The President’s Committee on Government Contracts today presented its first annual report to President Eisenhower, covering the initial phases of the committee’s efforts to eliminate discrimination in employment on government contracts.
Vice President Richard M. Nixon, chairman of the committee, presented the report at the White House. The committee was appointed with responsibility for seeing that all contracting agencies of the government secured compliance with the mandatory non-discrimination provision in government contracts. This clause bars discrimination against employees or applicants for employment because of race, color, religion or national origin.
The committee reported that it has established standards for a compliance program for the various agencies. These standards are an educational program for government contractors, surveys of compliance, effective procedures for investigating complaints and a comprehensive reporting system with relation to the compliance program. Educational efforts included publication and distribution of 500,000 copies of a pamphlet, “Equal job opportunity is good business.”
Fred Lazarus, Jr., of Cincinnati, is a member of the committee. Mr. Lazarus is a Jewish leader and friend of President Eisenhower.
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