Black Leaders Negotiate With War Department for Equal Military Treatment, Largely Failing

Emmett Scott, Booker T. Washington's former secretary, was appointed Special Assistant to the Secretary of War for Black affairs in 1917, the first Black civilian appointed to the War Department. Scott and NAACP leaders negotiated with the military establishment for equal treatment of Black troops, better officer training, and combat roles. They achieved the establishment of Camp Des Moines, Iowa as an officer training camp for Black men — which produced 639 Black commissioned officers. But most of their other demands were rebuffed, and the Army maintained complete segregation throughout the war.