Letter from Leon Henderson to President Harry S. Truman

X AMERICANS DEMOCRATIC FOR ACTION ADA 1740 K Street, N. W, W ashington 6, D. C., EXecutive 8160 PK C93.75 July 22, 1948 Leon Henderson National Chairman Joseph L. Rauh, Jr. Chairman, Executive Committee Honorable Harry S. Truman rindly George Edwards President of the United States The White House commond Hugo Ernst Hubert H. Humphrey Paul A. Porter Washington 25, D. C. Emil Rieve Franklin D. Roosevelt, Jr. then Vice Chairmen My dear Mr. President: Louis H. Harris 161 Treasurer Americans for Democratic Action respectfully urges you to David Ginsburg issue an Executive Order providing for the abolition of Secretary, National Board # segregation and discrimination in the armed forces of the 190-T James Loeb, Jr. National Executive Secretary United States. National Board x26776 The platform adopted by the Republican Party in Philadelphia Mrs. Jim Akin last month stated that "we are opposed to the idea of racial Mrs. Eugenie Anderson segregation in the armed services of the United States.' William Batt, Jr. Jonathan Bingham Harvey W. Brown The platform adopted by the Democratic Party in Philadelphia L. S. Buckmaster last week reads in part as follows: James B. Carey Leigh Danenberg David Dubinsky 299- C "We highly commend President Harry Truman Arthur A. Elder for his courageous stand on the issue of Mrs. Ethel S. Epstein J. F. Friedrick civil rights. Frank R. Furstenberg Robert W. Gilbert Lester B. Granger "We call upon the Congress to support our John Green President in guaranteeing these basic and James Hare fundamental rights: Mortimer Hays Paul R. Hays Allan S. Haywood Donald Hayworth Johannes U. Hoeber Sal B. Hoffmann "(4) And the right of equal treatment in James S. Killen the services in defense of our Nation." Mrs. Sarah Limbach Frank W. McCulloch B. F. McLaurin These constructive actions of both major parties are a call Frank Mankiewicz Reinhold Niebuhr upon the Chief Executive for leadership at this crucial time Thomas L. Parsonnet in our history. We recognize that segregation and discrimi- Ham Patterson Mrs. Gifford Pinchot nation in the armed forces cannot be wiped out over night. Ronald Reagan But we also recognize that they will never be wiped out Walter P. Reuther Mrs. Arthur G. Rotch unless constructive steps are taken at this very hour when Rt. Rev. William Scarlett the demand and the need for action stand out with unmistak- Arthur M. Shlesinger, Jr. Boris Shishkin able clarity. William Shore Miss Lillian Smith Gus Solomon Today the Nation is about to undertake a new draft of its Monroe M. Sweetland young men. We must assure the young Negroes conscripted Charles W. Taussig Ralph I. Thayer into the armed services that they will receive fair treatment Lockwood Thompson Homer Wadsworth x245 A. F. Whitney Don S. Willner x 93 Samuel Wolchok Wilson W. Wyatt Max Zaritsky se