Memorandum on Telephone Conversation with Mr. Cy W. Record

To: George M. Johnson

From: Clarence Mitchell

Subject: Telephone conversation, Friday, January 15 with Cy W. Record.

January 18, 1943

On the above date we talked with Mr. Record¹ by long distance telephone and he informed us of the attitude taken by Dr. B. F. Ashe, Regional Director of the War Manpower Commission concerning figures on training of Negroes in the 6 southeastern states.²

Mr. Record pointed out that on December 24, Dr. J. E. McDaniel, Regional Director of Training, prepared a report for Dr. Ashe in which he stated that between 1,500 and 2,000 Negroes were in training in the 6 southeastern states. In reporting this information to Dr. Charters, Acting Director of the War Manpower Commission Training Program, Dr. Ashe stated that between 15,000 and 20,000 Negroes were in training. It was my understanding that Mr. McDaniel would be in Washington on Monday, and that he would be in need of certain information from the U. S. Office of Education.

I have obtained this information and will meet with Dr. Charters and Mr. McDaniel on Tuesday, January 19, to discuss it with them.

MS: LH, DI, HqR38, Central Files. (entry 25) Memoranda, Mitchell, Clarence.

1. Cy W. Record, associate field employment assistant with the WPB, regularly kept Clarence M. Mitchell Jr. abreast of WMC activities involving blacks and ethnic groups in the South. The WPB had been placed within the WMC, making it easy for Record to observe closely its activities. For example, soon he would tell Mitchell that he had been assigned to the WMC’s regional office around Atlanta to “work on the problem of Negro recruitment and placement in the war production industries in this area.” It appeared, he said, that the office was “anxious to do an intensive job in one of the most critical labor shortage areas in this section.” The situation, he said, was very bad. There were “all kinds of shortages, skilled, semi-skilled, and unskilled. Negroes, all of whom are available will be used (that is Negro males), but for the most part from present indications only in laboring jobs.” Record to Mitchell, received 3/18/43, MP.

2. On training programs, see notes to 11/28/42 and 1/11/43.