplinary Punishment,
copy in SecAF files.]

Tact and diplomacy were also the keynote when the services helped
enforce the local segregation practices of the nation's allies. This
became increasingly true even in Europe in the 1950's, although never
with as much publicity as the events connected with the carrier
_Midway's_ visit to Capetown, South Africa, in 1955. Its captain, on
the advice of the U.S. consul, agreed to conform with a local law that
segregated sailors when they were ashore. This agreement became public
knowledge while the ship was en route, but despite a rash of protests
and congressional demands that the visit be canceled, the _Midway_
arrived at Capetown. Later a White House spokesman tried to put a good
face on the incident:

We believe that a far greater blow was struck for the cause of
equal justice when 23,000 South Africans came aboard the Midway
on a non-segregated basis--when the whole community saw American
democracy in action--than could have been made if we had decided
to by-pass Capetown. Certainly no friends for our cause would
have been gained in that way![19-25]

[Footnote 19-25: Ltr, Maxwell M. Rabb, President's
Assistant for Minority Affairs, to Dr. W. Montague
Cobb, as reproduced in Cobb, "The Strait Gate,"
_Journal of the National Medical Association_ 47
(September 1955):349.]

The black serviceman lacked the civilian's option to escape comm