THE RISE OF BLACK MILITANCY, Rejectionist Cultural Strategies
"...America's foreign legion allies were warned not to make the terrible mistake of treating blacks like human beings for the fear of its effect on future race relations in the US Army and in American society as a whole. The content of this revealing memorandum included:
(1)prevent the rise of any 'pronounced' degree of intimacy between French officers and Black officers.
(2)do not eat with blacks, shake hands, or seek to meet with them outside of military service.
(3)do not commend 'too highly' Black troops in tepresence of white Americans.
Despite such obvious racism, blacks took an active part in World War I because they were affected by the rhetoric about making the world safe for 'democracy' as white americans were. "