by which
federal authorities exercised control over the operation of school
districts. It stipulated that "no department, officer or employee of
the United States shall exercise any direction, supervision or control
over the personnel, curriculum or program of instruction" of any local
school or school system.[19-54] The firmness of this admonition, an
indication of congressional opinion on this important issue, later
played a decisive part in the integration story.

[Footnote 19-54: Sec. 7a, PL 874, 64 U.S. 1100.]

Attacks on segregation in schools attended by military dependents did
not begin until the early fifties when the Army, in answer to
complaints concerning segregated schools in Texas, Oklahoma, and
Virginia, began using a stock answer to the effect that the schools
were operated by state agencies as part of the state school system
subject to state law.[19-55] Trying to justify the situation to
Clarence Mitchell, Assistant Secretary of the Army Fred Korth cited
Public Law 874, whose intent, he claimed, was that educating children
residing on federal property was the responsibility of "the local
educational agency."[19-56]

[Footnote 19-55: DA Office of Legislative Liaison
Summary Sheet for ASA, 27 Sep 51, sub: Alleged
Segregation Practiced at Fort Bliss, Texas, CS
291.2 Negroes (17 Sep 51); Ltr, CG, The Artillery
School, to Parents of School Age Children, 2 Sep
52, sub: School Information, AG 352.9 AKPSIGP. For
examples of complaints on segregated schools, see
Ltrs, Sen. Hubert H. Humphrey to ASD (M&P), 16 Jun
52, and Dir, Washington Bureau, NAACP, to SecDef, 2
Oct 52; both in OASD (M&P) 291.2.]

[Footnote 19-56: Draft Ltr, ASA (M&P) to Mitchell.
Although he never dispatched it, Korth used this
letter as a basis for a discussion of the matter
with Mitchell in an October 1952 meeting.]

Senator Humphrey, for one, was not to be put off by such an
interpretation. He reminded Assistant Secretary Rosenberg that
President Truman had vetoed an education bill in 1951 because of
provisions requiring segregation in schools on federal property. As a
member of the subcommittee that guided Public Law 874 through
Congress, Humphrey could