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World War II — The Double V Campaign By Neely Tucker Published August 19, 2020 at 12:32PM

Black members of the Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps head to Fort Clark, Texas. Left to right: Auxiliaries (Privates) Florence Barbara Davis, Plaquemine, Louisiana; Dorothy Lee Harris, Washington, Texas; Mildred Lucile Turk Atlanta, Georgia., and Juanita Parisenne Ingraham, Gainesville, Florida. Prints and Photographs Division.

This is a guest post by Margaret McAleer, a historian in the Manuscript Division. It appears in the July/August issue of the Library of Congress Magazine, one of several articles on the 75th anniversary of the end of World War II.

As members of America’s greatest generation, Jimmie Kanaya, William S.M. Banks Jr. and Charity Adams Earley had a lot in common. They served with the U.S. Army in the European Theater during World War II. They responded with exceptional valor and service to the nation’s call for patriotism, courage and ingenuity. They were among more than 30,000 Japanese Americans and one million African Americans who served in segregated units during the war, fighting fascism abroad and for an end to brutal discrimination at home. It was the “Double V” campaign, fighting for victories on two fronts.

Yeiichi Kelly Kuwayama served in the 442nd Infantry Regiment in Italy. Veterans History Project. Prints and Photographs Division.

Kanaya was a medic with the Japanese American 442nd Regimental Combat Team. He was awarded a Silver Star for tending to wounded men under heavy enemy fire near Castellina, Italy. Banks, an officer with the 92nd Infantry Division (known as the “Buffalo Soldiers”), also received a Silver Star in Italy when his company held out for a week against repeated enemy assaults. Adams commanded the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion, the only African American Women’s Army Corps battalion deployed overseas. Her unit cleared a six-month backlog of mail and packages in only three months after arriving in England in early 1945.

In the European Theater where Kanaya, Banks and Adams served, Japanese American combat units — the 442nd Regimental Combat Team and 100th Battalion — were among the most decorated of the war. African Americans in the theater flew 15,000 sorties as famed Tuskegee airmen, transported thousands of tons of supplies daily in truck convoys known as the “Red Ball Express” and advanced with the Third Army as members of the 761st Tank Battalion, among other achievements.

They accomplished the impossible against a strong headwind of racism.

Kanaya faced the painful task of helping his parents move from their home in Oregon to an internment camp in Idaho. “With our parents incarcerated,” Kanaya said, he and other Japanese American soldiers felt the need to prove themselves.

Members of Tuskegee Airmen’s 332nd Fighter Group in Ramitelli, Italy. Left to right: Robert W. Williams, Ottumwa, Iowa,; William H. Holloman, III, St. Louis, Missouri.; Ronald W. Reeves, Washington, D.C.; Christopher W. Newman, St. Louis, Missouri; Walter M. Downs, New Orleans, Louisiana. Photo: Toni Frissell. Prints and Photographs Division.

When word came that his company would be deployed overseas, Banks’ white commanding officer predicted it would be sent to heavy fighting in the Pacific in order to increase the percentage of African American causalities. Banks found the statement “nauseating.”

Despite her rank, Adams recounted “salutes were slow in coming, and, frequently, returned with great reluctance.” Yet she never ceased to use her rank to fight against the discrimination experienced by women in her command. She was aided occasionally by white military personnel who stood up against racism. While traveling in uniform, she was barred from entering the dining car on her train until a white officer standing behind her thundered at the steward: “What in the world are we fighting this damned war for?”

His question was among the most important of the war. Indeed, service men and women of color fought on two fronts — against fascism and oppression overseas and against racism and discrimination at home. They achieved impossible feats despite demoralizing racism, violent encounters stateside, senseless inefficiencies created by segregation policies and training, housing and resources that were often substandard.

Their heroism in this dual war is told in oral histories and collections of personal papers and organizational records preserved in the Library’s Veterans History Project and Manuscript Division.

“In a thousand subtle ways, in a thousand brutal ways, we were taught we were no part of American culture and history,” observed Nelson Peery, who served with the African American 93rd Infantry Division. “Here we were making history.”

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Picture This: Documenting a Step Toward Marriage Equality https://ift.tt/2BcE418 by Melissa Lindberg

In 1970, working for LOOK magazine, Charlotte Brooks traveled to Minnesota to photograph Michael McConnell and Jack Baker for a profile on committed same-sex relationships. Activists for gay rights, McConnell and Baker can be seen in these photographs enjoying domestic life, relaxing in a park, attending church, socializing with friends, and carrying signs and leaflets in support of equality.

Jack Baker and Michael McConnell at home, Minneapolis, Minnesota. Photo by Charlotte Brooks, 1970. https://ift.tt/31fdBe1

Jack Baker and Michael McConnell. Photo by Charlotte Brooks, 1970. https://ift.tt/2NvtVPS

Jack Baker and Michael McConnell at church. Photo by Charlotte Brooks, 1970. https://ift.tt/384ib0i

LOOK magazine published the article that included six of the images from Brooks’s assignment in a special issue on “The American Family” in January of 1971. Later that year, McConnell and Baker successfully applied for a marriage license after legally changing Baker’s first name to “Pat Lyn,” a gender-neutral alternative to his birth name. With a Methodist minister officiating, McConnell and Baker became the first legally married same-sex couple in the United States, although their marriage was not officially recognized by the federal government until last year — several years after the Supreme Court’s Obergefell v. Hodges ruling made same-sex marriage legal in the United States.

The following contact sheet shows images of McConnell and Baker holding hands, and of the two holding signs for FREE, or Fight Repression of Erotic Expression, a student group that Baker served as president. This is one of thirty-nine contact sheets comprising Brooks’s assignment (referred to as a “job”) that researchers can view in the Prints & Photographs Reading Room, together offering a glimpse into the lives of two pioneering activists for marriage equality.

Male couples. Photos in contact sheet by Charlotte Brooks, 1970. https://ift.tt/2Nt1CkX

Learn More:

View the description for Charlotte Brooks’s photographs of Jack Baker and Michael McConnell.

Read about Charlotte Brooks’s life and work as a photographer in this profile, which includes a biographical essay on this remarkable photojournalist, on a part of the website highlighting women photojournalists.

Explore the LOOK Magazine Photograph Collection.

(WASHINGTON) — President Donald Trump on Wednesday announced that Richard Grenell, the U.S. ambassador to Germany, will become acting director of national intelligence, a move that puts a staunch Trump ally in charge of the nation’s 17 spy agencies, which the president has only tepidly embraced.

“Rick has represented our Country exceedingly well and I look forward to working with him,” Trump tweeted.

Grenell follows Joseph Maguire, who has been acting national intelligence director since August. It was unclear if Maguire would return to the National Counterterrorism Center. “I would like to thank Joe Maguire for the wonderful job he has done,” Trump tweeted, “and we look forward to working with him closely, perhaps in another capacity within the Administration!”

Grenell, a loyal and outspoken Trump supporter, has been the U.S. ambassador to Germany since 2018. He previously served as U.S. spokesman at the United Nations in the George W. Bush administration, including under then-Ambassador John Bolton.

News of the announcement was quickly criticized by those who said the job should be held by someone with deep experience in intelligence. Trump named Grenell acting national intelligence director, meaning he would not have to be confirmed by the Senate.

Sen. Mark Warner of Virginia, the ranking Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, said Trump had “selected an individual without any intelligence experience to serve as the leader of the nation’s intelligence community in an acting capacity.”

Warner accused the president of trying to sidestep the Senate’s constitutional authority to advise and consent on critical national security positions.

“The intelligence community deserves stability and an experienced individual to lead them in a time of massive national and global security challenges,” Warner said in a statement. “… Now more than ever our country needs a Senate-confirmed intelligence director who will provide the best intelligence and analysis, regardless of whether or not it’s expedient for the president who has appointed him.”

Susan Hennessey, a fellow in national security law at Brookings Institution and a former attorney at the National Security Agency, tweeted: “This should frighten you. Not just brazen politicization of intelligence, but also someone who is utterly incompetent in an important security role. The guardrails are gone.”

Trump named Maguire to the position after Texas GOP Rep. John Ratcliffe removed himself from consideration after just five days amid criticism about his lack of intelligence experience and qualifications for the job.

Maguire became acting director the same day that former National Intelligence Director Dan Coats’ resignation took effect. It was also the same day that deputy national intelligence director Sue Gordon walked out the door. Democrats denounced the shake-up at the Office of the Director of National Intelligence and accused Trump of pushing out two dedicated intelligence professionals.

Public tours of the U.S. Capitol will be suspended because of the coronavirus pandemic, a person familiar with the plans said Wednesday.

The House and Senate sergeants-at-arms are preparing to make the announcement, the person said.

Separately, the leaders of the House and Senate have said they have no plans to alter their congressional schedules. Both chambers are scheduled to work Thursday, then leave for a week-long recess.

“We are the captains of the ship. We are the last to leave,” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi told lawmakers Tuesday, according to a person in the room

Picture This: Profiling Portraits: Feline Photography https://ift.tt/2DUAmHr by Kristi Finefield

Taking a portrait alongside your favorite feline is no easy task. Cats are notoriously (but delightfully) finicky about following directions, so getting one to sit still for a portrait can be a tall order. Despite that, our collections contain many examples of people posing with their cats – or at least attempting to do so!

Aviator John Moisant took his cat with him everywhere – including when he became the first pilot to fly with a passenger over the English Channel in 1910. Technically, he had two passengers – his mechanic and his feline friend, Mademoiselle Fifi, pictured below!

John B. Moisant. Photo, copyrighted 1911. https://ift.tt/38ghtwn

Photographer Arnold Genthe named all of his cats Buzzer, a reference to their deep purr, which he enjoyed. He had at least four Buzzers in his life! While I haven’t yet come across a photo of Genthe himself with Buzzer, the various incarnations posed with many of the famous subjects of Genthe, such as actress Daisy King, below. (This is likely a very relaxed Buzzer IV.)

King, Daisy, Miss, with Buzzer the cat, portrait photograph. Photo by Arnold Genthe, 1914 June. https://ift.tt/2DThrN8

Famous felines aside, we have many photos of a family cat with his or her owner, such as the ones clutched by the young girls pictured below:

Baby Beede with kitten. Western Slope Farms, Colorado. Photo by Arthur Rothstein, 1939 Oct. https://ift.tt/2FXK4rK

Hume, C. Photo by C.M. Bell, between December 1903 and March 1905. https://ift.tt/2rYnU6S

The next two photos include show cats, so they are quite beautiful though not necessarily more cooperative!

Washington cat show opens at Wardman Park Hotel. [Edna B. Doughty and Louise Grogan with Persian cats.] Photo by National Photo Company, between 1920 and 1932. https://ift.tt/2DOO4vt

Mrs. M.K. Metcalf, Cat Show, 2/1/27. Photo by National Photo Company, 1927 February 1. https://ift.tt/2PdvBOc

And perhaps saving my favorites for last, enjoy a series of photographs of a Mrs. Emmons attempting to pose with her white cat, with varying levels of success. The photographs come from the collection of photographer C.M. Bell’s Washington, D.C., studio, so we have the successes as well as the “outtakes” of some portrait sessions. I included a fourth photo of just the cat, as perhaps Mrs. Emmons had reached her limit at that point!

Emmons, Mrs. S.F. Photo by C.M. Bell, between February 1894 and February 1901. https://ift.tt/2Pmiryy

Emmons cat. Photo by C. M. Bell, between February 1894 and February 1901. https://ift.tt/33RWRHD

Emmons cat [woman and cat] Photo by C.M. Bell, between February 1894 and February 1901. https://ift.tt/33RWSLH

Emmons [cat]. Photo by C. M. Bell, between February 1894 and February 1901. ttp://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/bellcm.06682

Cat story, 1/11/21. Photo by National Photo Company, 1921 January 11. https://ift.tt/34YqA2K

Learn More:

Peruse an album of Purrfect Cat photos, prints and drawings recently added to the Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division’s Flickr photostream.

Cats were also the focus of a recent Library of Congress Free to Use and Reuse set of images: Cats.

Explore all of the Library of Congress Free to Use and Reuse sets.

Revisit Picture This blog posts related to the above:

Coolidge’s Cat: Out of the Bag: What happens when a presidential pet cat goes missing in Washington, D.C.?

C. M. Bell Studio Collection: Newly Digitized Portraits: A sample of the portrait photos of Washington-based photographer C. M. Bell.

WASHINGTON — The House passed three bills Tuesday aimed at showing U.S. support for pro-democracy protesters in Hong Kong.

The action follows months of protests over the Beijing government’s aggressive attempts to enforce control over the semi-autonomous territory.

One of the bills condemns China’s intrusions into Hong Kong’s affairs and supports the right of people to protest. Another requires annual reviews by the U.S. secretary of state of Hong Kong’s special economic and trade status, providing a check on Beijing’s influence over the territory. A third bill would ensure that U.S. weapons are not being used against protesters by police.

All three bills were approved on separate voice votes.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi called the bills important reminders of U.S. support for human rights in the face of significant commercial interests in China.

“If America does not speak out for human rights in China because of commercial interests, then we lose all moral authority to speak out on behalf of human rights any place in the world,” she said.

Pelosi said the bravery of young protesters in Hong Kong stands in contrast to “the cowardly government that refuses to respect the rule of law” and the “one country, two systems” policy that was supposed to ensure a smooth political transition after the former British colony was returned to China in 1997.

Under U.S. law, Hong Kong receives special treatment in matters of trade, customs, sanctions enforcement, law enforcement cooperation and more. China has benefited from this special status and used it to evade U.S. export controls and sanctions, Pelosi and other lawmakers said.

“Solemn promises made by Beijing are rarely kept and far too many leaders of the free world are far too eager to blindly accept fiction over fact,” said Rep. Christopher Smith, R-N.J., a lead sponsor of one of the Hong Kong bills.

Under President Xi Jinping, human rights abuses in China have significantly worsened, including the pervasive use of torture, religious persecution and human trafficking, Smith said.

China “excels in crushing bodies, shattering bones, torturing dissidents and filling concentration camps — massive crimes against humanity for which there has been little or no accountability or sanction,” Smith said. “Today we’re simply urging the Chinese president and the Hong Kong Chief Executive, Carrie Lam, to faithfully honor the government’s promises.”

Smith’s bill would require a report by the Commerce Department on whether the Hong Kong government adequately enforces U.S. export controls and sanctions laws. It also allows qualified Hong Kong residents to work or study in the U.S. even if they have been arrested for participating in nonviolent protests.

President Donald Trump said last week that he would “like to see a very humane solution” to the Hong Kong protests. “I hope that’s going to happen,” he said Oct. 7 at the White House. “And, you know, Hong Kong is very important as a world hub — not just for China, but for the world.”

Many protesters fly American flags, and Trump said he is hopeful a humane deal can be worked out, adding: “I think President Xi has the ability to do it.”

Pelosi was less optimistic. Since China used its military to crush the 1989 Tiananmen Square pro-democracy protests in Beijing, “we have seen that commercial interest always win,” she said during House debate. “It’s always about the money.”

Citing the Bible, Pelosi said, “What does it profit a person if he gains the whole world but loses his soul?”

Rep. Brad Sherman, D-Calif., who sponsored one of the Hong Kong bills, said that “the world is watching Hong Kong, and Hong Kong is watching the floor of the House of Representatives” to see if lawmakers support the protesters instead of the Chinese government.

Under pressure from China, tech giant Apple removed a smartphone app that enabled Hong Kong protesters to track police, while the National Basketball Association has seen its once-thriving relationship with China become strained after Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey tweeted support for the Hong Kong protesters.

“Corporations bow down to China for profit,” Sherman said. “It’s time we stand up to China.”

The three bills now head to the Senate. A spokesman for Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said Tuesday he had no scheduling announcement.

McConnell chided the NBA, saying in a tweet last week that “the people of Hong Kong have risked much more than money to defend their freedom of expression, human rights and autonomy. I hope the @NBA can learn from that courage and not abandon those values for the sake of their bottom line.”

The Senate Appropriations Committee last month advanced an amendment that McConnell said would ensure “the U.S. maintains a watchful eye on the Chinese government’s aggressive encroachment on Hong Kong.”