Camp Howze Museum

Title

"Dear Mr. President" Recorded Interview of Private Smith, a Black WWII Soldier

Description

In this 1942 recording, a black U.S. Army soldier, identified as Private Smith, stationed at Camp Polk, LA describes at great length, the widespread racism, discrimination, and degrading mistreatment that black service members endured each day from military members and civilians despite serving the country honorably with the hope of creating a better future for America.

Transcript:
00:14-07:34 “Mr. President, I am a Negro private in the United States Army. I’m a native of Austin, Texas. Thinking that you might be interested in the life of a Negro soldier and the treatment he gets in the United States Army. I was glad to have this opportunity to bring you some of the facts as I see them today. The negro soldier as a whole believes that he has something to fight for and believes in the outcome he will have more to fight for than he has now. But at the present time the Negro is treated with some discrimination in the army. It is probably because of the fact that the superior officers do not realize the sentiment that the Negro has. He feels that he has as much to fight for as any other man, but he do not like the treatment that the other people give him because at time they treat him with an inferior complex. The Negro realizes that in the past he has not got the promises that was made to him in the Declaration of Independence or in the Declaration of the Emancipation of slaves. Because at times the Negro is treated as he was before these things happened. Today the Negro fear that probably he has to fight for the promises that was made and it seem like sometime that these promises is all that he has to fight for because in the time that has passed they had not come into reality. But the Negro hopes that when these things are over, when the war is over, that these promises that had been made to him, the promises that he’s fighting for, the promises that he lives and hopes for, will all be a reality. We know, Mr. President, that you have not time to get out among these people and see the things that goes on and see the different actions and attitudes that people have towards the Negro soldier. In some states it is better than others. Especially in the southern states it is very bad. Of course, the southern state is Jim Crow but the Negro feel that when he is in the United States Army that he [sic] to be considered as never before or part of the United States and should not be treated as a dog or some other animal with such an inferiority complex because afterall the Negro, when he is in the army, is serving the same purpose that any other man is serving. He has the same duties to fear that any other man has to fear. And he feels that when he is in the service he should be given as much consideration as any other man. In the long run, the Negro feel that these things will come about because the Negro has faith in the President of the United States and the things that he stands for. And he believes deep down in his heart that the President of the United States do not believe in the way that the Negro is treated is right. And he hopes in the long run, the president will be able to do something about it. Of course, he know he’ll have to have cooperation of the Negro. The Negro is ready to give that. I’m stationed in Camp Polk, Louisiana. At the present time race discrimination is very bad. It’s not so bad in the army. Of course some things happen that shows that people still have that thing within ‘em that makes ‘em look upon the Negro as something that’s not human or something of that kind. But in the southern states the people, the civilian people, are very much so against the Negro and the Negro in uniform that at times it seems like they’d rather not have the Negro in the service. But the Negro feel and the Negro will, after all these treatments, do as much for this country as any other man, and that is give up his life because he feel like there’s tomorrow and tomorrow will bring the things that he has hoped and prayed for. I feel that I voiced the sentiment of every colored man and I’m really speaking from the depths of my heart that no man can do any more for the United States than I can. No man can fight harder for victory than I can. No man can do more to bring about the safeness of this country and the loved ones and the friends we have here than I can. And I feel like every soldier, every colored soldier, in the United States Army, feel within himself exactly as I do because after all, of whatever any man do, he can’t do anymore than give up his life. And that’s what every colored soldier in the United States Army that the flag waves over, that wears the United States colors, he feel like he has only one life to live and if it takes that life to make this country safe for democracy and the things that he hoped for and the things that has been promised to him, he’s ready to give up his life. He knows that he may not enjoy these things. He may not be able to see these things happen, may not see these things come about, but he realize in the future he have loved ones that he left behind at home and he has friends that he would like to see enjoy these blessings and he is ready to give up his life to make these things possible.”

Date

1942

Source

Faulk, John Henry, and Unknown Smith. “Dear Mr. President,” Granbury, Austin, and Hood
County, Texas, January or February. Austin, Texas, 1942. Audio.
https://www.loc.gov/item/afc1942003_sr31/.

Subject

Racism

segregation

abuse

greatest generation

mistreatment

southern states

Camp Polk

Camp Howze

black soldier

negro soldier

colored soldier

African American soldier

World War II

WWII

World War 2

WW2

Dear Mr. President

Private Smith

President Roosevelt

democracy

Jim Crow

audio recording