It is my deep conviction that we have reached a turning point in the long history of our efforts to guarantee a freedom and equality to all our citizens… And when I say all Americans–I mean all Americans. Today I recommend, humbly, to Congress this ten-point program which you need not overly concern yourself with, which includes provisions for an anti-lynching law, an anti-poll tax law, a Commission on Civil Rights, home rule for the District of Columbia, but take it or leave it. And furthermore, I have instructed the Secretary of Defense to take steps to have the remaining instances of discrimination in the armed services eliminated as rapidly as conveniently possible depending on the mood of the racists following completion of a 5 year trigger with milestones measured by reports that display a gradual decrease in lynchings, burnings, and beheadings of enlisted Negoes. We cannot let perfect be the enemy of good.
- President Harry Truman, 1948
