US Army Issues Racist Memo to French Officials Warning Against Treating Black Soldiers as Equals

The US Army's headquarters in France distributed a secret document titled 'Secret Information Concerning Black American Troops' to French military officers and civilian officials, explaining American racial hierarchy and requesting that the French not associate with Black soldiers as social equals, not commend them too highly, and not allow French women to socialize with them. The document stated that 'the vices of the negro are a constant menace to the American who has to repress them sternly.' The NAACP obtained and published the document, using it as evidence of the Army's institutional racism.