Weekly Report

Mr. Will Maslow

Clarence M. Mitchell

Weekly Report for Week Ending Saturday, September 16, 1944

Sept. 18, 1944

Because of the volume of work in the central office during the period in which the Committee was up for an appropriation in Congress and because of subsequent staff changes, I have been unable to prepare a weekly report since May, 1944. However, the activities during that period are documented by various reports and memoranda, which are available for inspection. A recent redistribution of work in the central office offers something of an opportunity to resume operations on a basis approximating normalcy. Hence, the weekly reports are resumed.1

OUTSTANDING EVENTS AND PROBLEMS

The following important cases are being handled by me personally and involve problems of long standing:

    U.S. Post Office cases in Houston, Dallas, Los Angeles, Seattle, and Philadelphia. A draft of a letter has been prepared for the Chairman’s signature asking for a conference with the Postmaster General,2 as the Committee agreed in its meeting on September 7.*

    We are handling complaints against the International Association of Machinists from Regions III, IV, IX, X, and XII. In its meeting on September 9, the Committee received a summary of these cases, prepared by me, and a subcommittee is to meet with Mr. Harvey Brown, President of the IAM, on them.3

    In keeping with our agreement with the War Department on cases involving Government-owned and privately-operated plants, I have submitted complaints against the Consolidated Vultee Corporation, Fort Worth, Texas, to the War Department for action. The Region has recommended that a hearing be held in this case.4

    The failure of the General Motors Corporation to submit statistics on non-white employment is unresolved. It does not appear that anything short of Committee action will dispose of this problem.5​

In addition to the cases mentioned above, I am now handling seventeen (17) other DFO cases.

The following Final Disposition Reports have been reviewed by me:

Region IX—29 
Region XI—3 
Region XII—9

We have returned to the regional offices the following DFO cases:

    Retail Credit Company, 2-BR-782.

    Retail Credit Company, 3-BR-710 and 3-BR-524.

    Knickerbocker Canvas Company. (II)

    Columbia Broadcasting Company, 12-BR-1329.

    Graham Construction Company, 4-BR-297.

    Southern Pacific Lines, 10-BR-281.

cc: Davidson
  Johnson
  Jones

    MS: copy, FEPC RG 228, Office Files of Clarence Mitchell, DNA.

    [1] For the appropriations committee hearing in March and the FEPC’s preparation for it, see report, 3/27/44; for the subsequent debates over FEPC appropriations in 5/44, see Maslow, summary, 5/27/44, in appendix 1. On the staff diversions and changes affecting Mitchell’s work, see, for example, texts of 3/14, 3/18, 4/3, 7/3, 7/28/44.

    In a memorandum of 1/31/45, Eugene Davidson noted that on 9/12/44 Mitchell transferred all active DFO cases in Regions I, II, III, IV, V, IX, and XI to him, with the exception of a few cases on which Mitchell had started action and wished to complete. As of 1/3/45 all new DFO cases from regions IX and XI were again handled by Mitchell. See HqR76, Office Files of Clarence Mitchell. Will Maslow.


    [2] For the conference with the postmaster general, see report, 11/27/44. For the background, see the section on the Post Office Department in the headnote on Relationships with Federal Agencies.


    [3] See Mitchell, memorandum, 9/6/44.


    [4] No hearing was held. See the headnote on the Aircraft Industry.


    [5] On race-related employment statistics, see the headnote on Race, Creed, Color, or National Origin on Employment Application Forms.


    *Drafted letter being held up pending ruling from Attorney General.