AGAO-R 352.9 (17 Apr 53);
Memo, Dir of Pers Policy, OSD, for ACS/G-1 and
Chief of NavPers, 6 May 53; Statement for Sherman
Adams in reply to Telg, Powell to President, as
attachment to Memo, ASD (M&P) for SecNav, 5 Jun 53;
last two in OASD (M&P) 291.2.]

Although both Wilson and Hobby later denied that the Department of
Health, Education, and Welfare was opposed to integrating the schools,
rumors and complaints persisted throughout the summer of 1953 that
Hobby opposed swift action and had carried her opposition "to the
cabinet level."[19-69] Lending credence to these rumors, President
Eisenhower later admitted that there was some foot-dragging in his
official family. He had therefore ordered minority affairs assistant
Rabb, already overseeing the administration's fight against segregated
shipyards, to "track down any inconsistencies of this sort in the rest
of the departments and agencies of the government."[19-70]

[Footnote 19-69: DOD OPI Release, 1 Feb 54; UPI News
Release, 31 Jan 54; Telg, Powell to President, ca.
1 Jun 53; Ltr, President to Powell, 6 Jun 53; Press
Release, Congressman Powell, 10 Jun 53; NAACP Press
Release, 16 Nov 53; White, Address Delivered at
44th NAACP Annual Convention, 28 Jun 53. Copies of
all in Nichols Collection, CMH. See also New York
_Times_, February 1, 1954.]

[Footnote 19-70: Eisenhower, _Mandate for Change_, p.
293.]

The interdepartmental dispute was quickly buried by Wilson's dramatic
order of 12 January 1954. Effective as of that date, the secretary
announced, "no new school shall be opened for operation on a
segregated basis, and schools presently so conducted shall cease
operating on a segregated basis, as soon as practicable, and under no
circumstances later than September 1, 1955."[19-71] Wilson promised to
negotiate with local authorities, but if they were unable to comply
the Commissioner of Education would be requested to provide integrated
facilities through the provisions of Public Law 874. Interestingly,
the secretary's order predated the Supreme Court decision on
segregated education by some four months.

[Footnote 19-71: Memo, SecDef for SA et al., 12 Jan