same sub.]

At times the services' respect for local laws and ordinances forced
them to retain some aspects of the segregation policies so recently
abolished. Answering a complaint made by Congressman Powell in 1956,
for example, The Adjutant General of the Army explained that off-duty
entertainment did not fall within the scope of the Truman order. Since
most dances were sponsored by outside groups, they had to take place
"under conditions cited by them." To insist on integration in this
instance, The Adjutant General argued, would mean cancellation of
these dances to the detriment of the soldiers' morale. For that
reason, segregated dances would continue on post.[19-29]

[Footnote 19-29: Ltr, TAG to Powell, 9 Aug 56, GF
124-A-1, Eisenhower Library.]

This response illustrates the services' approach to equal opportunity
and treatment during the Eisenhower administration. The President
showed a strong reluctance to interfere with local laws and customs, a
reluctance that seemed to flow out of a pronounced constitutional
scruple against federal intervention in defiance of local racial laws.
The practical consequence of this scruple was readily apparent in the
armed forces throughout his administration. In 1955, for example, a
black veteran called the President's attention to the plight of black
soldiers, part of an integrated group, who were denied service in an
Alabama airport and left unfed throughout their long journey.
Answering for the President, Maxwell M. Rabb, Secretary to the
Cabinet, reaffirmed Eisenhower's dedication to equal opportunity but
added that it was not in the scope of the President's authority "to
intervene in matters which are of local or state-wide concern and
within the jurisdiction of local legislation and determination."[19-30]
Again to a black soldier complaining of being denied service near Fort
Bragg, North Carolina, a White House assistant, himself a Negro,
replied that "outside of an Army post, there is little that the
Federal Government can do, except to appeal to the decency of the
citizens to treat men in uniform with courtesy and respect." He then
suggested a course of action for black soldiers:

The President's heart bleeds when any Americans are victims of
injustice, and he is doing everything he possibly can to rectify
this situation in our country.

You can hold up his hand by carrying on, despite the unpleasant