ost one-third of
the commands inventoried failed to form the command-community
relations committees recommended by the Gesell Committee and ordered
in the services' equal opportunity directives. Of the rest, only
sixty-one commands had invited local black leaders to participate in
what were supposed to be biracial groups.

The purpose of the follow-up inventories--three were due from each
service at six-month intervals--was to determine the progress of local
commanders in achieving equal opportunity for their men. The (p. 585)
Defense Department showed considerable energy in extracting from
commanders comprehensive information on the state of equal opportunity
in their communities.[23-9] In fact, this rather public exposition
proved to be the major reporting system on equal opportunity progress,
the strongest inducement for service action, and the closest
endorsement by the department of the Gesell Committee's call for an
accountability system.

[Footnote 23-9: See, for example, the following Memos:
USAF Dep for Manpower, Personnel, and Organization
for ASD (M), 6 Feb 64, sub: Off-Base Equal
Opportunity Inventory Report, SecAF files; DASD
(CR) for Fridge, USAF Manpower Office, 14 May 64;
idem for Davenport et al., 3 Aug 64, sub: Off-Base
Equal Opportunity Inventory Follow-Up Reports. All
in ASD (M) 291.2.]

The first follow-up inventory revealed some progress in overcoming
discrimination near military installations, but progress was slight
everywhere and in some areas of concern nonexistent. Discrimination in
schooling for dependents off base, closely bound to the national
problem of school desegregation, remained a major difficulty.
Commanders reported that discrimination in public accommodations was
more susceptible to command efforts, but here, too, in some parts of
the country, communities were resisting change. A Marine Corps
commander, for example, reported the successful formation of a
command-community relations committee at his installation near Albany,
Georgia, but to inquiries concerning the achievements of this
committee the commander was forced to reply "absolutely none."[23-10]

[Footnote 23-10: OASD (CR), Summary of Follow-Up
Off-Base Equal Opportunity Inventory (ca. Jun 64),
DASD (CR) fil