New Committee to Combat Racial Discrimination in Employment Formed by Roosevelt

President Roosevelt has created a new and stronger Committee on Fair Employment Practice, headed by Mgr. Francis J. Haas and responsible directly to himself, with broad powers to prevent job discrimination because of race, creed, color or national origin, it was announced here today.

The former committee had been attacked as impotent after the President subordinated it to the War Manpower Commission last year and several of its more prominent members resigned. Mgr. Haas is dean of the School of Social Sciences at Catholic University, and has been high in the labor councils of the administration since the early days of the New Deal. He has helped settle more than 1,500 labor disputes.

An executive order made public today said; “I do hereby reaffirm the policy of the United States that there shall be no discrimination in the employment of any person in war industries or in government by reason of race, creed, color or national origin, and I do hereby declare that it is the duty of all employers, including the federal departments and agencies, and all labor organizations, to eliminate discrimination in regard to hire, tenure, terms or conditions of employment or union membership.”

Mgr. Haas will have six committee members under him, to be appointed soon by the President. The group will have power to hold hearings, make findings of fact, advise the War Manpower Commission, insert appropriate clauses in negotiated government contracts, accept the help of state and local authorities and volunteer workers, and make its own regulations. The old committee, now disbanded, exercised some of these powers though they were never specifically granted it.