By the outbreak of the war, no agency or military office had resolved “the Negro problem,” as the black soldier population was referred to at the time. The multiplicity of government agencies charged with addressing these issues failed to construct a universal policy approach that did anything more than reflect the general prejudice rampant in the American ethos. Work stoppages on military bases, labor problems with war industry workers, and racial friction within army units dragged down the efficiency of the war machine. These reports prepared by the War Department and disseminated to numerous commanders and government agencies highlight the number of “racial incidents” that involved black soldiers around the nation. Below are three such reports from September 1944, February 1945, and June 1945.

Racial Situation in the United States, September 1944

Racial Situation in the United States, February 1945

Racial Situation in the United States, June 1945

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