although
here the charges were even less appropriate because the use of
sanctions was severely circumscribed. It remained to be seen how far
command initiative and voluntary compliance could be translated by the
services into concrete gains.

CHAPTER 22 (p. 556)

Equal Opportunity in the Military Community

When Secretary McNamara issued his equal opportunity directive in
1963, all segregated public accommodations, schools, and even housing
near military reservations became potential targets of the Department
of Defense's integration drive. This change in policy was substantive,
but the traditionalists who feared the sudden intrusion of the
services into local community affairs and the reformers who later
charged McNamara with procrastination missed the point. More than a
declaration of racial principles, the directive was a guideline for
the progressive application of a series of administrative pressures.
Endorsing the Gesell Committee's concept of command responsibility,
McNamara enjoined the local commander to oppose discrimination and
foster equal opportunity both on and off the military base. He also
endorsed the committee's recommendation for the use of economic
sanctions in cases where voluntary compliance could not be obtained.
By demanding the approval of the service secretaries for the use of
sanctions, McNamara served notice that this serious application of the
commander's authority would be limited and infrequent. He avoided
altogether the committee's call for closing military bases.

The secretary's critics overlooked the fact that no exact timetable
was set for the reforms outlined in the directive, and actually
several factors were operating against precipitate action on
discrimination outside the military reservation. Strong sentiment
existed among service officials for leaving off-base discrimination
problems to the Department of Justice, and, as early reactions to the
committee report revealed, the committee's findings did little to
alter these feelings. More important, the inclination to postpone the
more controversial aspects of the equal opportunity directive received
support from the White House itself. Political wisdom dictated that
the Department of Defense refrain from any dramatic move in the civil
rights field while Congress debated the civil rights bill, a primary
legislative goal of both the Kennedy and Johnson administrati