A brief against “discriminatory practices now prevailing in many defense industries and imperilling the success of the nation’s war effort” was submitted today to the opening session of the President’s Committee on Fair Employment Practices, by the Non-Sectarian Anti-Nazi League, on the grounds that such discrimination ”has the effect of impeding a united war effort by all elements of our people against Nazism.”
The brief, signed by Julius L. Goldstein, chairman of the League’s executive committee, listed names of companies concerned and described their practice of inquiring into racial and religious origins of applicants for positions in defense industries. The League, which has been conducting an extensive inquiry into discriminatory practices in industry, also submitted documentary evidence, consisting of affidavits from persons discriminated against as well as a collection of application blanks of various companies engaged on orders for the United States Government. It will soon establish an advisory service to aid in cases of religious or racial discrimination and is advertising for persons who feel that they have been discriminated against, to communicate with it.
”In many cases,” the League’s brief stated, ”persons indicating Negro, Italian or Jewish background, even though qualified by years of specialized experience in machine work, or by graduation from government courses in sheet courses in sheet metal working and similar fields, were arbitrarily refused further consideration. In other instances, such persons were given discriminatory tests or medical examinations, which were used as a camouflage for discrimination.”
Samples of application forms submitted by the League included those of the Liberty Aircraft Products Corporation, Bell Aircraft Corporation, Colgate Larsen Aircraft Co., Fairchild Aviation Corp., Glenn L. Martin Co., and others. All of those application forms contain spaces in which the prospective employee must indicate his religion, race or nationality before being considered for employment. In addition to the application forms, the League submitted affidavits of persons seeking employment at Brewster Aeronautical Corporation, Sperry Gyroscope Co., W. L. Maxon & Co. (instrument makers) and other corporations holding extensive government contracts. The affidavits showed that in every such case the companies involved inquired as to applicants’ race and religion, before considering persons for employment.
Present at the first session were Lieut. Gov. Charles Polletti, Mayor La Guardia and representatives of labor unions, welfare groups and religious organizations.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
