Document 3
… complaints from african-american soldiers about army racism led the naacp [national
association for the advancement of colored people] to send civil rights activist and lawyer
thurgood marshall to korea in early 1951 to investigate. marshall discovered that the twenty
fourth infantry regiment was the target of a disproportional amount of courts martial, and that
the punishments meted [handed] out were much harsher than those given to non-african
americans. in his report, entitled ‘summary justice: the negro gi in korea’, marshall
underlined the fact that institutionalized segregation was responsible for much of the unfair
treatment of black troops in korea.…
the korean war thus provided the crisis that finally pushed a reluctant army to begin
implementing policy recommendations made in [president harry truman’s] executive order
9981. policies which had been articulated [stated] earlier in the cold war were now put into
practice. desegregation in the forces did not end discrimination, but it represented an important
step towards greater equality for african americans. the experiences of african-american
soldiers in korea thus benefitted from, and contributed to, the broader domestic movement for
greater racial equality.…
source: steven hugh lee, the korean war, pearson education limited, 2001
according to steven hugh lee, what did thurgood marshall discover about the treatment of african
american soldiers in korea?