THE ROLE OF THE SENATE IN FOREIGN POLICY

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP75-00149R000200910027-4
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: November 11, 2016
• Document Release Date: February 18, 1999
• Sequence Number: 27
• Publication Date: January 29, 1966
• Content Type: OPEN

CONGRESSIONAL RECORD
Sanitized - Approved'-MO `Ireaid . CIA C tb 1
THE ROLE OF THE SENATE IN FOR-' ThIs is what the U.S. Senate Is The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without
EIGN POLICY for. It Is what the rounding Fathers objection, it is so ordered.
I ask created the Senate to do-to take the (See exhibit 1.)
Presldcnt
Mr
MORSE
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long-range view of actions promp
n Mr. MORSE. Mr. President, Senator
unanimous consent that I may proceed to "national councils that may be warped
deliver a speech on the subject "The by some strong passion or momentary MANSFIELD'S observations, submitted to
Role of the Senate in Foreign Policy,' Interest." the Committee on Foreign Relations on
notwithstanding the rule of germaneness. If the Senate does not, today, fulfill February 25, 1953, contained a skepti-
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there the role in foreign affairs that was in- cism which has been more than justified
objection? The Chair hears none, and tended for It, that is more the fault of by the alafirltrag developments of this
the Senator from Oregon is recognized. the Senate Itself than of any other past year. They urged that we be cau-
Mr. MORSE. Mr. President, through- agency. In the last 20 years we have out tious of offletal of then optimism declarations, was coming
.
, for, said Sen-
out the early period of American history actively collaborated In our own decline. ator MANSFIELD:
was clearly established in our Con- this We have delegated away to the executive At this time, experience under the plan
stitution and explained and described by branch too many of the foreign policy (for strategic hamlets) does not appear ade-
the men who wrote the Constitution that duties Which wei:e delegated to us by the quate for drawing the kind of optimistic con-
the executive branch of the United States people of the United States. elusions with respect to It which have been
shares with the Senate many functions In,. The Nation needs the Senate for this drawn.
the field of foreign affairs. original purpose more now than ever Elsewhere, Senator MANSFIELD warned
--
The sharing of the treaty power be before.. Our foreign entanglements 'that the assumptions on which our poll-
tween the Presidency and the Senate is' which have taken the form of executive cies were based be checked for their wa-
twice explained by the authors of the. Interventions rather than formal treaties
Federalist papers, once in describing the have gone badly both in Vietnam and in lidity, and that estimates of length and
powers of the Senate and again in de the Dominican Republic. Both are. cost- degree of involvement be carefully con-,
scribing the powers of the executive Ing the American people vast sums of sidered In light of the deterioration of
branch, money, extensive manpower, and In Viet- the South Vietnam political situation.
Again, In Justifying the differences in. nam, it Is bringing us the growing reality It is not really surprising that these
qualifications for House and Senate . of war as well. Prophetic warnings were not heeded by
Members, the Federalist explains that- It Is my fear but also my expectation the administration at the time. Al-
The nature of the senatorial trust, which, that the bombing of North Vietnam will though the Senator from Montana is a
requiring greater extent of Information and be resumed shortly by executive action former university professor of Far East-
stability of character, requires at the same and that it will be another link in the ern history, and although he has served
time that the Senator should have reached chain that is dragging America Into all.; in Congress since 1943, during which
a period of life most likely to supply thse ad- out but undeclared war. time he has carefully followed events and
vau'tagcs: and which, participating imme- Pictures will be shown and pointers developments In the Far East, there is
dintely in transactions with foreign nations pointed to justify more air raids In the an article of faith in the Departments of
ought thoroughly to exercised
from m the none prepowhosareaesalons not North and probably in Laos and Cam= State and Defense which holds that
thn
and habits Incident to foreign birth and bodia, too, but nothing will ever be told Members of Congress are politicians and
education. the American people of the privileged that politicians cannot be expert in any
iland f
sanctuar
?..
The need fthe Senate Itself is fur-
ate whose bases so many of these raids are By way of digression, I am at a loss to
thcr explained i In need for In these words:
and stable s launched. In fact, the U.S. military understand the vacuity of experts of both
without the Governma ent, cthe t ond esteem bmember foreign pow- o o Of bases within South Vietnam are just as the State Department and the Defense
illegal as the infiltration from the North, Department.
ers will not only be forfeited by an unen-
lightened and variable policy, proceeding but self-interest has dictated our actions The sad thing, in my judgment, Is the
from the causes already mentioned, but the in Vietnam for over a decade and will lack of qualification of leading advisers of
national councils will not possess that sensi- continue to be used to Justify whatever the President of the United States who
bility to the opinion of the world, which Is we decide to do. are advising him on Asian policy.
perhaps not less necessary in order to merit,, For the last 2 years, the American In my judgment, if our President con-
than it Is to obtain, Its respect and con- Government has had no policy in south- tinues to follow the ill advice of his ad-
fidence? east Asia except the application of force. visors In the State Department and in
An attention to the judgment of other We have tried to counter local terrorism the Pentagon, tens of thousands of Amer-
for tsAs reasons: Important the to one is, every government that, , Inds- with everything from chemical warfare loan boys will be unjustifiably killed In
for two Inds
pendently of the merits of any particular) to the Strategic Air Command. Asia in the next 2 years.
plan or measure, It is desirable on various Our only answer to enemy successes; The only force, in my judgment, that
accounts, that it should appear to other; has been to broaden the geographic scope. now can stop our President from travel-
nations as the offspring of a wise and hon:t of the war and to raise the level of fight=. Ing the road to an unjustifiable, massive
orable policy; the second Is that in doubtful ing, and there is no reason to believe war in Asia Is the American people; and,
cases, particularly where the national coun-~ that despite all the failures of these re-
clle may be warped by some strong passlotii spouses, our lieymakers will do an to the American people from this desk
or momentary interest, the presumed or, y-, this morning, I say that we must proceed
known opinion of the Impartial world may thing else now but broaden the gee-; without further delay to make it clear
be the best guide that can be followed. graphic scope of the war and raise the, to our President that we do not want a
What has not America lost by her want of level of the fighting once again. massive war In Asia.
character with foreign nations; and how PROPHETIC WARNINGS OF 1903 MANSFIELD I 'shall have more to'say about the
many errors and follies would she not have REPORT ON VIETNAM President's response to the 15 of us who
mavoided,easures if had, the In n every y Instance, stance, propriety been of pre- her The steadfastness with which our state sent him a courteous letter, asking him
vlously tried by the light In which they' and Defense Departments have sought to give careful consideration to proposals
would probably appear to the unbiased part military solutions to all the political, for renewing the bombing In Vietnam.
of mankind? economic, and social problems of South Mr. President, today we are sitting on
When one views our entanglements In' Vietnam is epitomized by their rejection a razor edge. The American people to-
Vietnam and In the Dominican Repub- of the warnings Issued by the majority day are much closer to a holocaust than
lie, both of which we undertook on the leader, Mr. MANSFIELD, and the group of most of them know. The time has come
basis of strong passions and momentary Senators that toured southeast Asia In for the American people to exercise all
Interests but which we have not the 1963, The 1063 Mansfield report, which their rights of political freedom and
slightest idea of how to terminate satis- L IS Included as an appendix to his current make perfectly. clear to Congress and to
factorily, I think It is Important that' report, Is a case study In the difficulties the President that this is the time to
attention be called to the effort of leading of South Vietnam and the undue OP-: stop, look, and listen before many thou-
Senators to fulfill the obligation imposed, timism which characterized our official ? sands of American boys who, in my Judg-
upon us all to check and to balance the pronouncements about that country. 1. ment, have no vital Interest In Asia, are
executive branch In the field of foreign ask unanimous consent that the text of j sent to Asia to be slaughtered.
poliav... _..~.. .. I both reports be Printed at the conclusion
of my rdnarb:.,, '.'~'t..: .'?;,ra;.: p.,, ':..-,, Continued
Sanitized - Approved For Release CIA-RDP75-00149R000200910027-4