Foreign Relations of the United States, 1964–1968, Volume XXXIII, Organization and Management of Foreign Policy; United Nations

21. Memorandum From Terrence Scanlon of John W. Macy Jr.’s Staff to John B. Clinton¹

Washington, January 26, 1965.

This is the reply to Mr. Macy’s request that we verify Congressman Adam Clayton Powell’s statistics (attached letter of December 18 addressed to the President)² pertaining to the number of Negro executives in his selected departments and agencies. I have contacted HEW, HHFA, the Peace Corps and the State Department.

Mr. Powell’s Figures Department of State:

Agency Reply

The United States is currently represented in its diplomatic relations and international activities by 110 ambassadors, 2 ministers and 5 ambassadors to special missions. Of that total of 117, there are only two Negroes. They are Mercer Cook, Ambassador to Senegal and Clinton Knox, Ambassador to Dahomey. This represents a loss of one from the number of Negro ambassadors in the Kennedy Administration which not only achieved the highest number for the first time, but had assigned Negroes to important ambassadorial posts, Finland (Carl L. Rowan) and Norway (Clifton Wharton, Sr.). The third Negro ambassador then was Mercer Cook.

Congressman Powell’s criteria of “117” excludes Franklin Williams who is the United States Representative to the Economic and Social Council, United Nations who holds a personnel rank as ambassador ($27,000). There are also two Negro Deputy Assistant Secretaries in the Department of State: Samuel Westerfield, Deputy Assistant Secretary for African Affairs and Charlotte Hubbard, Deputy Assistant for Public Affairs. Chester Carter, who served as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Congressional Relations, was promoted in May in 1964 as Deputy Chief of Protocol. There are currently 9 Negroes holding positions of GS–16 level and above in the Department of State.

[Omitted here are similar discussions of African-Americans in the Peace Corps, the Housing and Home Finance Agency, and the Department of Health, Education and Welfare.]

1. Source: Johnson Library, Office Files of John Macy, Box 693, State Dept-General-1965. No classification marking. Along with his duties as Chairman of the Civil Service Commission, Macy served as President Johnson’s chief talent scout for Presidential appointments. Scanlon and Clinton were members of the staff that assisted him in that responsibility, the latter serving as Macy’s Executive Assistant. The personnel files created in discharging that responsibility are at the Johnson Library.
2. Not found.