iency, he wanted the
Secretary of Defense to appoint a committee of independent (p. 535)
citizens to investigate and report on the situation.[21-7] The idea of
a citizens' committee was not new. The Fahy Committee provided a
recent precedent, and in August 1961 Congressman Diggs had asked the
Secretary of Defense to consider the appointment of such a group, a
suggestion rejected at the time by Assistant Secretary Runge.[21-8]
But Yarmolinsky enjoyed opportunities unavailable to the Michigan
congressman; he had the attention and the support of Robert McNamara.
In the latter's words: "Adam suggested another broad review of the
place of the Negro in the Department. The committee was necessary
because the other sources--the DOD manpower reports and so forth--were
inadequate. They didn't provide the exact information I needed. This
is what Adam and I decided."[21-9] This decision launched the
Department of Defense into one of the most important civil rights
battles of the 1960's.

[Footnote 21-7: Not everyone supporting the idea of an
investigatory committee was necessarily an advocate
of Yarmolinsky's theories. Roy K. Davenport, soon
to be appointed a deputy under secretary of the
Army for personnel management, decided that an
assessment of the status of black servicemen was
timely after a decade of integration. His
professional curiosity, like that of some of the
other manpower experts in the services, was piqued
more by a concern for the fate of current
regulations than an interest in the development of
new ones. See Interv, author with Davenport, 31 Oct
71.]

[Footnote 21-8: Ltr, Diggs to McNamara, 24 Aug 61;
Ltr, ASD (M) to Diggs, 5 Sep 61; Memo, ASD (M) for
Asst Legal Counsel to President, 7 Nov 61, sub:
Racial Discrimination in the Armed Services. All in
ASD (M) 291.2.]

[Footnote 21-9: Interv, author with McNamara, 11 May
72.]

_The Gesell Committee_

On 24 June 1962 John F. Kennedy announced the formation of the
President's Committee on Equality of Opportunity in the Armed Forces,
popularly designated the Gesell Committee afte