No racial prejudice exists in the United States armed forces, it was reported at a press conference here today by Moritz M. Gottlieb of Allentown, Pe. who has just returned from a three and one-half month tour of the Pacific battlefront made on behalf of the National Jewish Welfare Board. Mr. Gottlieb conferred with General MacArthur, Admiral Halsey, and Lieutenant General Richardson, and other commanding officers of the Southwest Pacific, South Pacific and Central Pacific areas respectively, He travelled 32,000 miles, visiting scores of bases and talking to thousands of men.
“Our soldiers,” Mr. Gottlieb said, “have stopped thinking of their companions as white or black, Christian or Jew, Irish or Italian. Men are judged solely on the basis of character, on their courage, humility and willingness to sacrifice for the common good. This is one of the greatest benefits that America will receive from this horrible war. Our men are not fighting for the territory in New Guinea. They are fighting for a continuation of the kind of life they have learned in the fellowship and danger of jungle war.
“In the South Pacific area, I visited New Caledonia, New Hebrides, the Fijis and the reconquered Solomon Islands, including the front lines on Bougainville. I was deeply impressed by the determination of Christian chaplains to minister to the needs of Jewish servicemen.”
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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.
