Forrestal was outraged when special interests and lobbies pressured Congress and the White House regarding the policies—especially the budget and spending policies of the Department of Defense. Ironically, he was accused of endangering national security by many—especially Southerners. He had racially integrated the Navy while Secretary of the Navy and as Defense Secretary he wanted to integrate the armed forces completely. The argument against integration was that unit cohesion and military effectiveness would decrease. If nothing else, large numbers of servicemen would not want to be in close proximity to Blacks and his would impair their military effectiveness. The same arguments were later made about the integration of women and then gays.