Armed Forces: Mac's Other War

Viet Nam was once—unfairly—called "McNamara's war." Today, in addition to directing the Asian conflict, the Secretary of Defense is conducting a littlenoticed, highly effective domestic offensive that fully merits his imprimatur. Robert McNamara's other war is an uncompromising campaign to eradicate discrimination against the nation's 300,000 Negro servicemen in off-base housing throughout the nation.

Begun only four months ago on a pilot basis in Maryland and Washington, the program already has been responsible for more than trebling—from 15,000 to 47,500—the number of housing units open to all races. That is only...