During my tour of duty as Camp Officer of the Day, Camp Hood, Texas, 6 July 1944 at approximately 2230 I was summoned to the Military Police Guard House by the Sergeant of the Guard, Sergeant Painter, to interview a colored 2nd Lt., Jack R. Robinson of the 761st Tank Battalion. When I entered the Guard Room Lt. Robinson was talking in an insolent manner and directing his words to the Sergeant of the Guard, and a Pfc. Ben W. Mucklerath. I inquired of Sgt. Painter as to the nature of the trouble, and he inferred to me that Lt. Robinson had been picked up at the Central Bus Station upon the request of the dispatcher there, for creating a disturbance. I then asked the Lt. to give me a resume of the incident, and he gave me the following story: that he had boarded camp shuttle outside the colored officer’s club, and saw a colored girl, a Mrs. Jones, wife of an officer on this post, sitting about half-way down the isle of the bus; he sat down with her and before arriving at the next bus stop the bus driver asked him to move to the rear of the bus. Lt. Robinson then told the bus driver that he was the equal of anyone, and would not move; the bus driver then told the Lt. that if he did not move he would make plenty of trouble for him when they arrived at the Central Bus Station. When they arrived at the Bus Station the driver asked the dispatcher to call the MPs, and Lt. Robinson told me that he then told the bus driver that “If you don’t quit fuckin’ with me I’ll cause you plenty of trouble.” He further said that the bus driver then asked him for his name, rank, and serial number, and organization, and that he refused to give the information to the driver, and said that he would not give his name to a “damn civilian. He said that the white soldier, PFC Mucklerath, and some others were standing there and that they called him a nigger, and then some white lady said she was going to report him to the MPs, and that he told them he didn’t care what they did, that he didn’t know what “nigger” meant, and that anyone who called him that was going to get into plenty of trouble.
I then asked Pfc. Mucklerath for his statement regarding the incident, and he gave me the following story: he was standing outside the bus station waiting for a bus when the bus on which the colored Lt. was riding pulled into the station, and that there was quite a lot of loud and vulgar talk going on. That he saw the colored Lt., Lt. Robinson, got off the bus and was following a white lady toward the bus station, and that he heard the colored Lieutenant say to the lady:
“I don’t care if you do report me, and if you don’t quit fuckin with me you’ll get into trouble.” At this point in Pfc. Mucklerath’s story, Lt. Robinson interrupted and said that he was not addressing the white lady, but was addressing Pfc. Mucklerath because he had heard Mucklerath say something about a nigger. Pfc. Mucklerath then told me that he had not called the Lt. a nigger, and up until that time he had not said one word either to nor about the Lt. Lt. Robinson then said to me, “Captain, and Private, you, or any General, calls me a nigger, and I’ll break him in two. I don’t know the definition of the word.” He repeated that he would break anybody in two and he didn’t care who it was if they called him a nigger. Pfc. Mucklerath then told me that the Lt. had told him in the presence of several MPs that he would break him (Pfc. Mucklerath) in two if he ever saw him again. Lt. Robinson interrupted again and said that what he told Pfc. Mucklerath was that he would “break anyone in two if they called him a nigger,” and he then asked all the MPs present if that wasn’t what he had said, but the MPs present all said, “No,” that Pfc. Mucklerath had repeated the incident correctly and used exactly the words that Lt. Robinson had used. At that time the Lt. interrupted again and began saying that he didn’t have a chance. I then asked Lt. Robinson to be silent until I had heard Pfc. Mucklerath’s story, and Lt. Robinson said sneeringly, “So this is democracy, I don’t have a chance, shh-.” While he was talking to me and while I was talking to him, Lt. Robinson was leaning on the high desk in the interior Sgt. of the Guard Room, in a very disrespectful manner. His attitude was in general was very insolent, disrespectful, and smart-elec, and certainly his actions were unbecoming to an officer and a gentleman, particularly in the presence of the enlisted men together with other officers.
Shortly after that I called for Captain Bear, Assistant Provost Marshal, and Miss Wilson, stenographer in Provost Marshal’s Branch to come to the Guard Room to take statements regarding the incident.
Lt. Robinson told me that he was from McCloskey General Hospital, Temple, Texas, but he did not tell me that he was there for purely administrative purposes, and led me to believe that he was a patient.
When Captain Bear arrived I was relating the incident to him as I had heard it from Lt. Robinson and Pfc. Mucklerath, and Lt. Robinson continually interrupted us, and it was impossible to carry on an intelligent conversation with his interruptions. Captain Bear finally ordered the Lt. to stay in the outer room of the Guard Room and wait until he was called. He directly disobeyed this order and returned to the swinging door between the two rooms and attempted to start another argument with Captain Bear. Captain Bear ordered him back to the room and told him to sit down in a chair and wait until he was called. Lt. Robinson walked back into the room but did not stay there. He walked outside the Guard Room and was talking to the driver of a jeep belonging to the 761st Tank Battalion, OD, whom I had called. Captain Bear again ordered him to wait in the outer Guard Room until he was called.
Later Lt. Robinson was called to the MP Orderly Room, advised of his rights under the 24th Article of War by Captain Bear, and asked if he wished to make a statement under oath regarding the incident. Lt. Robinson stated in the presence of Captain Bear, Captain Hamilton, Camp Prison Officer, and Miss Wilson that he would like to make a statement. He was then duly sworn by Captain Bear and proceeded to make his statement. From time to time, Captain Bear, who was conducting the investigation, asked Lt. Robinson material questions which covered the issue. Lt. Robinson’s attitude during this time was very disrespectful, and insolent. At one time during the questioning Captain Bear asked the Lt. about when and where he used profane language in the presence of ladies, and the Lt. stated that the only time he used profane language was when he told the bus driver to “stop fuckin with me,” and asked, “if you’d call that profane” in a very sneeringly manner. At that point Captain Bear said, Lt. that wasn’t profanity, that is vulgar and vile.” Then Lt. Robinson said in the same sneering, half-laughing manner, “So that’s vulgar, is it, that’s vile, is it?” That is only one example of his superior, and at other times, facetious manner during the questioning.
Before the statement was taken Captain Bear had contacted Major Wingo, Commanding Officer, 761st Tank Battalion, and talked to him over the telephone regarding the Lt. At that time it was understood between Captain Bear and Major Wingo that the Lt. could return to McCloskey General Hospital. Major Wingo indicated that it would be sometime before he could arrange for transportation and necessary guards to return Lt. Robinson to the hospital. After the questioning was completed, Lt. Robinson was informed that he would be returned to McCloskey under guard. He objected to the arrangements that had been made, not only for his convenience but for his own safety, and for protection of all concerned. He continually argued with Captain Bear, attempted to force Captain Bear to contradict himself, was belligerent, and even after Captain Bear explained that the arrangements had been made in accordance with the wishes of his Commanding Officer, Lt. Robinson demanded to talk to Major Wingo, and took the attitude that Captain Bear was preventing him from seeing his Commanding Officer. He was continually arguing with Captain Bear about whether he was under arrest or not, and the argument had lasted sometime, with Captain Bear trying to reason with the insolent officer. At that point I, as Camp Officer of the Day, stepped in and stated that if there was any more argument at all I would place the Lt. under arrest for insubordination and disrespect to superior officers. At one time during the questioning, Captain Bear asked the Lt. for the name of the colored girl he was sitting with so that he could contact the girl to take a statement regarding the incident. Captain Bear then asked him what her first name was, and in a very insolent manner he told the Captain, rather reminded him, that he had been sworn to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. His manner was very insolent and he seemed to think it funny that he could tell Captain Bear the name “Miss Jones.” He finally said that she was the wife of an officer on the Post, but gave no details.
Generally, the conduct and actions of this officer were very disrespectful to his superior officers. His conduct was rude, insolent, and very unbecoming to an officer and a gentleman. His conduct toward superior officers in the presence of enlisted men was very bad, and highly detrimental as an example.