Memorandum from Hubert E. Howard to the Secretary of the Army, Secretary of the Navy, and Secretary of the Air Force

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C o P TROMAM Y ARCHIVES SERVICE" 11 October 1949 MEMORANDUM FOR THE SECRETARY OF THE ARMY THE SECRETARY OF THE NAVY THE SECRETARY OF THE AIR FORCE staft SUBJECT: Discharge of Homosexuals from the Armed Services. The Personnel Policy Board has approved the following policy with respect to treatment and discharge of homosexuals from the Armed Services: 1. a. Homosexual personnel, irrespective of sex, should not be permitted to serve in any branch of the Armed Forces in any capacity, and prompt separation of known honosexuals from the Armed Forces be made mandatory. b. Each branch of the Armed Forces should include information on homosexuality in its educational program. C. In cases involving female personnel, a female officer should be a member of all boards. d. A central review board for each service at Departmental level would insure uniform action on cases of homosexuality throughout each Department. Conferences between members of these boards would tend to promote uniform action throughout the Armed Services. However, it is recognized that the different Departments have administrative problems more or less peculiar to each Service, and for this reason the administrative details of implementing the policy outlined below for the disposition of homosexual personnel may be at the option of the various Departments concerned. e. Disposition boards shall be guided by policy outlined as follows: (1) Homosexual personnel coming within the purview of this policy will fall into several categories which may OF may not overlap, and will be more or less complicated by the facts and circunstances peculiar to the individual case. The cases, however, are generally classified and normal disposition presented for each class as follows: (a) CLASS I is defined as those cases accompained by assault or coercion as characterized by any act in or to which the other person involved did not willingly cooperate or consent, or C 0 P Y