Authority on Expenditures for Food at a Minority Affairs Forum

The Payment Claims Branch, Department of the Navy requested a decision as whether it could pay the claim of the Admiral Kidd Commissioned Officers Mess/Open for $215.25 which represented the cost for a minority affairs luncheon/forum at the Naval Training Center, San Diego, California, furnished pursuant to a U.S. Navy Recruiting Station purchase order. The Navy Regional Finance Center (NRFC) reported that it had not paid the claim because the procurement appeared to be improper in view of holdings in 43 Comp. Gen. 305 and 47 Comp. Gen. 657. NRFC informally reported that the people attending the dinner were not Government employees, but were minority groups leaders being briefed on Navy matters.