orce Base, in
keeping with his reading of the McNamara order, prohibited the use of
Maxwell's dining halls for a segregated luncheon of the American
Legion's Boys' State and its playing fields for the segregated Maxwell
Little League teams. Assistant Secretary Runge quickly reassured
Senator Lister Hill of Alabama that the 28 April order was limited to
employee organizations and so informed the Under Secretary of the Air
Force.[20-42] But a further clarification and, in effect, a further
restriction of the department's policy in discrimination cases was
issued when the Civil Rights Commission became interested in the case.
"If these activities are not covered by the April 28 directive," the
commission's staff director-designate wanted to know, "what is the
position of the Department of Defense on them?"[20-43] Runge's (p. 512)
response, cleared through Special Assistant Yarmolinsky, was hardly
reassuring to the commission. The department did not inquire into the
racial rules of private organizations that used departmental
facilities, Runge explained, nor did it object when its departmentally
sponsored teams and groups played or performed with segregated private
recreational groups.[20-44]

[Footnote 20-42: Ltr, Runge to Hill, 14 Jun 61; Memo,
Runge for Under SecAF, 28 Jan 61, sub: Military and
Civilian Employee Recreational Organizations both
in ASD (M) 291.2.]

[Footnote 20-43: Ltr, Bernhard to Runge, 6 Jul 61, ASD
(M) 291.2.]

[Footnote 20-44: Ltr, Runge to Bernhard, 17 Jul 61,
with attached Handwritten Note, signed SSJ [Stephen
Jackson], 13 Jul 61, ASD (M) 291.2.]

With the effect of a stone dropped into water, the implications of the
anti-discrimination memorandum continued to ripple outward. The
commander of Brookley Air Force Base, Alabama, canceled the sale of
subsidized tickets to the Mobile Bears baseball games by the base's
civilian welfare council on the grounds that the ball park's
segregated seating of Air Force personnel violated the secretary's
order. Inquiries from Capitol Hill set off another round of
clarifications.[20-45] While the secretary's manpower advisers were
inclined to support the base commander's action, some of the
department's legal advisers had reservations. Canceling the sale of
tickets, a lawyer in the general