[Footnote 23-3: Robert S. McNamara, Testimony Before
Senate Armed Services Committee, 3 Oct 63, quoted
in New York _Times_, October 4, 1963.]

[Footnote 23-4: Memo, William C. Valdes, OASD (M), for
Alfred B. Fitt, 8 Jul 63, sub: Case Studies of
Minority Group Problems at Keesler AFB, Brookley
AFB, Greenville AFB, and Columbus AFB, copy in
CMH.]

[Footnote 23-5: See Shulman, "The Civil Rights
Policies of the Department of Defense," 4 May 65.]

McNamara's civil rights assistants tried to provide explicit guidance
on the extent to which it was proper for base commanders to become
involved in the community. Fitt organized conferences with base
commanders to develop techniques for dealing with off-base
discrimination, and his office provided commanders with legal advice
to counter the arguments of authorities in segregated communities.
Fitt also encouraged commanders to establish liaison with local civil
rights groups whose objectives and activities coincided with
departmental policy. At his request, Assistant Secretary of Defense
for Manpower Paul devised numerous special instructions and asked the
services to issue regulations supporting commanders in their attempts
to change community attitudes toward black servicemen. These
regulations, in turn, called on commanders to enlist community support
for equal treatment and opportunity measures, utilizing in the (p. 583)
cause their command-community relations committees. Consisting of base
officials and local business and community leaders, these committees
had originally been organized by the services to improve relations
between the base and town. Henceforth, they would become the means by
which the local commanders might introduce measures to secure equal
treatment for servicemen.[23-6]

[Footnote 23-6: Memos: DASD (CR) for White, Assoc Spec
Council to President, 9 Jul 64; Philip M. Timpane.
Staff Asst, ODASD (CP, IR, & CR), for DASD (CP, IR,
& CR), 11 Feb 65, sub: Service Reports on Equal
Rights Activities; DASD (CP, IR, & CR) for John G.
Stewart, 23 Dec 64, sub: Civil Rights
Responsibilities of the Department of Defense.
Copies of all in CMH