rning
combat veterans, might have explained the singular lack of adverse
congressional reaction to the order. No less a personage than Chairman
L. Mendel Rivers of the House Armed Services Committee admitted that
he had no objection to the sanctions near Andrews. Asked about
possible sanctions elsewhere, Rivers added that he would cross that
bridge later.[23-91]

[Footnote 23-91: New York _Times_, June 23, 1967.
Rivers did criticize later applications of the
housing sanctions; see Washington _Post_, December
28, 1977.]

Rivers and his congressional allies would have little time for
reflection, because McNamara quickly made it clear that the Andrews
action was only a first step. Sanctions were imposed in rapid
succession on areas surrounding four other military installations in
Maryland, Fort George G. Meade, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Edgewood
Arsenal, and Fort Holabird.[23-92] More pressure was placed on
segregationists when McNamara announced on 8 September his intention
to extend the sanctions nationwide. He singled out California, where
the Defense Department census had shown black servicemen barred from a
third of all rental units, for special attention. In fact, off-limits
sanctions imposed on broad geographical areas were used only once
more--in December 1967 against multiple rental properties in the
northern Virginia area.[23-93] In the meantime, the Department of
Defense had developed a less dramatic but equally effective method of
exerting economic pressure on landlords. On 17 July 1967 McNamara
ordered the establishment of housing referral offices at all
installations where more than 500 men were assigned. All married
servicemen seeking off-base housing were required to obtain prior
clearance from these offices before entering into rental agreements
with landlords.[23-94]

[Footnote 23-92: Actually, McNamara imposed the
sanctions in the first two instances, the Secretary
of the Army in the other two.]

[Footnote 23-93: DOD News Release No. 1209-67, 26 Dec
67.]

[Footnote 23-94: Memo, SecDef for Service Secys et
al., 17 Jul 67, sub: Off-Base Housing Referral
Services, SD files.]

Finally, in the wake of the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1968
and the Supreme Court's ruling ag