Eisenhower Stresses Need for Active Fight on Bias in Employment

President Eisenhower’s desire that his new committee on government contracts actively engage in fighting discrimination by employers handling government contracts was emphasized here last night by Vice President Richard M. Nixon, after six public members of the committee met with the President who administered their oath of office to them.

At a press conference after the 40-minute meeting with the President, Mr. Nixon revealed that the full committee–to which six representatives of various government departments must still be named–would hold its first meeting in Washington September 14. Afterwards, he said, the committee would meet once a month in different cities. The committee members held a short informal session yesterday immediately after they left Mr. Eisenhower.

Vice President Nixon, who is chairman of the committee, said that Mr. Eisenhower had underlined that his principal concern was that the unit “accomplish something concrete dealing with the problem of discrimination in employment.” Mr. Nixon added: “I think from the President’s conversation with us that most of us would agree that he wants us to accomplish something concrete dealing with the problem of discrimination in employment rather than make a great show from the publicity standpoint.”

Mr. Nixon pointed out that up to $40,000,000,000 was spent by the government on contracts to industry each year, and that this represented about one-quarter of all money spent on production in the United States annually. “So you can see what an important job we have,” Mr. Nixon said. “You can see how great an impact the committee can have if we can deal effectively with the problem of discrimination in this field–well be dealing with 25 percent of the problem directly.”

The committee’s philosophy, Mr. Nixon declared, seems to be that where the taxpayers’ funds are involved, all segments of the community should have equal opportunity in all benefits, education or anything else. He added that in this particular case it was employment.

He said that President Eisenhower told the committee that it had his own personal, moral and legal support “and any other kind of support he could give.”