[Congressional Bills 114th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 616 Introduced in House (IH)]

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114th CONGRESS
  2d Session
H. RES. 616

  Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives regarding the 
 necessity to publically exonerate the African American sailors of the 
United States Navy who were tried and convicted of mutiny in connection 
   with their service at the Port Chicago Naval Magazine in Concord, 
California, during World War II in order to further aid in healing the 
      racial divide that continues to exist in the United States.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           February 23, 2016

   Mr. DeSaulnier (for himself and Ms. Lee) submitted the following 
   resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Armed Services

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
  Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives regarding the 
 necessity to publically exonerate the African American sailors of the 
United States Navy who were tried and convicted of mutiny in connection 
   with their service at the Port Chicago Naval Magazine in Concord, 
California, during World War II in order to further aid in healing the 
      racial divide that continues to exist in the United States.

Whereas, on July 17, 1944, the deadliest home-front disaster of World War II 
        occurred at the Port Chicago Naval Magazine in Concord, California, when 
        an explosion at the naval facility killed or wounded 710 people, 435 of 
        whom were African-American;
Whereas this single stunning disaster accounted for more than 15 percent of all 
        African-American naval casualties during World War II;
Whereas, after the disaster, 258 African-American survivors of the explosion 
        refused to resume the loading and unloading of ammunition at the naval 
        facility, citing inadequate training and the use of unsafe practices;
Whereas, according to a United States Navy report, ``the actual work of loading 
        ammunition and explosives aboard the ships was performed exclusively by 
        Afro-Americans under the supervision of white officers and Afro-American 
        petty officers'';
Whereas, according to a United States Navy report, ``the routine assignment of 
        Afro-American enlisted personnel to manual labor was clearly motivated 
        by race and premised upon the mistaken notion that they were 
        intellectually inferior and thus incapable of meeting the same standards 
        as their white counterparts'';
Whereas one of the ships was loaded with some 4,600 tons of ammunition and high 
        explosives, some weighing 650 pounds with activating mechanisms or fuses 
        installed;
Whereas at that time there was no formal training in safe methods of ammunition 
        handling given to enlisted men;
Whereas the Navy failed to adequately provide these enlisted men with the tools 
        necessary to operate under safe working conditions, even after the 
        explosion occurred;
Whereas, weeks before the explosion, the longshoremen's union warned the Navy 
        that there would be a disaster if the Navy continued to use untrained 
        seamen to load ammunition, and offered to send experienced longshoremen 
        to train Navy recruits in safe handling of ammunition, but this offer 
        was ignored by the Navy;
Whereas subsequent research has confirmed the use of unsafe ammunition loading 
        methods at the naval facility at the time and has documented the 
        existence of pervasive racial prejudice in the United States Navy during 
        World War II;
Whereas according to the book ``The Port Chicago Mutiny'' by Dr. Robert Allen, a 
        worker described Port Chicago as a ``slave outfit,'' adding that ``we 
        were considered a cheap labor force from the beginning'';
Whereas White officers would encourage African-American sailors to compete while 
        loading ammunition and explosives while officers placed bets among 
        themselves;
Whereas following the explosion, many of the African-American survivors expected 
        to be granted survivors' leave before being reassigned to regular duty;
Whereas such leaves were not granted, even for those who had been hospitalized, 
        and all African-American men were to be sent back to work loading 
        ammunition under the same officers as before;
Whereas White officers were allowed to go home for 30-day leaves;
Whereas 50 sailors of the United States Navy, all African-American men, 
        ultimately were tried and convicted of mutiny for failing to obey orders 
        to resume loading activities;
Whereas a refusal to work is a passive act of resistance without intent to seize 
        power;
Whereas a mutiny is active revolt with the intent of taking charge;
Whereas Thurgood Marshall, then a chief counsel for the NAACP, was reported as 
        stating he saw no reason why the men should be tried for mutiny, which 
        implies a mass conspiracy, rather than on lesser charges of individual 
        subordination;
Whereas Thurgood Marshall blasted the trial by stating that the defendants were 
        being tried for mutiny ``solely because of their race and color'';
Whereas the Navy has concluded that there can be ``no doubt that racial 
        prejudice was responsible for the posting of Afro-American enlisted 
        personnel to the loading divisions at Port Chicago'';
Whereas similar racial prejudicial bias has been documented in the conduct of 
        the trial that resulted in the court-martial of the sailors at Port 
        Chicago;
Whereas virtually all of the convicted sailors were released from prison early 
        in 1946 and discharged ``under honorable conditions,'' and that the Navy 
        announced then that race would no longer be a factor in filling its 
        jobs;
Whereas, in 1999, Freddie Meeks was pardoned by President Bill Clinton in 
        recognition of the injustice he suffered as one of the convicted 
        sailors;
Whereas Mr. Meeks said at the time of his pardon, ``After all these years, the 
        world should know what happened at Port Chicago. It should be cleared up 
        that we did not commit mutiny, and we were charged with that because of 
        our race.'';
Whereas, in 2003, the National Park Service dedicated the Port Chicago Naval 
        Magazine National Memorial at the disaster site;
Whereas the Port Chicago Naval Magazine National Memorial is not only a tribute 
        to the 320 men who died in this World War II explosion, but it also 
        became the touchstone for desegregation in the military and the 
        beginning of civil rights for all Americans;
Whereas in a July 17, 2014, letter recognizing the 70th anniversary of the 
        tragedy, President Barack Obama, in regards to the African-American 
        sailors at Port Chicago, stated ``faced with tremendous obstacles, they 
        fought on two fronts--for freedom and equality at home''; and
Whereas while all sailors involved in the Port Chicago cases have passed away, 
        family members and friends continue to request that the sailors be 
        cleared of all charges: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That it is the sense of the House of Representatives 
that--
            (1) the trial and conviction of 50 African-American sailors 
        of the United States Navy for mutiny in connection with their 
        service at the Port Chicago Naval Magazine in Concord, 
        California, during World War II were wrongfully pursued because 
        of racial prejudice, as evidenced by the racial bias in the 
        Navy's original findings in their cases and the different 
        treatment afforded to the convicted sailors' White counterparts 
        and officers; and
            (2) Congress should publically exonerate the 50 Navy 
        sailors in order to further aid in healing the racial divide 
        that continues to exist in the United States.
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