Memorandum on Relationship between Western Electric Company and American Telephone and Telegraph

CONFIDENTIAL

This morning, I talked with Mr. Walter Diets, of Western Electric Company, concerning the relationship existing between the above-mentioned companies.¹ Mr. Diets stated that Western Electric is owned by American Telephone and Telegraph. I discussed with him the feasibility of having Mr. William F. Hossford, Vice President of Western Electric, in on the conference with Mr. Gifford. Mr. Diets said that Mr. Hossford has been interested in the whole program of Negro employment in the Western companies, as he mentioned to you previously. He also said that, since he is in the same building with Mr. Gifford, if the latter decided to call him into your conference, it would be very convenient. Mr. Diets stated that it was his impression that Mr. Gifford was aware of the progress made by the Western Electric Company in the use of the Negro employees. He, of course, cannot be quoted on any of this because of his relationship with the company.

I have checked the latest available employment figures on the Western Electric plants in New Jersey, Maryland, and Illinois. They are as follows:

Cicero, Illinois—23,657 total employment, 844 non-white;
Baltimore, Maryland—7,024 total employment, 668 non-white;
South Kearney, Bayonne, Rosselle, and Newark in New Jersey—23,508 total employment, 1,558 non-white.

These figures appear especially significant when it is borne in mind that none of these three plants had more than a hundred Negro employees in 1941. In the New Jersey and Maryland plants, Negroes are integrated throughout the plants. The Baltimore plant is especially progressive in that, in spite of prevailing Baltimore customs,² the company has no segregation in its employment of Negroes. All employees use the same restaurants and other facilities.