eover,
Earle could absorb a 175-man unit.[10-41] But chief of the Navy's Bureau
of Ordnance wanted to retain white marines at Earle because a recent
decision to handle ammonium nitrate fertilizer there made it unwise to
relieve the existing trained detachment. Earle was also using contract
stevedores and expected to be using Army troops whose use of local
facilities would preclude plans for a segregated barracks and
mess.[10-42]

[Footnote 10-41: Ltr, CO, Naval Base, New York, to
CMC, 10 July 47, sub: Assignment of Negro Marines
to Second Guard Company, Marine Barracks, New York
Naval Shipyard, Brooklyn, N.Y., NB-139.]

[Footnote 10-42: Ltr, Chief, Bur of Ord, to CNO, 11
Aug 47, sub: Naval Ammunition Depot, Earle,
N.J.--Assignment of Negro Marine Complement,
NTI-34.]

The commandant accepted these arguments and on 20 August 1947 revoked
the assignment of a black unit to Earle. Still, with its ability to
absorb 175 men and its relative suitability in terms of separate (p. 265)
living facilities, the depot remained a prime candidate for black
units, and in November General Vandegrift reversed himself. The Chief
of Naval Operations supported the commandant's decision over the
renewed objections of the Chief of the Bureau of Ordnance.[10-43] With
Hingham, Massachusetts, ruled out, the commandant now considered the
substitution of Marine barracks at Trinidad, British West Indies;
Scotia, New York; and Oahu, Hawaii. He rejected Trinidad in favor of
Oahu, and officials in Hawaii proved amenable.[10-44]

[Footnote 10-43: Memo, Dir, Div of Plans and Policies,
for CMC, 19 Nov 47, sub: First Enlistments of Negro
Personnel, A0-1; Memo, Chief, Bur of Ord, for CNO,
15 Dec 47, sub: Assignment of Negro Marines at
Naval Ammunition Depot, Earle, Red Bank, N.J.;
Memo, CNO for Chief, Bur of Ord, 6 Jan 48, same
sub.]

[Footnote 10-44: Memo, Dir, Div of Plans and Policies,
29 Jul 47, sub: Negro Requirements and Assignments,
A0-1, MC files.]

The chief of the Navy's Bureau of Supplies and Accounts objected to
the use of black marines at the supply depot in Scotia, claiming that
such an assignment