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localId
284841647
label
White House Press Release, Executive Order Number 9981
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doc
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document
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1
Source metadata
id
284841647
contentType
document
title
White House Press Release, Executive Order Number 9981
citationUrl
collections
White House Press Release Files (Truman Administration)
White House Press Releases
subjects
Civil rights
African Americans
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284841647
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item
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day
26
logicalDate
1948-07-26
month
7
year
1948
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nara-archive
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1
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photo
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9c2516879e404027
ocrText
1735
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
JULY 26, 1948
343
EXECUTIVE ORDER
2981
ESTABLISHING THE PRESIDENT'S COMMITTEE ON
EQUALITY OF TREATMENT AND OPPORTUNITY IN
THE ARMED SERVICES
WHEREAS it is essential that there be maintained in the
armed services of the United States the highest standards of
democracy, with equality of treatment and opportunity for all
those who serve in our country's defense:
NOW, THEREFORE, by virtue of the authority vested in
me as President of the Unit od States, by the Constitution and
the statutes of the United States, and as Commander in Chief of
the armed services, it is hereby ordered as follows:
l. It is hereby declared to be the policy of the President
that there shall be equality of treatment and opportunity for all
persons in the armed services without regard to race, color,
religion or national origin. This policy shall be put into effect
as rapidly as possiblo, having due regard to the time required
to effectuate any necessary changes without impairing efficiency
or morale.
2. There shall be created in the National Military Estab-
lishment an advisory committee to be known as the President's
Committee on Equality of Treatment and Opportunity in the Armed
Services, which shall be composed of seven members to be desig-
nated by the President.
NARA
150
3. The Committoe is authorized on behalf of the President
to examine into the rules, procedures and practices of the armed
services in order to determine in what respect such rules, pro-
codures and practices may be altered or improved with a view
to carrying out the policy of this order. The Committee shall
confer and advise wi th the Secretary of Defense, the Secretary
of the Army, the Secretary of the Navy, and the Secretary of
the Air Force, and shall make such recom endations to the
President and to said Secretaries as in the judgment of the
Committee will effectuate the policy hereof
4. All executive departments and agencies of the Federal
Government are authorized and directed to cooperate with the
Committee in its work, and to furnish the Committee such in-
formation or the services of such persons as the Committee may
require in the performance of its duties.
5. When requested by the Committee to do so, persons
in the arned services or in any of the executive departments
and agencies of the Federal Government shall testify before
the Committee and shell make available for the use of the
Committee such documents and other information as the Com-
mittee may require.
6. The Committee shall continue to exist until such
tive order.
time as the President shall terminate its existence by Execu-
HARRY S. TRUMAN
THE WHITE HOUSE
July 26, 1948