some method of insuring that all new commanders promptly reviewed
equal opportunity programs applicable to their commands. The secretary
also set deadlines for putting the plans into effect. The preparation
of these comprehensive regulations and manuals, however, took much
longer than expected, a delay, Fitt admitted, that slowed equal
opportunity progress to some extent.[22-31] In fact, it was not until
January 1965 that the last of the basic service regulations on equal
opportunity was published.[22-32]

[Footnote 22-31: Ltr, DASD (Civil Rights) to Gesell,
30 Apr 64, ASD (M) 291.2.]

[Footnote 22-32: AR 600-21, 2 Jul 64 (superseded by AR
600-21, 18 Mar 65); AFR 35-78, 19 Aug 64
(superseded in May 71); SecNav Instructions 5350.6,
Jan 65, 5350.5A, 16 Dec 65, and 5370.7, 4 Mar 65.
See also NAVSO P2483, May 65, "A Commanding
Officer's Guide for Establishing Minority Community
Relations."]

There were several reasons for the delay. The first was the protracted
congressional debate over the civil rights bill. Some service
officials strongly supported the stand that off-base complaints of
black servicemen were chiefly the concern of the Justice Department.
On a more practical level, however, the Department of Defense was
reluctant to issue new directives while legislation bearing directly
on discrimination affecting servicemen was being formulated. Accepting
these arguments, Paul postponed the services' submission of new
regulations and manuals until the act assumed final form.

The delayed publication of the service regulations could also be
blamed in part on the confusion that surrounded the announcement of a
new Defense policy on attendance at segregated meetings. The issue
arose in early 1964 when Fitt discovered some defense employees
accepting invitations to participate in segregated affairs while
others refused on the basis of the secretary's equal opportunity
directives. Inconsistency on such a delicate subject disturbed the
civil rights deputy. The services had fortuitously avoided several (p. 565)
potentially embarrassing incidents when officials were invited to
attend segregated functions, and Fitt warned Paul that "if we don't
erect a better safeguard than sheer chance, we're bound somewhere,
sometime soon to look foolish and insensitive."