Roy Wilkins, executive secretary of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, ridiculed what he said was an offer by the American Black Power faction to President Nasser of Egypt to send a regiment of Negroes to fight against Israel. The offer was said to have been made during a visit by an extremist to Cairo. Mr. Wilkins did not name the individual but it was clear that he referred to Stokely Carmichael. Mr. Wilkins said that Black Power might have promised a regiment to Nasser but could not deliver even a squad. (A regiment numbers about 3,000 while a squad is usually 10 men.)
The NAACP leader, addressing the National Press Club, stressed that Negroes might fight for their own cause in this country but would not go to the Middle East to serve in Arab armies.
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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.
