The Mansfield Amendment of 1971

Abstract

In May 1971 the debate over the United States military presence in Europe changed dramatically as Senator Mansfield introduced an amendment to the Selective Service Bill (HR 6531) which required that the American troop deployment be reduced by 50 per cent (i.e. 150 000 men) by the end of 1971. Unlike the earlier resolutions, which were merely nonbinding recommendations that could legitimately be ignored by the President, an amendment — potentially at least — would have the force of law. If the Mansfield Amendment managed to obtain the approval of the Senate and survived the House-Senate Conference Committee, the President would be faced with the dilemma of either accepting it or vetoing the draft extension bill as a whole. Thus the challenge was much more serious than in previous years and the Majority Leader’s actions raised the stakes very considerably. By not bringing his earlier resolutions to the vote, Mansfield had succeeded in keeping the issue alive and maintaining pressure on the Executive, while avoiding a frontal assault on the President’s policy; with the introduction of a troop withdrawal amendment, a direct confrontation became unavoidable. This was hardly surprising, as the proposal threatened not only the existing US policy towards Europe, but also the Executive’s monopoly of control over that policy.