1971 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD REFERENCES
ECONOMICS, BUSINESS, AGRICULTURE, FISHERIES
1971 1st Session, 92nd Congress
Appalachian Regional Development Act Amendments of 1971: enact (see bill S. 575), 1540.
1540; February 3, 1971; Muskie is listed as one of the cosponsors of S.575, a Randolph (D- West Virginia) bill to carry out the Appalachian Regional Development Act. Muskie was a strong believer in regional development efforts and staunchly supported the Appalachian development laws which he saw as a prototype for similar federal statutes for New England and other regions of the nation.
Letter: Interstate Commerce Commission policy, G. M. Stafford, by, 2004.
2004; February 8, 1971; Muskie’s name is one of those on a 1970 letter from Senator Mansfield (D-Montana) to George M. Stafford, the Chairman of the Interstate Commerce Commission, which accompanies Mansfield’s introduction of a bill to abolish the commission entirely. The Interstate Commerce Commission set freight rates, among its other duties, and rigid and unresponsive rate-setting was one of the factors that led more and more members of Congress to consider abolishing the agency. Its authority over rate setting was eliminated in 1980 and it was abolished entirely in 1995, with its remaining functions transferred to the National Surface Transportation Board.
Public Works Acceleration Act: Make benefits available to certain areas of extra high unemployment (see bill S. 732), 2408.
2408; February 10, 1971; Muskie is listed as one of the cosponsors of S. 732, a Randolph (D- West Virginia) bill designed to channel additional program funds for public works to those areas of the country with particularly high unemployment. The bill authorized federal payments of up to 80 percent of public works costs in areas where unemployment was 150% of the national average.
Dow Air Force Base, Maine: adjust legislative jurisdiction over certain lands within area formerly known as (see bill S. 1000), 4086.
Barbara Ann (vessel) : documentation of (see bill S.1003), 4086.
Cap'n Frank (vessel) : documentation of (see bill S. 1001), 4086.
Eugenie II (vessel): documentation of (see bill S. 1002), 4086.
4086; February 26, 1971; Muskie introduces a series of bills providing for boat documentation, and federal control over what was formerly Dow Air Force base, and became Bangor International Airport.
S.1000, the Dow Air Force Base bill adjusts legislative jurisdiction over certain lands, a standard modification of federal law whenever the federal government cedes jurisdiction over formerly federal property to a state. Although not technically a private bill, this measure is nonetheless one of significant interest only to one state, as a result of which it is treated more like a private measure than a public law, and Muskie makes no opening introductory remarks about it.
The other three bills, S. 1001, S. 1002, and S. 1003, are all measures giving full coastwise privileges to three privately owned boats. At this time, the law required Congress to grant its assent to the chartering of private pleasure vessels. Commercial vessels, such as fishing boats, were routinely chartered by the Coast Guard. Private, non-commercial boat owners had to request such legislation from their representatives in the Congress. Because this was routine private legislation, Muskie made no introductory remarks, as would be normal for a public legislative bill.
Today the Coast Guard has regulations in place that permit the chartering of private recreational vessels without the need for Congressional intervention. At the time Muskie was sponsoring bills such as this, recreational boating was a much smaller leisure activity than it is today.
Appalachian Regional Development Act Amendments of 1971, by 6242.
6242; March 11, 1971; During debate on the Appalachian Regional Development Act, Randolph (D- West Virginia) inserts a Muskie statement supporting the bill in the Record, because Muskie was unable to be present on the day of the debate.
Department of Transportation: resolution (H.J. Res. 468) making continuing appropriations for, 7784-7786.
SST: development, 7784-7786.
7784-7786; March 24, 1971; Muskie outlines his objections to the federal subsidy for the construction of the U.S. supersonic transport, the SST project. An excerpt from the debate illustrates the issues raised.
Transportation research and development utilize SST employees (see bill S. 1382), 8023.
SST employees: solve transportation problems with, 8024.
Transportation problems: use SST employees to solve, 8025.
Mass transportation: use SST employees to improve, 8025.
8023; March 25, 1971; Notice only of Muskie bill introduction of S. 1382, a bill to shift $100 million of the funds proposed for the SST to research and development in aviation, aviation safety and mass transit systems.
8024, 8025; March 25, 1971; Muskie makes an introductory statement on S. 1382, his proposal to shift funds from the SST program to research and development in mass transit and air safety programs. One of the principal arguments in favor of the SST was the projected job creation of the program, and it had the active and strong support of labor unions, in particular the Machinists, who argued that work on the two prototypes would provide an immediate 20,000 jobs and that full production of the SST would lead to 150,000 jobs nationwide. This was the period of a severe slump in the aerospace and other industries as European and Japanese firms began to compete on quality, and Boeing had already laid off some 60,000 in Seattle.
Fishing industry: provide certain essential assistance to United States (see bill S.221),8534.
8534; March 30, 1971; Muskie’s name is added as a cosponsor to S. 221, the Fisheries Development Act, a Kennedy (D-Massachusetts) bill. The Kennedy bill responded to the fact that the U.S. commercial fishery fell from second-largest in the world in 1959 to six-largest by 1969. It was one element of the world wide expansion and subsidy of commercial fisheries which occurred in the 1970s.
Milk: support price of manufacturing at not less than 85 per centum of parity (see bill S. 1277), 9651.
9651; April 5, 1971; Senator Nelson (D-Wisconsin) makes a statement about a bill he has proposed to maintain milk price supports at 85 percent of parity and in the course of this statement, mentions the cosponsors of his bill, who include Muskie. Senator Nelson noted that his March 16 introduction of this bill was followed on March 25 by an Agriculture Department decision to reverse a proposed cut in price supports. What Senator Nelson did not know was that on March 23 President Nixon met with the leaders of three dairy industry groups and agreed to return price supports to 85 percent of parity, a decision that Treasury Secretary John Connally used to demand $90,000 per month in support of Nixon’s re-election campaign. These facts became known with the 1996 release of Watergate-related Nixon tapes, which is reported here: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/national/longterm/nixon/103097milk.htm.
Fisheries Products Protection Act of 1971: enact (see bill S. 296), 11275.
11275; April 21, 1971; Muskie’s name is added as a cosponsor to S. 296, the Fisheries Products Protection Act of 1971, a Kennedy (D-Massachusetts) bill to provide for the inspection of fish processing plants and extend technical help to the commercial fishery industry. At this time there was increasing concern about mercury contamination in fish, a problem which was first dramatically demonstrated in the 1953 outbreak of mercury poisoning in Minamato, Japan, where over 1500 people were affected. Methylmercury, a toxic substance, is formed from inorganic mercury by aquatic microorganisms and is magnified by concentration in the flesh of shellfish and other fish. Methylmercury concentrations in fish remain a problem today.
Rural residences: farmer-owned cooperative system of making credit available for (see bill S.1483), 11446.
11446; April 22, 1971; Muskie’s name is added as a cosponsor of S. 1483, a Talmadge (D-Georgia) bill to assist farmer-owned cooperative associations in making credit available for rural housing, and to generate a higher capital inflow into rural areas for the purpose of development.
Intercity rail passenger service: prevent discontinuance of certain (see bill S.1665),12593.
12593; April 29, 1971; Muskie is shown as one of the cosponsors of a Williams, (D- New Jersey) bill, S. 1665, designed to prevent the creation of Amtrack to lead to abandonment of commuter rail line services. Williams noted the definitions of intercity rail service in the Amtrack legislation were broad enough to allow railroads to abandon rail lines which linked cities but which were de facto commuter lines. He proposed a tighter definition of intercity rail service to prevent this occurring.
Rural and other economically-distressed areas: revitalize (see bill S. 10), 13530.
13530; May 5, 1971; Muskie’s name is added to S. 10, a McClellan (D- Arkansas) bill designed to produce a more balanced population between urban and rural communities. The proposal would have encouraged federal agencies to give preference to areas of low population in the awarding of federal contracts and the administration of federal programs.
Agricultural commodities: assist producers in marketing of at fair price (see bill S. 727), 15498.
Agricultural commodities: orderly means of bargaining with handlers of (see bill S. 726), 15498.
15498; May 18, 1971; Muskie’s name is added as a cosponsor of two Mondale bills, S.726 and S. 727, which constitute the first and second titles of Mondale’s 1969 National Agricultural Bargaining Act. The goal of the first bill is to allow farmer-elected marking committees to bargain and negotiate directly with processors and buyers for prices; the second makes all commodities eligible for marketing orders, and grants farmers new powers under the terms of marketing orders, including the right to bargain for minimum prices and non-price terms of sale. The need for this legislation was based on the argument that the general parity ratio for farm prices had fallen to 68. An effort by the Nixon Administration to change the primary base period for calculating parity prices to 1967, from the traditional 1910-1914 period, artificially raised parity to 91 percent, but falling farm prices and rising inflation were taking a toll on farm income.
Irish potato futures: prohibit trading in (see bill S. 1947), 16714.
16714; May 25, 1971; Notice only of Muskie’s introduction of a bill, S. 1947, to prohibit trading in potato futures.
Irish potato futures: prohibit trading on commodity exchanges, 16723.
16723; May 25, 1971; Muskie makes his introductory remarks on S. 1947, his bill banning trading in potato futures on the commodities exchange, noting that this is the same bill he has introduced in previous Congresses and that it retains the support of the Maine Potato Council.
Letter: Conference report on S. 575, to all Senators, by, 18744.
18744; June 8, 1971; Muskie is one of the authors of a letter to his colleagues urging that they support the conference report on the Appalachian Regional Development Act, despite the fact that Title I of the bill, an accelerated public works program, was not considered separately in the Senate. A minority of the Senate conferees, led by Senator Cooper (R-Kentucky) objected to the rules under which the full Senate would not have a chance to reconsider Title I and return it to the House for further review, and had been urging Senators to reject the conference report entirely, so the Senate would have a chance to consider the accelerated public works program.
Appalachian Regional Development Act Amendments of 1971: bill (S. 575) to enact, 18760, 25106
18760; June 8, 1971; During debate on the conference report on S. 575, the Appalachian Regional Development Act Amendments, Muskie says the accelerated public works provisions which the Senate accepted in conference would provide an immediate injection of needed jobs in high-unemployment areas, and compares the proposed jobs program with a successful 1962 stimulus program.
25106; July 14, 1971; Muskie speaks in opposition to President Nixon’s veto of the Accelerated Public Works bill, arguing that a policy of increased joblessness to fight inflation is both unfair and ineffective in a period of administered prices.
National Transportation Act of 1971: enact (see bill S. 2279), 24966.
24966; July 14, 1971; Muskie is shown as one of the original cosponsors of a Magnuson (D-Washington) bill, S. 2279, which sought to establish an integrated transportation system based on regions so as to combine the different modes of transportation more efficiently than the existing fragmented approach had done.
Public Works and Economic Development Act of 1965 and Appalachian Regional Development Act of 1965: extend (see bill S. 2317), 26102.
26102; July 20, 1971; Muskie is shown as one of the original sponsors of S. 2317, an original bill reported by the Public Works Committee, extending the Public Works and Economic Development Act of 1965 and the Appalachian Regional Development Act of 1965. The bill was ordered to be placed directly on the calendar.
Lockheed Aircraft Corp.: loan guarantee, 27579, 28022.
Emergency Loan Guarantee Act: bill (S. 2308) to enact, 27579, 28022.
Once Booming Potato Farms Die In Maine, B. Kovach, New York Times, 28023.
27579; July 28, 1971; During debate on the Administration’s proposal for a $250 million loan guarantee for the Lockheed Corporation, Muskie says he does not support the aim of a proposal that would subject the loan guarantee to the delay of an additional congressional review, but criticizes the Administration’s action which would give Lockheed the guarantee with no scrutiny while subjecting other potential corporate loan guarantees to a congressional review. Lockheed had overspent in developing its L-1011 TriStar airbus, one of the new breed of wide body jets; it constructed a $50 million “factory in the desert” at Palmdale, Calif., and contracted to use Rolls Royce engines to help assure British purchasers for the resulting airplane. When Rolls Royce went into bankruptcy in February 1971, Lockheed faced $400 million in debts with an additional need for $250 million to continue testing and production. It found no bankers willing to go forward without a federal loan guarantee. The choice Congress faced as an immediate factor was the potential loss of 30,000 Lockheed jobs. This was one of the first “too big to fail” industrial bailouts in the last third of the 20th century.
28022; July 29, 1971; During continued debate on S. 2308, the Lockheed loan guarantee bill, Muskie makes the argument that arbitrary loan limits as between large and small businesses are not fair, and inserts an article on how the lack of such loans affects Maine potato farmers.
Economic Disaster Area Relief Act of 1971: enact (see bill S. 2393), 28685.
28685; August 2, 1971; Muskie is shown as one of the original cosponsors of S. 2393, a Montoya (D-New Mexico) bill to expand the concept of disaster relief to incorporate economic disaster as well as natural disaster and give the federal government the authority to aid regions subject to economic disaster.
Economic Disaster Area Relief Act of 1971: bill (S. 2393), 30132.
30132; August 5, 1971; Muskie opens the debate on S. 2393, a bill intended to apply against economic disasters in much the way that disaster relief legislation applies against floods and hurricanes. At this time, high unemployment was seen as an intolerable national problem, and reducing the jobless rate was always one of the principal goals of economic relief legislation.
Sales below cost: prohibit, for purpose of destroying competition (see bill S. 1457), 32765.
32765; September 22, 1971; Muskie is added as a cosponsor to S. 1457, a Sparkman (D-Alabama) bill intended to prohibit predatory pricing for the purpose of destroying competition. The “predatory pricing” phenomenon of this period was a remnant of Depression-era legislation designed to protect smaller local retailers against large chain stores at a time of general economic distress. It was the gradual erosion of these kinds of anti-predatory pricing laws that led to the expansion of discount marketing.
Wholesome Fish and Fishery Products Act of 1971: enact (see bill S. 1528), 37490.
37490; October 26, 1971; Muskie is added to a Hart (D-Michigan) bill, S. 1528, called the Wholesome Fish and Fishery Products Act, a bill designed to amend the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act to provide for the inspection of facilities used in harvesting and processing of fish and fish products for commercial purposes, for the inspection of fish and fishery products, and for cooperation with the states in the operation of state fish inspection programs.
Fishery resources: protection of (see bill S. 2764), 37901.
37901; October 28, 1971; Muskie is shown as an original cosponsor of a Moss (D-Utah) bill, S. 2764, designed to prevent the occurrence of diseases in the fisheries. Senator Moss noted that hatcheries and fish farming was becoming an increasingly significant element of the U.S. fishery and that viral and other communicable diseases posed a potential problem for the continued growth and health of fish production.
National Railroad Passenger Corporation: amend bill (S. 2760) to provide financial assistance for purchasing railroad equipment, 41386.
41386; November 16, 1971; Muskie is listed as a cosponsor of a Pell (D- Rhode Island) amendment to the Amtrack bill. The Pell amendment would have provided $500 million in direct loans and authority for the federal government to back $1 billion in loans for capital improvements in the urban rail corridors served by Amtrak.. The principal goal of the amendment was to provide a $170 million subsidy to Amtrak for the operation of long-distance passenger rail, which was recognized then as being unprofitable to operate, and to provide an adequate cushion to allow for the development of urban corridor rail service, which has proven over the years to be the only viable element of the Amtrak system.
Butz, Earl L.: nomination, 42727.
42727; November 22, 1971; Muskie makes a statement on the nomination of Earl Butz to be Secretary of Agriculture, saying that the Nixon Administration’s failure to consult with the farming community on this nomination, as well as the nominee’s history, makes him an unsuitable choice for the post, and announces he will oppose the nomination.
Family Farm Act of 1972: enact (see bill S.2828),47063.
47063; December 15, 1971; Muskie is added to a Nelson (D- Wisconsin) bill, S. 2828, the family farm act, as a cosponsor. The Nelson bill was a response to the growing use of farmland as a tax writeoff for investors, which raised overall production and lowered prices at the expense of small farmers, and to the expansion of corporate farming, which usually bypassed local suppliers and dealt direct with manufacturers, thus impoverishing rural communities. The bill was designed to prohibit entities with substantial non-farm income from the ownership of farmland.
ENERGY
1971 1st Session, 92nd Congress
National fuels and energy policy: authorize study of (see S. Res. 45), 3943.
3943; February 25, 1971; Muskie’s name is added as a cosponsor to S. Res. 45, a Randolph (D- West Virginia) resolution authorizing the Interior and Insular Affairs Committee to conduct a study of national fuels and energy policy.
New England States Fuel Oil Act of 1971 enact (see bill S. 1816), 14298.
14298; May 11, 1971; Muskie is shown as one of the cosponsors of S. 1816, a Prouty (R-Vermont) bill which would have eliminated the import quota on home heating oil for the New England Region.
Coal Gasification Development Corporation: establish (see bill S. 1846), 19807.
19807; June 15, 1971; Muskie is added as a cosponsor to S.1846, a Jackson (D-Washington) bill, to create a Coal Gasification Development Corporation, a government-industry corporation whose sole function would be research and demonstrate at least two commercially useful methods of obtaining clean gas from coal. At this time, fears were widespread that the country’s proven gas reserves might be inadequate to supply the demand by 1980.
ENVIRONMENT, CONSERVATION, WILDLIFE
1971 1st Session, 92nd Congress
Joint Committee on the Environment: establish (see S.J. Res. 17), 544.
544; January 26, 1971; Notice only of the introduction of a Muskie resolution, S. J. Res. 17, to create a Joint Committee on the Environment.
Joint Committee on the Environment, by, 635.
635; January 26, 1971; Senator Mansfield (D-Montana), in Muskie’s behalf, introduces the joint resolution, S. J. Res. 17, to establish a Joint Committee on the Environment. A Muskie introductory statement included here discusses some of the reasons the measure was not enacted in the previous Congress.
National Water Quality Standards Act of 1971: enact (see bill S. 523), 1346
Analysis: S. 523, National Water Quality Standards Act of 1971, 1347.
Pollution: control water, 1346, 1347.
National Water Quality Standards Act of 1971: Introduction, 1346, 1347.
1346, 1347; Notice of and Muskie’s introductory remarks on S.523, the National Water Quality Standards Act, along with an analysis of the bill. Muskie emphasizes that one of the major roadblocks to improved water quality continues to be the lack of funding despite numerous efforts to authorize that funds be spent.
Air and navigable waters: standards for manufacture of certain products to protect quality of (see bill S. 573), 1539.
1539; February 3, 1971; Notice only of Muskie’s introduction of S.573, a bill to amend the Clean Air Act and the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to establish manufacturing standards designed so as to protect the Nation’s air and navigable waters.
Text: S. 573, provide standards for manufacture of products to protect the environment, 1552.
Analysis: S. 573, standards for manufacture of products to protect the environment, 1552.
Pollution: legislation to control, 1552.
Federal Water Pollution Control Act Amendments of 1971: proposed amendment, 1552.
Clean Air Act: proposed amendment, 1552.
1552; February 3, 1971; Muskie makes an introductory statement on S. 573, and includes an analysis of the bill, which is designed to govern the production of environmentally dangerous substances in manufacturing. The bill was directed at substances such as phosphates and mercury whose environmental effects had become increasingly understood at this time.
Cleaning the Ugly Costly Face of Pollution, Senator Randolph, 1602.
1602; February 3, 1971; In Extensions of Remarks, Muskie inserts the text of a Randolph (D- West Virginia) speech to the Wholesale Beer Association of Ohio, in which he discusses the issue of solid waste disposal.
Air and water pollution: prevent false and deceptive advertising with respect to products and services to prevent and control (see bill S. 927), 3565.
3565; February 23, 1971; Muskie is listed as a cosponsor of S. 927, a Spong (D- Virginia) bill imposing criminal sanctions on companies which produced false advertising of environmental effects. This bill was in part a reaction to the prior year’s hearings on phosphate pollution from detergents, where industry touted a new ingredient (called NTA) as a substitute for phosphates, but subsequent studies by the Surgeon General and the EPA found that it was a potential health threat. At this time, the Federal Trade Commission was investigating a spate of misleading corporate environmental advertising, including ads that showed clean streams upstream from power plants and lobsters borrowed from fish hatcheries to prove nuclear plant safety. Standard Oil of California even touted a gasoline additive called F-310 which it claimed cleaned tailpipe exhausts.
Earth Week: designate (see S.J. Res. 15), 3941.
3941; February 25, 1971; Muskie is listed as a cosponsor of S. J. Res. 15, designating the third week in April as Earth Week. Most of the Senate cosponsored this resolution.
Noise pollution: control (see bill S. 1016) 4087.
4087; February 26, 1971; Muskie is listed as a cosponsor of S. 1016, a Cooper (R- Kentucky) bill to control the generation and transmission of noise detrimental to the human environment. The 1970 Clean Air Act contained the first enforceable noise pollution provisions; the bill Muskie cosponsors here is the Administration’s proposal for building on that foundation.
Federal Water Pollution Control Act: amend (see bills S. 1012, 1143, 2133, 2770), 4087, 5467, 21539, 37902, 38198.
Environmental Financing Authority: establish (see bill S. 1015), 4087.
Report: Committee on Public Works, 21539.
4087; February 26, 1971; Muskie is listed as one of the cosponsors of S. 1012 and S. 1015, two Cooper (R- Kentucky) bills introduced on behalf of the Administration to implement the Nixon approach to water pollution control. The first bill provided for increased federal assistance to the states for their programs of water pollution control and the second provided for an Environmental Financing Authority which would have allowed the Treasury to purchase bonds issued by smaller communities for the purpose of installing waste water treatment facilities. A similar provision was in Muskie’s water pollution control bill.
5467; March 9, 1971; Muskie is a cosponsor of an Eagleton (D-Missouri) bill, S. 1143, to strengthen the national commitment to financing programs under the Water Pollution Control Act.
21539; June 23, 1971; Muskie introduces a simple 3-month extension of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act, with a report from the Public Works Committee, Report No. 92-234, and the act is passed. Muskie made no statement on this short-term extension bill, since it was enacted to maintain the authorities under law until the Congress could write a new clean water law.
37902; October 28, 1971; Notice only of Muskie’s introduction of S. 2770, a clean bill from the public works committee for the extension of the federal water pollution control regime. Muskie’s pollution legislation was often effectively written in the Subcommittee, because of his conscious judgment that a bill developed on a bipartisan basis was always a stronger measure on the Senate floor. This judgment also underlay his cosponsorship of Republican-sponsored pollution bills.
38198; October 29, 1971; This index reference appears to be an error. There is a Boggs (R-Delaware) water pollution control amendment on this page, but Muskie is not shown as a cosponsor. This amendment would have undercut the forward-funding feature in Muskie’s bill, and Muskie actively worked against it when the bill was debated later in the year.
Pollution: indifference of scientific and engineering community, 4111.
What Technology Has Done to the Earth, Technology Can Cure, R. Bendiner, New York Times, 4112.
4111, 4112; February 2, 1971; Muskie talks about the importance of research for better pollution control, the misallocation of resources to lesser priorities, and inserts a column from the New York Times to buttress his remarks.
Shoreline erosion: authorize program to develop and demonstrate low-cost means of preventing (see bill S. 1053), 4379
4379; March 1, 1971; Muskie is listed as a cosponsor of a Hollings (D- South Carolina) bill, S. 1053, designed to develop and demonstrate low-cost methods of preventing shoreline erosion. This goal is one that has still not been met.
Territorial and international waters: regulate discharge of wastes in (see bill S.1082),4507.
4507; March 2, 1971; Muskie is listed as a cosponsor of a Case (R- New Jersey) bill, S. 1082, to limit the discharge of wastes into U.S. territorial waters for the first five years after its enactment and then ban them entirely.
Remarks in Senate: Resolution: salute to environment campaign, Board of Commissioners, Allegheny County, Pa., 5004.
5004; March 3, 1971; Congressman William S. Moorhead (D- Pennsylvania) inserts a resolution adopted by the Allegheny County Commissioners commending Senator Muskie for his work in helping save the environment.
Air and water pollution: establish structure to provide knowledge of ecological and technical problems associated with (see bill S. 1113), 5020.
5020; March 4, 1971; Muskie is listed as a cosponsor of a Baker (R- Tennessee) bill, S. 1113, whose purpose is to establish up to four environmental science centers nationally to explore the ecological and social issues arising in connection with pollution. Baker notes that he and Muskie introduced a similar bill in the prior year and got a very positive reaction to it from the scientific community.
National Coastal and Estuarine Zone Management Act of 1971: enact (see bill S.582),5328.
5328; March 8, 1971; Muskie is added as a cosponsor of a Hollings (D- South Carolina) bill, S. 582, to create a program for the cleanup, management and beneficial use of the nation’s coastal and estuarine regions.
Oceans and other waters: regulate dumping of material in (see bill S. 1238), 6564
6564; March 16, 1971; Muskie is listed as a cosponsor of a Boggs (R- Delaware) bill, S. 1238, to regulate the dumping of materials in the coastal waters and oceans. This was the Administration’s version of an ocean dumping bill.
Historical and archeological data: preservation of (see bill S. 1245), 6565.
6565; March 16, 1971; Muskie is listed as a cosponsor of a Moss (D- Utah) bill, S. 1245, relating to the preservation of historical and archeological data. The bill would have amended existing law, which protected archeological materials threatened by flooding in dam construction, by extending that protection to all federal projects, federally-assisted projected and federally licensed projects,
Establish Joint Committee on the Environment, by, 6684
6684; March 16, 1971; The Senate debates the establishment of a Joint Committee on the Environment, and in Muskie’s absence, a written statement by him is placed on the record by Senator Baker (R-Tennessee).
Oil pollution: control off the State o California (see bill S. 1459), 9088.
Marine preserves: study means of protecting certain areas as (see bill S. 1458), 9088.
California: create marine sanctuaries off coast of (see bill S. 1446), 9088.
9088; April 1, 1971; Notice only of the introduction of three Muskie bills, S. 1446, S. 1458, and S. 1459, to control oil pollution off California, to study marine preservation, and to create marine sanctuaries off the coast of California.
Santa Barbara Channel Preservation Act of 1971: introduction, 9163.
Prohibit Oil Development in Santa Barbara Channel, Los Padres Chapter of Sierra Club, 9164
9163; April 1, 1971; Muskie makes his introductory statement on S. 1459, the Santa Barbara Channel Preservation Act, and on S. 1458, the Marine Resources Preservation Act. With the former, he includes a statement by the local chapter of the Sierra Club on the Santa Barbara oil leases. This is the same bill that Muskie introduced the previous year. The second bill is also a reintroduction of the prior year’s bill. Muskie expressed concern about the haphazard development of coastal lands.
Timber resources: establish commission to investigate practice of clear-cutting (see bill S. 1592), 10889.
10889; April 20, 1971; Muskie is shown as a cosponsor on a McGee (D-Utah) bill to create a commission to review the practice of clear-cutting timber on public lands. The bill would have established an independent commission to review the Forest Service’s forest management practices along with a two-year moratorium on clear-cutting while the review was under way.
Recreation areas: exempt persons over 65 years of age from paying entrance or admission fees (see bill S. 1172), 11275.
11275; April 21, 1971; Muskie’s name is added as a cosponsor to S. 1172, a bill to permit retirees free entry to national parks and recreation areas. WHOSE BILL IS THIS????
Letter: Opposition to pipeline across Alaska, President Nixon, by, 11307.
Alaska: opposition to pipeline across, 11307.
Proposed Trans-Alaska Pipeline, by, 11307.
Environmental Impact of the Trans Alaska Pipeline, F. S. Chapin, 11309.
Thermal Effects of Heated Pipeline in Permafrost, A. H. Lachenbruch, Geological Survey, 11310.
Conservation of Oil, G. Hill, New York Times, 11311.
Environmental Impact of the Trans Alaska Pipeline, R.R. Curry, 11312.
Problems in Underground Pipe Corrosion Control, B. Woodman, 11314.
11307-11314; April 21, 1971; Muskie announces that he has sent a letter to the President urging that the application for a permit to run an oil pipeline across Alaska be denied, and buttresses his arguments with a series of publications on the environmental dangers the pipeline poses.
Thaddeus Kosciusko Home National Historic Site, Pennsylvania: establish (bill S. 1973), 17335.
Thaddeus Kosciusko Home: establish, 17764.
17335; June 1, 1971; Muskie is listed as one of the cosponsors on a Hartke (D-Indiana) bill, S. 1973, to establish the Thaddeus Kosciusko Home National Historic Site in Pennsylvania.
17764; June 3, 1971; Muskie makes a brief statement about the career and testament of Thaddeus Kosciusko and urges swift action on the Historic Site bill he has cosponsored.
Congressional Record: require use of recycled material in printing of (see bill S. 2267), 24966.
Senate and House of Representatives: Require Public Printer to furnish recycled material for official use of (see bill S. 2266), 24966.
24966; July 14, 1971; Muskie is shown as one of the original cosponsors of two Moss (D-Utah) bills, S. 2266 and S. 2267, requiring the use of recycled paper in the printing of the Congressional Record and for other requirements such as office paper, letterhead and envelopes for the use of the Congress.
Department of Agriculture -- Environmental and Consumer Protection Appropriations Act of 1972: amend bill (H.R. 9270) to enact, 25413.
25413 [Page number is wrong; correct page is 25414]; July 15, 1971; Muskie is mentioned as a cosponsor of a Randolph (D- West Virginia) amendment to the Agriculture appropriations bill to increase the amount of funding for Section 105 of the 1970 Clean Air Act. Section 105 required states to create comprehensive plans to achieve clean air within 3 years, a task which was taxing the limited resources of state pollution agencies. The Randolph amendment would have added $10 million for this purpose.
Atomic Energy Commission: bill (H.R. 9388) authorizing appropriations for, 26059.
26059; July 20, 1971; Muskie makes a statement about the proposed nuclear test called Cannikin. This was an underground nuclear test of 5 megatons, which Muskie argued might cause environmental damage and was questionably valuable from a military perspective.
Environment Boom, 0. Fanning, Saturday Review, 26375.
Environmental careers: opportunities, 26375.
Pamphlet: College of the Atlantic, 26376.
26375; July 21, 1971; Muskie comments on the new College of the Atlantic to be created at Bar Harbor in Maine, its growth and commitment to environmental education, and inserts some information about the school.
Clean Up America Day: declare (see S.J. Res. 158), 32463.
32463; September 20, 1971; Muskie is shown as one of the original sponsors of a Weicker (R-Connecticut) resolution, S. J. Res. 158, designating May 6, 1972 as “Clean Up America Day” on the model of the prior year’s Earth Day.
Federal Water Pollution Control Act Amendments of 1971: bill (S. 2770) to enact, 38797-38804, 38807, 38816, 38822, 38823, 38825, 38826, 38828-38840, 38844-38849, 38852-38858, 38860-38862, 38864, 38888.
Waste treatment facilities: construction authority, 38846, 38849, 38852, 38853.
Federal Water Pollution Control Act Amendments of 1971: amend bill (S. 2770) to enact, 38856.
Committee on Public Works: tribute to members and staff of, 38802, 38822.
Dredged spoil: discharge permits, 38854-38856.
38797; November 2, 1971; Muskie gives an opening statement at the beginning of the debate on the water pollution control bill, explaining its background and the reasons for some of the innovations in the bill.
38806; November 2, 1971; Muskie pays tribute to the contribution made by Senator Eagleton (D- Missouri) in providing for the repayment of pollution control costs to cities which undertook to build sewage treatment plants before 1966, and in seeking a constructive way of dealing with the effects of the bill on agricultural producers.
38816; November 2, 1971; Muskie responds to a query from Senator Dole (R-Kansas) about the effects of discharge limitations on feedlot operations.
38822; November 2, 1971; Muskie responds to a series of queries from Senator Saxbe (R-Ohio) about the applicability of the funds to interstate agencies, from Senator Pearson (R-Kansas) about the total bill costs, from Senators Javits (R-New York) and Buckley (I-New York) about the financing provisions of the bill, and from Senator Aiken (R-Vermont) about whether a paper mill pulp problem at Lake Champlain would be eligible for a demonstration grant to clean up the pollution.
38825; November 2, 1971; Muskie responds to a Schweicker (R-Pennsylvania) inquiry about whether the funding in the bill applies to certain cities who began eligible waste treatment plant construction in 1956, before it was mandated by federal law; and to Senator Beall (R-Maryland) who inquires about the distinctions between water polluted by “point sources”, which is intended to be cleaned by 1981 and water polluted by “non-point sources” such as agricultural run-off, where the deadline is 1985.
38826; November 2, 1971; Muskie argues against the proposal by Senator Proxmire (D-Wisconsin) which sought to place an effluent tax on polluters to provide an economic incentive to stop pollution.
38834; November 2, 1971; Muskie congratulates Senator Mondale (D-Minnesota) for his work on lake water pollution, and whose Clean Lakes Act is incorporated into the water pollution control bill.
38836; November 2, 1971; Muskie assures Senator Byrd (I-Virginia) that the bill does not abrogate the rights of the States.
38837; November 2, 1971; Muskie has a discussion with Senator Stevens (R-Alaska) over the way that the bill will apply in the very specific circumstances facing Alaska.
38839; November 2, 1971; Muskie discusses the environmental effects of the production of a soil amendment, Milorganite, from sewage waste in Wisconsin, and an amendment by Senator Nelson (D-Wisconsin) to provide for small business access to pollution control facilities.
38844; November 2, 1971; Muskie discusses with other Senators the authorities in the bill and how they may affect interstate compacts between states and the rights of states over matters solely within their borders. Senator Boggs (R-Delaware) lays down his amendment to eliminate the funding contract authority in the bill and Muskie argues that a federal commitment is essential to guarantee to the states and cities that the funds they are depending upon will be available when they come to finance the construction of waste water treatment plants.
38852; November 2, 1971; Muskie engages in debate and leads a vote against a Boggs (R-Delaware) amendment which sought to modify the contract authority in the bill. The bill was designed to ensure that the matching funds promised to states and cities for waste treatment costs would not be subjected to shifting Congressional votes, since these plants constituted a years-long commitment on the part of state and local governments.
38853; November 2, 1971; Muskie opposes an Ellender (D-Louisiana) amendment which sought to retain within the Army Corps of Engineers the right of disposing of dredged material, instead of being bound by the dumping permit requirements imposed on all other activities, and following a quorum call develops an acceptable compromise which is passed.
38857; November 2, 1971; Muskie accepts a Baker (R-Tennessee) amendment designed to align the water pollution bill with the requirements of NEPA (the National Environmental Policy Act) and the July 1971 court decision on the Calvert Cliffs power plant, which required that the NEPA mandate be balanced on a case-by-case basis.
38860; November 2, 1971; Muskie deals with a number of minor amendments and clarifications as the Senate moves toward final passage of the water pollution control bill, and passes it, 86-0.
Environmental Health: Does It Have a Future? G. W. Fishbein, American Public Health Association, 40709.
Environmental Health Letter: anniversary, 40709.
40709; November 11, 1971; Muskie notes the 10th anniversary of an environmental newsletter which he says reflects an understanding that the purpose of environmental protection is the protection of human health, and inserts a speech by the author to the 99th annual convention of the American Public Health Association.
Everglades-Big Cypress National Recreation Area, Florida: establish (see bill S.2465), 41212.
41212; November 15, 1971; Muskie is added as a cosponsor to S. 2465, a Chiles (D-Florida) bill to establish the Everglades-Big Cypress National Recreation Area in Florida, with the goal of preserving the Big Cypress area as a watershed for the Everglades.
Everglades--Big Cypress Recreation Area: create, 42729.
42729; November 22, 1971; Muskie makes a statement explaining that he is cosponsoring the Everglades bill because it is essential to protect the freshwater run that is an integral element of the Everglades environment against diversion and channelization.
Mineral exploration in Atlantic Ocean: study environmental impact (see bill S.2892),46081.
46081; December 10, 1971; Muskie’s name is added as a cosponsor to a Boggs (R-Delaware) bill, S. 2892, which would amend the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act to require a study of the environmental impacts of mineral exploration in the Atlantic.
NATIONAL SECURITY/ FOREIGN POLICY
1971 92nd Congress, 1st Session
1744; February 5, 1971; During a debate on the Vietnam war in the House of Representatives, Representative Ed Koch (D- New York), quotes Muskie, saying “The way out of Vietnam does not lead through Cambodia.” The thrust of Koch’s speech is to express opposition to the news blackout about developments in Laos.
National Week of Concern for POW's and MIA's: designate (see S.J. Res. 10), 2596
2596; February 11, 1971; Muskie’s name is added as a cosponsor of S. J. Res. 10, a Brock (R-Tennessee) resolution asking the President to designate the period beginning March 21, 1971, as a National Week of Concern for Prisoners of War/Missing in Action. The Nixon Administration’s continued pursuit of an unpopular war forced Republican Senators to seek alternative ways of demonstrating their concern about the war without directly opposing the Administration on its conduct. Resolutions expressing concern about prisoners were a perennially popular way to do this.
United Nations: anniversary, 2612, 2613.
Soviet Union, United States, and United Nations, R. N. Gardner, Foreign Service Journal, 2613.
2612, 2613; February 11, 1971; Muskie makes a brief statement on the 25th anniversary of the United Nations Organization and inserts an article by Professor Richard Gardner of Columbia University setting forth improvements that could be made in the UN machinery.
Vietnam Disengagement Act of 1971: enact (see bill S. 375), 3579.
3579; February 23, 1971; Muskie’s name is added as a cosponsor to S. 376, a McGovern (D- South Dakota) bill setting a date certain for American disengagement from Vietnam. Although the Congressional Record Index clearly shows the bill number as S. 375, the actual Record itself reflects it as S. 376. This appears to be a misprint.
North Vietnam: require prior approval by Congress for U.S. forces to participate in invasion of (see bill S. 974), 3904.
3904; February 25, 1971; Muskie is listed as one of the cosponsors of a Mondale (D- Minnesota) bill, S.974, to prohibit the expansion of the war in Vietnam by an invasion of North Vietnam. By this time, the Administration’s pursuit of the Vietnam war had led to U.S. involvement in Cambodia and Laos and there was broad suspicion that the next expansion might well be a direct invasion of North Vietnamese territory.
Indochina, University of Pennsylvania, by, 4412.
4412; March 1, 1971; Senator Hart (D-Michigan) inserts the text of a Muskie speech given at the University of Pennsylvania about the importance of bringing the war in Vietnam to end despite the Administration’s unwillingness to take steps to do so. The speech summarizes the nature of the debate between the Administration and its critics at this time.
Peace Corps: anniversary, 4417.
4417; March 1, 1971; Muskie makes a statement on the 10t anniversary of the Peace Corps, assessing the program’s strengths as well as the more recent drop-off in volunteers. At the time it was generally conceded that disillusionment with the Indochinese conflict was affecting the willingness of students, in particular, to consider the Peace Corps as one of their choices of service.
Ceylonese Independence Day, 4423.
4423; March 1, 1971; Muskie makes one-paragraph comment on the independence of Ceylon as follows:
Mr. President, on February 4, 1971, Ceylon commemorated the 23rd anniversary of its independence. Ceylon has remained a stable democracy throughout the last two decades of our history and has carried on the finest democratic traditions in its election of government officials and in the other functions of its government.
I should like to express my admiration for the people of Ceylon and my hopes that their example will serve as an inspiration to other countries of the world.
Lithuanian Independence Day, 4429.
4429; March 1, 1971; Muskie makes a brief comment on the 53rd anniversary of Lithuanian independence. “Captive Nations Day,” was a congressional tradition mostly honored by conservative anti-communist Members of Congress to commemorate the Soviet annexation of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia at the beginning of World War II, Muskie focused his remarks most often on Lithuania because of that nation’s historic ties to Poland.
End America's Participation in Indochina War, University of Pennsylvania, by, 5763.
5763; March 10, 1971; Senator Church (D-Idaho) inserts the Muskie speech about the Vietnam war at the University of Pennsylvania, and expresses his support of the sentiments expressed in it. This is the same speech as was earlier inserted by Senator Hart (D-Michigan).
Genocide Convention, A. J. Goldberg, 7697.
Genocide Convention, 7697.
7697; March 24, 1971; Muskie makes a brief comment about the Genocide Convention and inserts testimony by Arthur Goldberg, former UN Ambassador, to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, refuting the claims of its opponents. Conservative opposition to the ratification of the Genocide Convention arose in the late 1940s, as liberals seized on the UN Declaration of Human Rights to argue that anti-lynching laws were properly a federal matter, and the supporters of the Bricker Amendment (which would have virtually eliminated any president’s ability to make executive agreements) continued to object to the United Nations in general and the Genocide Convention specifically. The Senate did not ratify the Genocide Convention until 1988, forty years after its creation.
Silent Vietnam, 0. Schell, Look, 8505.
Vietnam: situation, 8505.
8505; March 30, 1971; Muskie makes a comment about the long-term effect the war in Vietnam is having on the societies and the natural ecology in the South East Asian countries directly affected, and inserts an article from Look magazine to illustrate the point.
Vietnam: affirm U.S. neutrality in 1971 elections in South (see S. Con. Res. 17), 9513.
9513; April 5, 1971; Senator Stevenson (D-Illinois) introduces his concurrent resolution 17, on Vietnamese elections, and Muskie is shown as a cosponsor. The resolution set up a commission to create a sort of arms-length distance between the U.S. and the outcome of the 1971 elections to be held in South Vietnam. Senator Stevenson cited the efforts of the U.S. Information Agency and a civilian agency, CORDS (Civil Operations and Revolutionary Development Support) support of the Thieu government in favor of his resolution which was intended to maintain the neutrality of the U.S. in the elections and to give meaning to the alleged goal of the war, the self-determination of the people of South Vietnam.
International Conference on Ocean Dumping: convene (see S.J. Res. 80), 9505.
9505; April 5, 1971; Muskie is added as a cosponsor to S. J. Res. 80, a Randolph (D-West Virginia) resolution expressing the support of the Congress for an international conference on Ocean Dumping.
Indochina: military involvement, 9637,
Demonstrations: expected April 24th, 9637.
Vietnam: expected protest demonstrations against war in, 9637.
9637; April 5, 1971; Muskie makes a statement about planned anti-war protests expected in late April in Washington D.C., saying that protesters had the right to protest but also the responsibility to do so peacefully. The protest to which he referred consisted of a series of mostly peaceful rallies of over 200,000 persons in Washington D.C., and the subsequent effort to “close down the government” by blocking access into the city on May 2, a series of actions which led to the arrests of 13,000 persons and their incarceration at the local RFK Stadium, the largest one-time arrest in U.S. history.
East Pakistan: situation in, 10361.
10361; April 14, 1971; Against the background of war between Pakistan and its eastern Bengal province, which later became independent as the nation of Bangladesh, Muskie speaks out against the supply of U.S. armaments to the government of Pakistan.
Pakistan, initially created from the withdrawal of the British from the Indian subcontinent in 1947, consisted of an ethnically homogenous Bengal in the east, making up 54% of the total Pakistani population, separated by roughly 1000 miles of Indian territory from a more diverse population in western Pakistan, made up of Punjabis, Sindhis, Pathans and Baluchis. The dominance of Punjabis in the government of Islamabad in the western part of the country led to alienation in the more populous and homogenous Bengali region, culminating in the 1970 elections in which the Bengali Awami League won an overall majority. The Pakistani president, General Yahya Khan proscribed the meeting of the National Assembly in March, 1971, fearing separatist sentiment on the part of the Awami League members. The subsequent war led to the independence of the Bengal province as Bangladesh.
At this time, unknown to the general public and to the Congress, President Nixon was using General Yahya Khan as an intermediary in his efforts to establish a relationship with the Peoples’ Republic of China. An October 1970 meeting with Yahya Khan led to messages from the PRC in April 1971, asserting China’s willingness to host a visit by Kissinger or some other high-level representative of the President. Publicly, the U.S. “tilt” to Pakistan was a subject of criticism as the war with the Bengal provinces and, later, India, continued.
Pakistan: suspend military aid until conflict is resolved (see S. Con. Res. 21), 10500.
10500; April 15, 1971; Muskie is shown as a cosponsor of S. Con. Res. 21, a Case (R-New Jersey)- Mondale (D-Minnesota) resolution whose purpose was to express the sense of the Congress that all military aid and sales to Pakistan should be suspended while its conflict with East Pakistan was unresolved.
Endorsement of Antiwar Demonstration, Washington Post, 11034.
11034; April 20, 1971; Rep. John Hunt of New Jersey criticizes Muskie for expressing support for the planned anti-war demonstrations that month and includes a newspaper column which claims that the leaders of that protest were Trotksyites who supported a North Vietnamese victory in the war. By 1971, many people were indifferent to “victory” in Vietnam, because for most Americans, an end to the war, withdrawal of all American troops and return of U.S. prisoners of war were the only considerations.
Middle East: new perspectives, 11708.
Context of Peace Efforts in the Middle East, Arthur J. Goldberg, London, England, 11708- 11710.
11708-11710; April 23, 1971; Muskie inserts a speech by Arthur Goldberg on the Middle East, detailing the nature of U.N. Resolution 242, which calls for a recognition of the right of Israel to exist within secure and recognized borders, and the manner in which the resolution was constructed and passed while countervailing Soviet efforts to secure a withdrawal of Israeli troops to pre-war positions was defeated.
African -American Dialogs, by, 12710.
12710; April 29, 1971; Senator McGee (D-Utah) inserts the text of a speech Muskie gave in Nigeria on African issues, including the apartheid regime in South Africa and the continued problem of South Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) which was still then in the process of establishing independence from Great Britain.
Remarks in House: Gerald Ford's attack relative to Middle East policy, 13352-13354.
Middle East Policy, by (sundry), 13354.
Kosygin Harsh With Muskie on Mideast, Jack Anderson, Washington Post, 13354.
Middle East Policy, Gerald R. Ford and (sundry), 13355.
13354; May 4, 1971; In the House of Representatives, Congressman Kyros (D-Maine) and others discuss what the House Minority Leader, Gerald Ford (R- Michigan) said about Muskie at an event hosted by the American-Israel Public Affairs Committee event. This mini-debate highlighted what was then widely seen as a Nixon White House effort to generate controversy about Muskie and thus reduce his appeal as a potential 1972 presidential candidate opposing President Nixon.
Pakistan: emergency relief for East, 13544.
13544; [Correct page is 13545] May 5, 1971; Muskie makes a statement about the impending famine in East Pakistan as a combination of climate conditions and the war against Pakistan and urges that U.S. policy focus on extending help to the people of Bengal.
Boeing 707's: African sales, 13547.
Portugal: arms shipments to Africa, 13547.
Arms From East and West Used in Africa, Jim Hoagland, Washington Post, 13548.
Africa: arms shipments to, 13547.
13547; May 5, 1971; Muskie comments on the U.S. decision to embargo arms sales to Portugal for use in its African colonies, and argues that the sale of Boeing aircraft thinly skirts the embargo and should be halted.
Proclamation: POW Day, K. M. 13849.
Prisoners of war: Maine resolution, 13849, 25028.
Vietnam: recent peace proposal by North, 25028.
13849; May 6, 1971; Muskie makes a brief statement about the action of Maine’s Governor, Ken Curtis, in setting aside a day to honor American Prisoners of War in Vietnam.
25028; July 14, 1971; Muskie makes a comment on a peace proposal made by the Viet Cong representative in Paris to release all American POWs in exchange for a withdrawal of all American troops from Vietnam, and includes a Resolution of the Maine Legislature on American POWs.
Russia: deployment of nuclear arms by, 13879-13881.
SALT negotiations, 13879-13881.
Nuclear arms race, 13879-13881.
Nuclear Weapons, World Affairs Council, by, 13882.
Arms Race, by, 13882.
Support of Nonproliferation Treaty, by, 13883.
13879-13883; May 6, 1971; Muskie makes a detailed statement outlining the kinds of arms control issues that his Arms Control Subcommittee plans to explore in the coming months, and inserts a number of statements he made in prior years on the same subject.
Remarks in Senate: Telegram: distribution of food in East Pakistan, W. P. Rogers, by, 13885
13885; May 6, 1971; Muskie is one of a number of Senators who have signed a telegram to the State Department urging action in the face of famine in East Pakistan, and which is cited by Senator Mondale (D- Minnesota) in his statement about the situation there.
Polish National Alliance, Humboldt Park, Chicago, Ill., 13987.
13987; [is actually on p. 13988]; May 6, 1971; Congressman Roman Pucinski of Illinois (D) inserts the text of a Muskie speech on the occasion of Polish Constitution Day, in Chicago, an annual rally by American of Polish ancestry in the Chicago area.
Arms Control for American Security, Committee on Armed Services, H. Scoville, 14867.
14867; May 13, 1971; Muskie inserts testimony by Herbert (Pete) Scoville, of the Federation of American Scientists before the Senate Armed Services Committee on arms control saying it illustrates the way in which arms purchase decisions can affect national security.
Provide Special Refugee Visas to Soviet Jews, by, 15079.
15079; May 14, 1971; Muskie is one of the cosponsors of a Case (R-New Jersey) bill, S. 1872, granting 30,000 special visas to Jews from the Soviet Union, and a brief statement by him accompanies the bill’s introduction.
Armed Forces: reduce in Western Europe, United States, 15558, 15560, 15958.
Europe: reduction of United States troops In Western, 15558, 15560, 15958.
Military Selective Service Act of 1971: bill (H.R. 6531) to enact, 15558, 15560, 15958, 20210, 20211, 21041-21043, 21580, 32354.
McGovern -Hatfield end the war amendment, 20210, 20211.
15558-15560; May 18, 1971; During debate on the Military Selective Service bill, H.R. 6531, Senator Mansfield (D-Montana) proposed an amendment to reduce the U.S. troop contingent stationed in Europe by 150,000 men, and Muskie spoke on the subject, expressing support for the overall goal of a greater NATO contribution to troop support, but opposition for a unilateral reduction in forces.
15958; May 19, 1971; Muskie speaks further on the Mansfield amendment, noting that although he agrees with its substance in many ways, he cannot vote for a unilateral cutback, and describing how he has voted on similar amendments during this debate.
20210, 20211; June 16, 1971; Muskie joins in the debate on the Hatfield-McGovern amendment which would have required the withdrawal of all U.S. troops from Vietnam by December 31, 1971.
21041-21043; June 31, 1971; During debate on the selective service bill, Muskie makes a lengthy statement about the need for overall reform of the draft law and the function that a draft system has in a democratic society.
21580; June 23, 1971; A filibuster developed during debate on the selective service bill as the approaching June 30 expiration of draft authority led some to hope that by allowing draft authority to lapse, the war in Vietnam would be curtailed more effectively. Muskie did not share this viewpoint and comments on his planned vote to end the filibuster.
32354; September 17, 1971; During debate on the conference report on the military draft bill, Senators on both sides of the issues, including Muskie, argued the case vehemently, as this excerpt from the debate illustrates.
Remarks in Senate: Television broadcast: Vietnam Policy, Eric Sevareid, CBS news, 15860.
Eagleton, Thomas F.: Vietnam policy, 15860.
Vietnam Policy: Senator Eagleton, Committee on Foreign Relations, 15861.
Bunker Assays Vietnam Years, Alvin Shuster, 15862.
15859 [Page number error, correct page is 15860]; May 19, 1971; Muskie comments on Senator Eagleton’s (D-Missouri) testimony to the Foreign Relations Committee following a recent trip to Vietnam and Cambodia, and inserts it and news comments about Vietnam in the Record.
Armed Forces: amend bill (H.R. 6531) to increase pay and authorizing active duty strengths, 16724.
16724; May 25, 1971; Muskie is shown as one of the cosponsors of an Eagleton (D-Missouri) amendment to the Military Selective Service Act, to provide assistance to the states to enable young men to register to vote at the time they are drafted.
Mansfield Amendments, Two Views, W. A. Harriman, Washington Post, 16727.
16727; May 25, 1971; Muskie comments on Averill Harriman’s view that frustration with the continued war in Vietnam is fueling the mistaken policy of unilateral withdrawal of U.S. troops from NATO.
Soviet Jews: for relief (see bill S. 1872), 17079.
17079; May 26, 1971; Muskie’s name is added as a cosponsor to S. 1872, the Case (R- New Jersey) bill granting 30,000 additional visas for Soviet Jews. Although Muskie announced his support when he spoke on the bill at the time of introduction, the Record did not reflect his formal cosponsorship.
Committee on Foreign Relations: notice of hearings, 17761, 19808, 22749, 24479, 26117.
Arms control: hearings, 19808.
ABM: deployment, 24479.
17761; June 3, 1971; Muskie announces a series of hearings to be held on June 16 and 17 to examine the arms control implications of strategic doctrine.
19808; June 15, 1971; Muskie announces in more detail what the hearings in the arms control subcommittee will examine and lists the witnesses expected to testify.
22749; June 29, 1971; Muskie announces hearings by the Arms Control Subcommittee of the Committee on Foreign Relations, to focus on MIRV and ABM components of the security forces.
24479; July 12, 1971; Muskie announces hearings on MIRV and ABM components in the Arms Control Subcommittee of the Foreign Affairs Committee.
26117; July 20, 1971; Muskie announces hearings of the Arms Control Subcommittee on the subject of a comprehensive test ban treaty, and the Cannikin test.
Letter: Aid for East Pakistan, W. P. Rogers, by, 18222.
18222; June 4, 1971; Muskie’s name appears among those who sent a telegram to Secretary of State Rogers about the situation in Pakistan, which Senator Humphrey (D-Minnesota) inserts in the course of making a statement about the situation in East Pakistan. This is the identical telegram inserted earlier by Senator Mondale.
Narcotic drugs: prohibit assistance to any country which does not act to prevent entry into United States (S. 1188), 18378.
18378; June 7, 1971; Muskie’s name is added as a cosponsor to S. 1188, a Church (D-Idaho) bill that would amend section 620 of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to prohibit foreign assistance from being provided to foreign countries which do not act to prevent narcotic drugs from unlawfully entering the United States. The principal target of this bill was Turkey.
1972 Defense Budget, Committee on Appropriations (House), M. H. Halperin, 19815.
19815; June 15, 1971; Muskie inserts the testimony of Mort Halperin, then a member of the National Security Council staff, to the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee of the House of Representatives on ways to review the overall defense budget, along with his conclusion that the only way to effective budgetary savings is to simply cap defense spending.
Baltic States: Invasion and fall of, 19821.
19821; June 15, 1971; Muskie notes that despite the general ending of colonial rule around the world at this time, the Baltic states which were overrun by the Soviet Union in 1940 remain in effect, colonies.
Sugar Act of 1948: amend bill (H.R. 8866) to amend and extend, 21210, 27509, 27586.
21210; June 22, 1971; Muskie is added as a cosponsor to an amendment proposed by Senator Kennedy (D-Massachusetts) to H.R. 8866, the Sugar Act of 1948, to end the U.S. quota for South African sugar. U.S. policy to price domestic sugar above the world market price has meant that those nations allocated a U.S. sugar quota can reliably count on a disproportionate profit from their quotas. Kennedy’s argument was that the apartheid regime then in force in South Africa was so repugnant to American standards of justice that there could be no justification for any U.S. benefit to the regime, no matter how minor the benefit. In this instance, it amounted to just $5 million per annum.
27509; July 27, 1971; When Senator Kennedy calls up his amendment to the Sugar Act, the names of his cosponsors are listed, including Muskie’s. There is no Muskie text at this location.
27586; July 28, 1971; When Kennedy’s amendment loses by 45 to 47, he makes a modification to pick up more votes, and calls up the modified amendment, again listing cosponsors, including Muskie. The change he made was from an outright ban on the South African sugar quota to a suspension revocable at the President’s determination.
American Policy Toward China, Committee on Foreign Relations, Senator Kennedy, 22782.
22782; June 29, 1971; Muskie inserts the testimony of Senator Kennedy (D-Massachusetts) before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on the question of U.S. policy towards mainland China. From 1949 until 1971, United States policy towards China was to recognize the government of Taiwan as the only legitimate Chinese government, to block the mainland government from the UN, and to have no relationship of any kind with mainland China. During this period, it was commonly held that the U.S. was “isolating” China, although most other nations of the world maintained normal trade and diplomatic relations with China. By the close of the 1960s, international opinion against this U.S. policy had become increasingly solidified, and in November 1970, a two-vote majority in the General Assembly voted to admit the Peoples’ Republic, an outcome the U.S. was able to stave off only with procedural tactics. Changes in the U.S.-Chinese relationship became evident with the so-called “ping-pong” diplomacy when a U.S. table tennis team was invited to visit the Peoples’ Republic of China in April, 1971, the first Americans permitted into the country since the communist takeover in 1949. The President’s concurrent secret advances towards the Peoples’ Republic were not publicly known at the time.
Voice of America: broadcast in Yiddish into Soviet Union (see S. Res. 145), 23695.
23695; July 7, 1971; Muskie is shown as one of 20 Senators who are original cosponsors of S. Res. 145, a Tunney (D-California) resolution calling on the Voice of America to broadcast into the Soviet Union using the Yiddish language, as a means of demonstrating U.S. support for the religious and cultural rights of Jewish persons in the Soviet Union.
International security assistance: amend bill (H.R. 1657) to consolidate and revise Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 relating to, 24479.
24479; July 12, 1971; Muskie is one of many Senators whose names are added as cosponsors to Amendment No. 159, which is to be proposed by Senators Church (D-Idaho) and Saxbe (R- Ohio) to H.R. 1657, the International Security Assistance Act. This amendment would suspend U.S. military and economic aid to Pakistan until internationally-supervised food and medical relief is made available in East Pakistan and refugees from that region to India are repatriated. Following a year’s attack by Pakistan and devastating cyclones that caused widespread flooding, Indian was housing some 5 million Pakistani refugees, and the threat of starvation and epidemic disease in East Pakistan was immediate.
Our Nonpolicy Toward Latin America, S. Linowitz, Life, 25035.
25035; July 14, 1971; Muskie inserts an article by Sol Linowitz which notes that the Nixon Administration’s hostility to the Allende presidency of Chile is contrary to U.S. claims to respect democratically chosen governments, regardless of their diplomatic leanings or policies. Salvador Allende was overthrown and killed in a military coup in September, 1973 which had the strong backing of the CIA and the Nixon Administration.
Foreign Service employees: procedure to investigate and render decisions with respect to grievances and appeals of (see bill S. 2023), 25805.
25805; July 19, 1971; Muskie’s name is added as a cosponsor of S. 2023 a Bayh (D-Indiana) bill to create a procedure for the investigation and judgment of grievances and appeals for employees of the Foreign Service.
Drug Control Legislation, Committee on Foreign Relations, by, 25856.
25856; July 19, 1971; Senator Eagleton (D-Missouri) inserts Muskie’s testimony before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on the question of international drug trafficking, in which Muskie discusses the need for crop substitution programs and discusses the alleged involvement of government officials in South East Asian nations like Laos and South Vietnam in drug smuggling.
Vietnam: care, housing, education, and adoption of certain orphaned children in (see bill S. 2071), 26105.
26105; July 20, 1971; Muskie’s name is added as a cosponsor to a Moss (D-Utah) bill, S. 2071, to authorize the President to negotiate with the government of South Vietnam to provide for the care, housing, education, training and adoption of orphaned or unwanted children of U.S. troops in Vietnam. The proposal was modeled on the action of the French during their war in Vietnam, which repatriated all half-French children who had no guardian, and paid for the education of those half-French children who remained in Vietnam. Moss’ bill would have permitted the children of U.S. servicemen to enter the country and to be placed for adoption through state and private agencies.
Amchitka Island, Alaska: nuclear test, 28474, 28477, 28478.
Public works, AEC, and certain agencies' bill (H.R. 10090) making appropriations for 28474, 28477, 28478.
Cannikin Nuclear Test, Committee on Foreign Relations, Senator Gravel, 28474.
Amchitka Nuclear Test, Committee on Foreign Relations, J. Havelock, 28475.
Letter: Amchitka nuclear test, W. A. Egan, 28476.
Necessity for the Cannikin Experiment, AEC, 28477.
Letter: Cannikin nuclear test (sundry), 28477, 28478.
28474-28478; July 31, 1971; During debate on the Public Works and Atomic Energy Commission appropriations bill, H.R. 10090, Muskie speaks again against the Cannikin underground nuclear test proposed for the Alaska Aleutians Island of Amchitka, and inserts testimony on the subject matter in the Record.
Israel: funds for military aid to, 28993, 42890.
28993; August 3, 1971; Muskie makes the argument that a greatly increased flow of Soviet Arms to the Arab states of the Middle East represents a direct reason for the U.S. to approve the transfer of U.S. fighter jets to Israel.
42890; November 23, 1971; During debate on the defense appropriations bill, Muskie speaks in favor of an amendment to provide $500 million in military support and credits for Israel to counter the growing imbalance of arms in the Middle East caused by Soviet shipments to Egypt.
Foreign tourists: facilitate entry of (see bill S. 1899), 29243.
29243; August 4, 1971; Muskie is added as a cosponsor of S. 1899, a Fong (R-Hawaii) bill to permit a 90-day visit to the U.S. from certain countries’ citizens without the requirement of a visa. The bill would have allowed the Secretary of State to designate countries whose citizens would be entitled to visit the U.S. visa-free. At this time, the only country whose citizens did not need a visa to enter the U.S. was Canada, where as 30 countries permitted visa-free entry to U.S. citizens.
Text: United States-Soviet Draft Convention on Elimination of Bacteriological Arms, 30277.
Biological weapons: ban on, 30277.
30277; August 6, 1971; Muskie notes that the U.S. and the Soviet Union have agreed upon and delivered a draft Convention on biological warfare to the 25-nation disarmament conference in Geneva.
Global Pollution – U.N. as Policeman, Richard N. Gardner, Saturday Review, 32331.
32331; September 17, 1971; Muskie mentions a May conference in New York on International Organization and the Human Environment, convened by two private organizations which was planned as a precursor to the first U.N. conference on the environment, scheduled to take place in Stockholm in June, 1972.
Vietnam Children's Care Agency Act: enact (see bill S. 2497), 33606.
33606; September 28, 1971; Muskie is added as a cosponsor of S. 2497, a Williams (D-New Jersey) bill called the Vietnam Children’s Care Agency. The bill would have created a temporary agency to channel funds into programs for Vietnamese orphans within Vietnam, and to facilitate adoption by U.S. families of Vietnamese children available for adoption.
Foreign Service employees: procedure to investigate and render decisions with respect to grievances and appeals of (see bill S. 2659), 35183.
35183; October 6, 1971; Muskie is shown as a cosponsor of a Bayh (D-Indiana) bill, S. 2659, which would establish procedures to investigate and make decisions about Foreign Service employee grievances. This appears to be a reintroduction of the earlier bill that Senator Bayh introduced. In many cases, agency reaction to proposed bills led sponsors to incorporate changes which served to make their bills less objectionable and thus ease their passage. Senator Bayh made no statement on this bill, which suggests it was a reworking of his original bill.
Phantom jets: urging sale to Israel (see S. Res. 177), 36366.
36366; October 15, 1971; Muskie is one of 77 Senate cosponsors of S. Res. 177, a Scott (R-Pennsylvania) resolution urging the sale of Phantom jet fighters to Israel.
Military Administrative Discharge Procedures Act of 1971: enact (see bill S.2247), 36969.
36969; October 20, 1971; Muskie is added as a cosponsor to an Ervin (D- North Carolina) bill, S. 2247, to establish due process protections in the administrative discharge procedures used by the armed services. One result of the Vietnam war’s effects on servicemen, particularly with respect to drug use, was a growing number of separations from the Services short of honorable discharges. These separations created post-service difficulties for veterans in finding jobs and tended to have as negative an effect on their lives as a bad conduct discharge resulting from a formal court martial.
Weizmann Institute, by, 38753.
38753; November 2, 1971; Senator Ribicoff (D-Connecticut) inserts the text of a Muskie speech on the security of Israel and the importance of U.S. support for Israel to the Weizmann Institute.
Foreign aid: Proposed solution to problem of continuing, 39016, 39017.
Senate: rejection of foreign aid bill by, 39016, 39017.
39016, 39017; November 3, 1971; In the wake of a Senate vote against the entire foreign aid bill, Muskie makes a statement outlining his views on how the measure ought to be restructured, beginning with the separation of military from developmental and humanitarian assistance, and moving more broadly to a multilateral aid strategy. Several factors contributed to the first-ever defeat of a foreign aid bill on October 29, 1971: the continued Pakistan-India standoff and the Administration’s tilt towards Pakistan, the situation in Greece, where a military junta had ousted a democratically elected government, and the overwhelming vote 4 days earlier, by which the United Nations General Assembly voted to seat the Peoples’ Republic of China and to eject Taiwan.
India: Pakistan refugees in, 39210.
Gandhi, Mrs. Indira: U.S. visit, 39210.
Pakistan: situation in 39210, 39211.
39210, 39211; November 4, 1971; On the occasion of a visit from the President of India, Indira Ghandi, Muskie speaks about the need to end all arms shipments to Pakistan until the war in East Pakistan ends, and points out that government disingenuousness about aid undercuts support for foreign policy.
Prisoners of war: humane treatment and release of American (see S. Con. Res. 49), 40852.
40852; November 12, 1971; Muskie is one of many Senators listed as a cosponsor on S. Con. Res. 49, a resolution introduced by Senator Allott (R-Colorado) expressing the sense of the Senate that North Vietnam should treat American prisoners in a humane fashion and protesting their poor treatment.
Department of Defense: bill (H.R. 11731) making appropriations, 42890, 42909.
42890; November 23, 1971; In debate on H.R. 11731, the defense appropriations bill, Muskie expresses his support for an amendment to provide $500 in aid and credits for Israel.
42909; November 23, 1971; Muskie makes a statement opposing a 60,000 reduction in troops in Europe, arguing that it would send the wrong signal about the U.S. commitment to NATO.
Environmental standards and regulations: relative to international economic and social consequences (see S. Con. Res. 53), 46084.
46084; December 10, 1971; Muskie is listed as a cosponsor of a Williams (D-New Jersey) resolution, S. Con. Res. 53, which would place on the agenda of the 1972 UN Conference on the Human Environment an item requiring the establishment of international pollution standards so that international trade is not distorted by giving an unfair advantage to nations which tolerate dirty industries.
Letter: Regulations on the draft, C. W. Tarr, by, 47351.
47351; December 16, 1971; When the Senate continued the military draft, new regulations were proposed dealing with appearances before Selective Service Boards and the rights of inductees to have their draft classifications reviewed. Muskie was one of a number of Senators who signed a letter to the head of the Selective Service System objecting to some of the proposed regulations.
Appointed to United Nations Conference on the Human Environment (alternate), 47652.
47652; December 17, 1971; Muskie, along with Senators Magnuson (D- Washington), Case (R-New Jersey), Williams (D-New Jersey) and Allott (R-Colorado) are appointed by the Vice President to act as advisors and alternates to the UN Conference on the Environment being held in Stockholm June 6-16, 1972.
Christians Support Unified Jerusalem, American Jewish Committee, 47855.
Jerusalem: Christians support unification, 47855.
47855; December 17, 1971; After the six-day war of 1967, Israel won control of all of Jerusalem and proceeded to restore the Western Wall region of the city, to upgrade housing for the population and to make the holy sites of each religion available to pilgrims, worshipers and tourists. Jordanian representations to the United Nations led to a September 1971 UN Security Council resolution essentially condemning Israeli control of the city, and in the wake of that resolution, the American Jewish Committee solicited support from Christians for continued Israeli control over the city. Muskie inserted this publication in the Record.
HUMAN RESOURCES PROGRAMS
1971 1st Session, 92nd Congress
Full opportunity and National Goals and Priorities Act: enact (see bill S. 5), 268.
268; January 25, 1971; Muskie is listed as one of the cosponsors of a Mondale (D- Minnesota) bill, S. 5, a bill modeled on the Full Employment Act of 1946, and directed at the goal of achieving full social opportunity, which included housing, rehabilitation services where needed, educational and job training opportunities. Ambitious omnibus proposals of this nature were still popular at this time, and were frequently among the first ten bills submitted at the beginning of a Congress, a traditional way of emphasizing their importance to the majority party.
Health security: create national system (see bill S. 3), 268.
268; January 25, 1971; Muskie is listed as one of the cosponsors of S.3, a Kennedy (D-Massachusetts) bill creating a system of national health insurance.
Emergency Employment Act of 1971: enact (see bill S. 31), 269.
269; January 25, 1971; Muskie is listed as one of the cosponsors of S. 31, a Nelson (D-Wisconsin) bill to create public employment programs, and provide help to states and localities for the purpose of creating public services in periods of high unemployment.
Radiation Health and Safety Act of 1971: enact (see bill S. 426), 885.
885; January 28, 1971; Muskie is listed as one of the cosponsors of S. 426, a Randolph (D- West Virginia) bill which would amend the Public Health Service act to provide for the protection of the public health from unnecessary medical exposure to ionizing radiation. Based on a study that showed between 3000 and 30,000 excess deaths from the effects of over-exposure to medical radiation, Randolph proposed to enact a licensing regime for radiation technicians who, at this time, were trained only under purely voluntary guidelines.
Older American Community Service Employment Act: enact (see bill S. 555) 1346.
1346; February 2, 1971; Muskie is listed as one of the cosponsors of S.555, a Kennedy (D - Massachusetts) bill to create a community service program employing older citizens.
Comprehensive Community College Act of 1971: enact (see bill S. 545), 1346.
1346; February 2, 1971; Muskie is listed as one of the cosponsors of S.545, a Williams (D- New Jersey) bill to authorize funds for the states to create a system of community colleges.
Amphetamines and other stimulants: move from schedule III to schedule II of Controlled Substances Act (see bill S. 674), 1995.
1995; February 8, 1971; Muskie is listed as one of the cosponsors of S.674, an Eagleton (D- Missouri) bill to class amphetamines under the stricter Schedule II of the drug laws, reflecting the increased usage by young people of speed. At this time, amphetamines were widely used for weight control and as a “pep pill” and their medically-indicated use was limited to the treatment of narcolepsy and hyperkinetic children, where it also aroused controversy.
Opportunities Industrialization Assistance Act: enact (see bill S. 687), 2168.
2168; February 9, 1971; Muskie is listed as one of the cosponsors of S.687, a Boggs (R- Delaware) bill authorizing financial aid to OICs. The program of Opportunity Industrialization Centers that Dr. Leon Sullivan established in the 1960s became at the time one of the most widely admired in the field of manpower training or vocational training for inner city youth and was widely credited with using breakthrough methods to achieve success.
Public Health Service hospitals and outpatient clinics: continue, 2585.
2585; February 11, 1971; Muskie makes a brief statement opposing the closing of Public Health Service facilities at a time when the administration is allegedly planning to alter their function in the health care system.
Public Health Service hospitals and outpatient clinics: continue (see S. Con. Res. 6), 2596.
2596; February 11, 1971; Muskie is listed as one of the cosponsors of a Kennedy (D- Massachusetts) resolution, S. Con. Res. 6, expressing the sense of the congress with respect to the closing of certain public health facilities.
Youth camp safety standards: grants for developing State programs for (see bill S.922),3561.
3561; February 23, 1971; Muskie is listed as the cosponsor of S. 922, a Ribicoff (D- Connecticut) bill to provide federal grants to the states for developing and implementing programs of camp safety at youth summer camps.
Laundering and dry cleaning instructions: require apparel be permanently labeled with (see bill S. 424), 3579.
3579; February 23, 1971; Muskie is added as a cosponsor to a McIntyre (D- New Hampshire) bill, S.424, requiring that cleaning instructions be included with certain articles of clothing. The cleaning label saga began in 1965, when some textile and apparel manufacturers appealed to the president’s consumer assistant for help in devising an information strategy for the industry. This in turn developed into a “voluntary” code to provide cleaning instructions for apparel, but six years later the voluntary code was not very widely adopted by the industry, care labels were not permanently sewn into clothing, and consumers, faced with an increasing variety of fabric types and blends, were increasingly annoyed. The Federal Trade Commission held hearings to determine how best to respond to the situation and McIntyre offered his bill as one approach. Mandatory permanent care labels were first required in 1972.
Motor Vehicle Information and Cost Savings Act: enact (see bill S. 976), 3907.
3907; February 25, 1971; Muskie is listed as a cosponsor of a Hart (D- Michigan) bill, S. 976, which is designed to crack down on the high cost of auto repairs and the relatively fragility of such repairs and parts.
Consumer Class Action Act of 1971: enact (see bill S. 984), 3914.
3914; February 25, 1971; Muskie is listed as a cosponsor of a Magnuson (D- Washington) bill, S. 984, to authorize classes of persons injured by unfair consumer practices under the Federal Trade Commission Act. The growth and expansion of the mass market in the 1950s and 1960s created a lucrative area for large-scale fraud in many areas, ranging from weight-loss devices to faulty automobiles. One estimate made at the time was that of $750 billion in total consumer spending, as much as $200 billion was consumed by fraud of one kind or another. At this time, only 19 states permitted class action suits, and the 1969 Supreme Court ruling in Snyder v. Harris made it impossible for claims from more than one plaintiff to be aggregated so as to reach the $10,000 minimum that triggered federal jurisdiction, meaning that consumers defrauded of a lesser sum were effectively without recourse in much of the country. This bill would have created the legal standing for small-scale fraud upon multiple consumers to reach a federal court. Muskie had incorporated a class-action provision in his Clean Air Act of 1970, allowing consumers standing to enforce the pollution laws against government agencies and private parties. Federal law permitted for class actions in the case of certain stockholder suits, antitrust law and civil rights. This bill was part of a broad movement to extend to ordinary consumers the rights that specific groups had won over the course of the previous decade.
Institute on Retirement Income: establish (see bill S. 883), 3941.
3941; February 25, 1971; Muskie is listed as a cosponsor of S. 883, a Williams (D-New Jersey) bill establishing an Institute on Retirement Income. The bill would have established an Institute devoted to researching and developing recommendations for income maintenance strategies in old age. Senator Williams, its sponsor, noted that poverty in old age had not declined even as earned income had risen, and that fewer than 36 percent of the private workforce could expect any pension benefits aside from Social Security.
Household aide: pay under medicare for services of (see bill S.882), 3941
3941; February 25, 1971; Muskie is listed as a cosponsor of S. 882, a Williams (D- New Jersey) bill authorizing Medicare payments for home health and household aides for the elderly.
Conquest of Cancer Act: enact (see bill S. 34), 3941.
3941; February 25, 1971; Muskie is listed as one of the cosponsors of a Kennedy (D-Massachusetts) bill, S. 34, designed to make the conquest of cancer the top priority for health care research.
National Institute of Gerontology: establish (see bill S. 887), 4099.
4099; February 26, 1971; Muskie is listed as a cosponsor of an Eagleton (D- Missouri) bill, S. 887, to create a National Institute of Gerontology in the National Institutes of Health.
Blind persons: assure rehabilitation services to older (see bill S. 1030), 4378.
4378; March 1, 1971; Muskie is listed as one of the cosponsors of a Randolph (D- West Virginia) bill, S. 1030, amending the Rehabilitation Act so as to assure rehabilitation services for older blind persons.
Social Security Act: make more realistic and equitable the criteria for determining disability (see bill S. 1173), 5718.
5718; March 10, 1971; Muskie is listed as a cosponsor of a Metcalf (D-Montana) bill, S. 1173, to redefine the criteria under which social security disability status is measured. This bill was an effort to reinstate an amendment that had passed the Senate in the previous year but which was finally dropped in conference. The amendment would have eliminated language that the House approved in 1967 which defined eligibility for disability benefits as “inability to engage in any substantial gainful activity which exists in the national economy by reason of any medically determinable physical or mental impairment.” The bill would have removed the phrase “which exists in the national economy” and replaced it with the phrase “available to him within a reasonable distance from his residence.” As Social Security benefits were made more broadly available and as the disability criteria were modified, there were constant efforts to tighten the eligibility standards so as to save money. This is a debate that has continued, on and off, to the present day.
Defense and space spending: assist workers whose jobs may be terminated by reductions in (see bill S. 1191), 6083.
6083; March 11, 1971; Muskie is listed as a cosponsor of a McGovern (D- South Dakota) bill, S. 1191, to create a system of special unemployment benefits for workers threatened by the loss of defense-related jobs and to minimize the impact on communities dependent on defense facilities or industries and to ease the transition from defense to a civilian economy.
Medical care facilities: grants for reconstruction or repair of certain, damaged or destroyed by a major disaster (see bill S. 1237), 6314.
6314; March 12, 1971; Muskie is listed as a cosponsor of S. 1237, a Tunney (D-California) bill to provide federal financial aid for the reconstruction or repair of private non-profit medicare care facilities damaged or destroyed by natural disaster. Following a series of California earthquakes, Tunney moved to give the same benefits to nonprofit health facilities as were available to public health facilities.
National Legal Services Corporation: establish (see bill S. 1305), 7139.
7139; March 19, 1971; Muskie is listed as one of the original cosponsors on a Mondale (D-Minnesota) bill, S. 1305, to establish a Legal Services Corporation. Mondale noted that since the creation of a legal services program within the Office of Economic Opportunity in 1965, the extension of legal services to low-income people had generated a great deal of political opposition and said the independent status of Legal Services in his bill would prevent that. In this belief, he was mistaken. Congress in later years attached as many limitations to legal services for the poor as it did when the program was part of the War on Poverty.
Social Security Act: eligibility of blind persons to receive benefits (see bill S.1335),7370.
7370; March 23, 1971; Muskie is listed along with 67 other Senators as a cosponsor of S. 1335, a Hartke (D-Indiana) bill to amend Title II of the Social Security Act so as to make blind persons more easily eligible for disability benefits under the program. The bill would replace the requirement for covered employment in 5 of the previous 10 years with a 6-quarter work requirement and eliminate entirely the earnings test for blind disability recipients. This was a popular measure which had been approved by both Senate and House the year before but was part of a larger bill which did not get through conference before the end of the session.
Nutrition Program for the Elderly Act enact (see bill S. 1163), 7679.
7679; March 24, 1971; Muskie is listed as a cosponsor of a Kennedy (D- Massachusetts) bill, S. 1163, the Nutrition Program for the Elderly. This bill was intended to codify the experience of 30 demonstration programs under the Older Americans Act of 1965 in delivering nutrition services and food to the elderly. The bill would make these services permanent with a 90-10 federal matching fund ratio, to provide state grants for group meals, providing at least one hot meal per day, with a preference to staffing meal services for persons 65 or older.
Volunteers in the National Forests Act 1971: enact (see bill S.1379), 8023.
8023; March 25, 1971; Muskie is shown as one of the cosponsors of S. 1379, a Jordan (R-Idaho) bill to authorize a program of volunteer service in the national forests modeled on the Volunteers in the Parks program established for the National Park Service.
Student internship program: establish to offer practical political involvement with elected officials (see bill S. 1410), 8513
8513; March 30, 1971; Muskie is listed as an original cosponsor on a Humphrey (D-Minnesota) bill, S. 1410, to authorize a program of student internships to broaden the opportunities for students to work with elected officials at all levels of government.
Indian tribes: make certain benefits available to (see bill S. 1460), 9088.
9088; April 1, 1971; Notice only of Muskie’s introduction of a bill, S. 1460, expanding the programs of the Bureau of Indian Affairs to Indians living on reservations established under State law.
Indians: extend Federal benefits to, 9164
Text: S. 1460, extend Federal benefits to Indians, 9165.
9163, 9164; April 1, 1971; Muskie makes his introductory remarks on S. 1460, a bill intended to expand federal benefits to Indians living on non-federal reservations. The purpose of the bill was to eliminate the distinction between Indians living on reservations which were ceded to the federal government, and Indians living in the older states of the Eastern Seaboard, whose reservations were established by the states.
Emergency Employment Act of 1971: bill (S. 31) to enact, 9334, 9335.
9334, 9335; April 1, 1971; Muskie makes a statement in support of S. 31, a bill to provide for an emergency jobs program, noting that the rate of unemployment has not fallen far and the need for a jobs program remains urgent.
Child development program: provide for a comprehensive (see bill S. 1512), 9869.
9869; April 6, 1971; Senator Mondale’s (D-Minnesota) introductory comments on S. 1512, his Child Development Act, list Muskie as one of the cosponsors of the bill. The bill would have created a nationwide system of day care services for mothers employed outside the home.
Adequate Nutrition Act of 1971: enact (see bill S. 1773), 13502.
13502; May 5, 1971; Muskie is listed as one of the original cosponsors of a McGovern bill, S. 1773, to amend the Food Stamp Act. At this time the food stamp program was taking the final steps to becoming a fully federal nationwide program from its origins as a state option program, and Agriculture Department guidelines were a subject of debate and controversy. This bill would have established the food stamp benefit at $134 per family-of-four per month in place of the lower-priced “economy” meal plan of $108 per month; it would have modified work requirements which were intended to withdraw the entire food stamp allotment if any adult in the family, including older siblings, refused work; it was intended to streamline the administrative process, a long-held goal of all income-support programs, and would have permitted elderly citizens to use food stamps for food in communal settings, as against the Department’s regulations which permitted food stamps only for meals served at home. At this time, food stamps still required recipients to purchase a full month’s allotment at a single time and to forego the remainder of their food stamp eligibility for that month if they did not have the cash up front for the full month’s allotment, could not be used for personal articles such as soap or toothpaste, and required applications to be processed by banks. All of these factors tended to undermine the usefulness of food stamps for many lower-income families while at the same time the regulations made it possible for educated middle-class persons like college students to apply and receive food stamps. The program was, as a result, mired in controversy for many years.
Medicare and medicaid programs: cutbacks, 13537.
Committee on Aging (Special) : notice of hearings, 13537, 18126.
13537; May 5, 1971; The page reference is an error. On the prior page, 13536, Muskie is mentioned as a cosponsor of a Hart (D- Michigan) bill, S. 976, the Motor Vehicle and Information and Cost Savings Act, when Senator Ribicoff (D- Connecticut) introduces an amendment to that bill which would require vehicle emissions testing. On the subsequent page, 13538, is a notice of a Muskie announcement of hearings on Medicare and Medi-Cal (the California health care program) cutbacks.
13538; May 5, 1971; Muskie announces that his Subcommittee on the Health of the Elderly will hold a hearing in Los Angeles on Medicare cutbacks with particular emphasis on the cuts in home health care assistance.
18126; June 4, 1971; Muskie announces a hearing by the Health Subcommittee of the Aging Committee on cuts in medicare and medicaid in Woonsocket, R.I.
Food Stamp Act of 1964: relating to regulations issued under (see S. Res. 120), 14024,14025.
14024, 14025; May 10, 1971; Muskie is listed by Senator McGovern (D- South Dakota) as one of the cosponsors of his resolution, S.Res. 120, which would have extended for a further month the issuance of regulations to carry out the food stamp reforms passed in 1970. The 1970 bill intended to eliminate different state income eligibility levels by providing an income floor below which persons would be eligible for food stamps. By its pending regulations, the Agriculture Department instead created eligibility standards which would have had the effect of eliminating approximately 2 million food stamp recipients in the Northeastern states while adding some recipients in the Deep South.
Drugs: international control assistance (see bill S. 1944),16714.
Intergovernmental Drug Abuse Control Coordination Act of 1971: enact (see bill S.1945),16714.
Drugs: legislation to control, 16716-16720.
Intergovernmental Drug Abuse Control Coordination Act of 1971: introduction, 16716-16720.
16714; May 25, 1970; Notice only of Muskie’s introduction of S. 1944, a bill designed to improve coordination of the anti-drug effort at the federal level.
16716-16720; May 25, 1970; Muskie makes an introductory statement on S. 1945, the Intergovernmental Drug Abuse Control Coordination Act, describing the programs and agencies involved in drug control and treatment, and on S. 1944, his bill to provide assistance for international efforts to encourage crop substitution programs and law enforcement controls over illegal narcotics. At this time, the principal illegal narcotic was opium and its derivatives. The purpose of the bills was to establish within the Executive Office of the President, a director with the authority to streamline and coordinate federal efforts to control and treat drug addiction.
Survivor Benefit Plan: establish (see bills S.325, 2654), 17078, 34972.
17078; May 26, 1971; Muskie is shown as one of the sponsors of a Beall (R-Maryland) bill, S.325, extending survivor benefits to the widow or widower of career military personnel.
34972; October 5, 1971; Notice only of Muskie bill introduction, S. 2654, to reform the payroll tax system and the income offset for Social Security benefits for the survivors of career military personnel.
Health Professions Educational Assistance Amendments of 1971: proposed amendment, 18080, 18081
18080, 18081; June 4, 1971; Muskie joins Senator Eagleton (D-Missouri) in sponsoring an amendment to a law on health professionals’ training which is in the process of being reauthorized. The proposal would alter the way construction funds for medical schools are allocated, encourage more medical students to take up primary care instead of specialties, and encourage students to serve in under-served regions of the country. Muskie’s statement makes clear that he expected a program of national health insurance to become law in the near future.
Volunteer firemen: make provisions of Vocational Education Act of 1963 applicable to (see bill S. 2040), 19291.
19291; June 10, 1971; Muskie is listed as one of the cosponsors of a Boggs (R-Delaware) bill, S. 2040, to extend the provisions of the Vocational Education Act to persons training to be volunteer firefighters.
Heroin – the City Killer, by, 19327
19327; June 10, 1971; Senator Spong (D-Virginia) inserts the text of a Muskie speech to the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, in which he describes the failures of the Nixon Administration and warns that uncontrolled narcotics addiction and the crime it breeds will make cities unlivable regardless of tax reforms and housing improvements.
Medical Bill of Rights, Albert Einstein College, by, 20447.
20447; June 17, 1971; Senator Eagleton (D-Missouri) inserts the text of a Muskie speech on health care delivered at the commencement ceremonies for the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York City.
Special Action Office for Drug Abuse Prevention Act: enact (see bill S. 2097), 20782.
20782; June 18, 1971; Muskie is one a small bipartisan group which is listed as being cosponsors of a Percy (R-Illinois) bill being introduced for the Administration, S. 2097, which would set up a special action office to deal with drug crimes and treatment.
New Directions in Aging In 1971? Council of Senior Citizens, Senator Church, 21016.
21016; June 21, 1971; Muskie inserts the text of a speech given by Senator Frank Church (D-Idaho) at a meeting of the National Council of Senior Citizens in which he describes the funding disputes he has had with the Administration. Senator Church was the Chairman of the Special Committee on Aging.
Social Security Act: extend certain health programs established for mothers and children (see bill S. 2135), 21539.
21539; June 23, 1971; Muskie is listed as a cosponsor of a Kennedy (D-Massachusetts) bill, S. 2135, to extend for five years all health programs established under Title V of the Social Security Act. Title V financed a range of programs of maternal and child health, dental services and care for disabled children, and was operated by the States with federal funding.
Children's Dental Health Act of 1971: enact (see bill S. 1874), 22011.
22011; June 24, 1971; Muskie’s name is added as a cosponsor to S. 1874, a Magnuson (D-Washington) bill to create a program of dental care for children, directed to the low-income families eligible for other health benefits.
Federal Drug Abuse and Drug Dependence Prevention, Treatment, and Rehabilitation Act of 1971: enact (see bill S. 2217), 22900.
22900; June 30, 1971; Muskie is shown as one of the original cosponsors of S.2217, a Hughes (D-Iowa) bill dealing with drug abuse and treatment. The Hughes bill was an effort to combine into one legislative vehicle the assorted elements of other drug control bills that had been presented, including the White House office of drug control to coordinate federal anti-drug programs, a new institute focused on addiction within NIH, funds for state program, expansion of the community mental health centers effort to include addiction treatment, and improved programs for veterans.
Ethnic groups: study of cultural heritages (see bill S. 23), 22291, 22292.
22292; June 28, 1971; Muskie’s name is added as a cosponsor of S. 23, a Schweicker (R-Pennsylvania) bill to establish Ethnic Heritage Study Centers. One of the consequences of the bitter national debate over civil rights was the rise in consciousness of Americans’ ethnic heritage, as the Nixon Administration sought to encourage what it saw as the “silent majority” – usually assumed to be blue-collar workers of European extraction against the “eastern elites” or “nattering nabobs of negativism” as Vice President Agnew described Administration critics. As a result, the idea of nurturing long-lost ethnic traditions among Americans of the third and fourth generations received a good deal of sympathetic attention. This bill is an example of the genre.
Cancer: strengthen national effort to conquer (see bill S. 1828), 22292.
22292; June 28, 1971; Muskie’s name is added to S.1828, a Dominick (R-Colorado)- Griffin (R-Michigan) bill to add resources to the National Institutes of Health for the purpose of increasing the odds on finding a cure for cancer. In his State of the Union address, President Nixon identified a $100 million appropriation to launch an intensive national campaign to find a cure for cancer . He likened it to the moon shot; researchers questioned whether commitment alone would be enough to find a cure for the disease. Scientists said there wasn’t enough known to launch a massive immediate attack, worried that basic research would be shortchanged with a focus on an area where the science was not adequate, but the idea was unassailable in Congress, and as a result, Republican Senators like Senator Dominick stepped up to sponsor massive funding for the effort.
National Volunteer Blood Donor Month (see S.J. Res. 126), 23652.
23652; July 7, 1971; Muskie is shown as one of the original sponsors of an Eagleton (D-Missouri) resolution, S. J. Res. 126, authorizing the President to proclaim the month of January each year as “National Volunteer Blood Donor Month.”
Health Professions Educational Assistance Amendments of 1971: bill (S. 934) to enact, 25167.
25167 [Page number is actually 25166]; July 14, 1971; Muskie makes a statement during the debate on the Health Professions Assistance bill urging adoption of the amendment he and Senator Eagleton (D-Missouri) introduced.
Education Amendments of 1971: enact (see bill S. 659), 27937.
27937; July 29, 1971; Muskie’s name is added to a Pell (D- Rhode Island) bill, S. 659, the Education Amendments of 1971. The bill was an effort to consolidate the federal aid effort to higher education and contained the basic educational opportunity grants, a proposal to extend to every student a cost-of-instruction grant, along with a streamlined student loan program. A goal of the bill was to step back from a Nixon Administration proposal which would have shifted the principal focus of federal aid to higher education in the direction of loans.
Research: academic crisis, 30002.
30002; August 5, 1971; Muskie describes what he calls a crisis in the academic research sector, describing an arthritis study, a $7.5 cut in Atomic Energy Commission research, and a 20 percent cut in the National Institutes of Health research budget which he says illustrate that damaging cuts are being made while an effort is afoot to portray the overall federal research program as increasing.
Notice of Hearing by Committee on Aging, by, 31719.
31719; September 14, 1971; Senator Randolph (D- West Virginia), acting on Muskie’s behalf, inserts a brief notice in the Record to the effect that the Subcommittee on Health of the Elderly of the Senate Special Committee on Aging, will continue its study of the impact on older Americans of proposed cutbacks in Medicare and Medicaid coverage, with its next hearing scheduled for September 20, 1971, in Providence, R.I. with Senator Pell (D- Rhode Island) presiding.
Truth In Food Labeling Act: enact (see bill S. 1985), 32152.
32152; September 16, 1971; Muskie is added as a cosponsor to S. 1985, a Williams (D-New Jersey) bill called the Truth in Food Labeling Act. At this time, the Food and Drug Administration had established “standards of identity” for commercially prepared foods such as mayonnaise and ketchup, and ingredients which were part of the “standard of identity” did not need to appear separately on the label. Senator Williams noted that persons have allergies, medical restrictions and religious beliefs affecting the food they can eat, and the existing labeling requirements are inadequate; his bill required that all ingredients in order of their prominence be listed on the label.
Presidential Task Force on Women's Rights and Responsibilities: carry out recommendations of (see bill S. 2185), 32482.
32482; September 20, 1971; Muskie is added as a cosponsor to S. 3185, a Bayh (D- Indiana) bill to authorize the means of carrying out the recommendations of the Presidential Task Force on Women’s Rights and Responsibilities. The bill, known as the Women’s Equality Act, would amend all civil rights laws to specify that women are covered by the employment, education, and public accommodation provisions, and by giving Department of Justice the right to sue on their behalf.
Law enforcement officers and firemen: extend certain benefits to those killed or disabled in line of duty (see bill S. 1081), 32482.
32482; September 20, 1971; Muskie is added as a cosponsor to S.1081, a Bayh (D- Indiana) bill to provide survivor benefits to certain non-federal law enforcement officers killed or wounded in the line of duty. Primarily, the bill extended benefits in cases where the state or local law enforcement official was killed during the commission or investigation of a federal offense.
Proposed White House Office of Drug Control, by, 33266.
33266; September 24, 1971; Senator Ribicoff (D-Connecticut) describes some of the difficulties in the process of setting up a Drug Control Office at the White House, specifically that the Attorney General acknowledged that high government officials in Southeast Asian countries were involved in drug trafficking but when asked to testify in Executive Session, the Justice Department and the Department of Defense declined to do so on the grounds that they had no information on the matter. Ribicoff enters a letter he and Muskie wrote requesting testimony and says he is making his remarks on behalf of Muskie and himself, as both chair subcommittees examining the proposed White House drug office bills.
Letter: Proposed school lunch regulations, President Nixon, by, 34486.
34486; October 1, 1971; Muskie is one of 44 Senators to have signed a letter to the President in support of the school lunch program and opposing regulations proposed by the Administration which would have cut federal reimbursement for school lunches from 60 cents per lunch to 35 cents per lunch with no warning to school districts of the additional costs they would be facing.
Retired military personnel: establish survivor benefit program for, 34973.
34973; October 5, 1971; In introducing S. 2654, a bill to establish a survivor benefit program for retired military personnel, Muskie notes that no general program of survivor benefits for career military personnel exists, and that the bill he proposes is based on the goal of creating such a system analogous to the program for federal civil service personnel.
Payroll tax: improvements in (see bill S 2656),34972.
Report: Muskie Payroll Reform Proposal, 34975.
Social security: proposed payroll reform tax legislation, 34973-34975.
34973-34975; October 5, 1971; Muskie introduces S. 2656, a bill to reform the Social Security payroll tax. Noting that the payroll tax was beginning to exceed income taxes for some lower paid workers, Muskie proposed a change to eliminate the ceiling on wages subject to the payroll tax (then $7200), the exclusion of wages equal to a personal exemption and low-income tax exemption in the income tax laws, and some revisions in the earned benefit calculation which he noted would lower taxes for 63 million workers while increasing them for 8 million.
Sickle cell anemia: prevention (see bill S.2676), 35596.
35596; October 8, 1971; Muskie is listed as one of the original cosponsors of S. 2676, a Tunney (D-California) bill to create a research program for the purpose of preventing sickle cell anemia.
Letter: School lunch regulations, President Nixon, by, 36417.
36417; October 15, 1971; The objections of 44 Senators to the abrupt reduction in federal school lunch reimbursement rates from 60 cents to 35 cents per meal led the Agriculture Department to modify its proposal, by raising the reimbursement rate to 45 cents, but coupling that with a lowered eligibility standard of $3940 per family, thus making one and a half million children ineligible for free school lunches. This action led to a second letter, also signed by Muskie, protesting the misreading of the law.
Children's Dental Health Act of 1971: Introduction, 36666.
Public health: children's dental care, 36666.
36666; October 19, 1971; Muskie makes a statement expressing his support for S. 1874, a child dental care bill which he cosponsors, and outlining its provisions.
National Board of Regents for Indian Education: create (see bill S. 2724), 37906.
37906; October 28, 1971; Muskie is added as a cosponsor to S. 2724, a Jackson (D-Washington) bill to create a board of regents for Indian education and to establish a national system of Indian education.
Armed Forces: in-service education and training programs for members (see bill S. 2744), 37484.
37484; October 26, 1971; Notice only of Muskie’s introduction of a bill, S. 2744, to establish a program of in-service education and training and to improve education benefits for veterans of the armed forces.
Servicemen's and Veteran's Education, Training and Job Assistance Act of 1971: introduction, 37486-37490.
Veterans: legislation to aid returning, 37486-37490.
Drug addiction: veterans, 37489.
GI bill: revision, 37489.
Analysis: S. 2744, Servicemen's and Veteran's Education, Training, and Job Assistance Act of 1971, 37489.
37486- 37490; October 26, 1971; Muskie makes a statement on the introduction of S. 2744, his bill to create a comprehensive in-service education program for veterans, to provide drug treatment and make rehabilitation more available to veterans and to provide incentives for addicted servicemen to become and remain drug-free. The Nixon troop withdrawals from Vietnam were having the effect of making more Americans aware of the problems facing Vietnam-era veterans, and the difficulties they faced upon re-entering civilian life.
Social Security Amendments of 1971: amend bill (H.R. 1) enact, 38190.
38190; October 29, 1971; Muskie is listed as one of several Senators cosponsoring the Ribicoff (D-Connecticut) amendment to H.R. 1, the social security amendments bill. The Ribicoff amendment is focused on welfare reform and based on the President’s family assistance plan, which would have provided a basic floor under income for all, coupled with an eventual federal takeover of all welfare funding.
Elderly in America's Destiny, by, 38756
38756; November 2, 1971; Senator Church (D-Idaho) inserts the text of a Muskie speech in which he talks about the effects of inflation on fixed incomes, the need for an automatic cost of living escalator in Social Security and the need for a national health insurance program to help the elderly deal with the particular challenges facing them. At this time, poverty among elderly Americans was disproportionately high, particularly for those dependant on Social Security.
Older persons: increase social security benefits, 40694, 40695.
Social security: reform, 40694, 40695
40694, 40695; November 11, 1971; Muskie makes a statement outlining the existing crisis in retirement income, where one in four of the over-65 population lives in poverty, and describes the changes he believes are needed in the Social Security and Medicare programs.
Social Security Reform Act: enact (see S.1645),40851.
40851; November 12, 1971; Muskie is added as a cosponsor to S. 1645, a Church (D-Idaho)bill to reform the Social Security Act, by raising the minimum benefit to $120 per month, providing for automatic cost-of-living adjustments, and by creating what became the Supplemental Security Income program, a federally-administered program to provide income support to elderly and disabled individuals ineligible for social security benefits, or eligible only for extremely low social security benefits. The Supplemental Security Income program replaced the Old Age Assistance program which was operated by state welfare agencies.
Population stabilization: declare U.S. policy of achieving (see S.J. Res. 108), 41382.
41382; November 16, 1971; Muskie is added as a cosponsor of S. J. Res. 108, a Cranston (D- California) resolution to declare a U.S. policy of achieving population stabilization by voluntary means.
Drug Abuse office and Treatment Act of 1971: committee report, 41660.
Committee on Government Operations: drug abuse bill reported by, 41660.
41660; November 17, 1971; Senator Ribicoff (D- Connecticut) files the report on the Drug Abuse Office bill that he and Muskie have worked on jointly, and expresses his thanks to Muskie for his work in the field, and Muskie responds by pointing out that effective work is most often accomplished when it is done on a bipartisan basis. The bill was referred to the Committee on Labor and Public Welfare for work on the addiction treatment program provisions.
Department of Education: establish (see bill S. 1483). 41996.
41996; November 18, 1971; Muskie is added as a cosponsor to S. 1483, a Ribicoff (D- Connecticut) bill to establish a separate cabinet level Department of Education. At this time, the federal education programs were operated out of a separate office in the Department of Health, Education and Welfare.
Law Enforcement Officers Benefits Act of 1971: enact (see bill S. 2748). 42836.
42836; November 23, 1971; Muskie is added as a cosponsor to S. 2748, a Boggs (R-Delaware) bill to provide survivor benefits for police, firefighters and prison personnel killed in the line of duty. Senator Boggs’ bill would have created a federal floor of $50,000 for all law enforcement officials killed in the line of duty, including state and local officials. He noted that the Bayh (D- Indiana) bill would provide coverage for state officials killed in the course of a federal crime investigation, and suggested it was time to extend survivor benefits to all law enforcement officials instead of doing so piecemeal.
Pop Warner Little Scholars, Inc.: incorporate (see bill S. 2509), 42990.
42990; November 24, 1971; Muskie is added as a cosponsor to S. 2509, a Scott (R- Pennsylvania) bill granting congressional incorporation to a non-profit organization of youth football, cheerleading and dance, which was headquartered in Pennsylvania. The organization was the outcome of a youth football league established in Philadelphia in 1929.
Oregon State School Boards Association, Portland, Oreg., by, 43024.
43024; November 24, 1971; Senator Pell (D- Rhode Island) inserts the text of a Muskie speech given before the Oregon School Boards Association in which Muskie discussed the financial shortfalls facing school districts and what was needed to combat them.
Commission on Mental Health and Illness of the Elderly: establish (see bill S. 2922), 43748.
43748; December 1, 1971; Notice only of the introduction of S. 2992, a Muskie bill to establish a Commission on Mental Health and Illness of the elderly.
Commission on Mental Health and Illness of the Elderly: establish, 43750, 43751.
Older persons: mental health, 43750, 43751.
Text: S. 2922, Commission on Mental Health and Illness of the Elderly Act, 43751.
43750-43751; December 1, Muskie makes his introductory statement on S. 2922, a bill to create a Commission on the Mental Health of the Elderly, and describes how the role of the Commission would be to end the warehousing of older persons in state mental hospitals and develop a network of community services which would allow them to return to their communities and receive needed treatment there.
Credo of the Elderly – a Philosophy of Aging. Maine Delegation to White House Conference on Aging, 43764.
43764; December 1, 1971; Muskie notes that the Maine Delegation to the White House Conference on the Elderly has developed a mission statement expressing the goals of older Americans, and commends it to the attention of the entire Conference.
Drug Abuse Office and Treatment Act of 1971: bill (S. 2097) to enact, 44102.
44102; December 2, 1971; During Senate consideration of S. 2097, the Drug Abuse Office and Treatment Act which was developed from three separate proposals, including his own, Muskie makes a statement noting the significant features incorporated into the bill and the substantial problem that it seeks to attack.
Service academies: permit appointment of certain additional persons to (see S.2945), 44594.
44594;December 3, 1971; Muskie is listed as one of many cosponsors on a Buckley (I-New York) bill to let the sons of POWs and MIAs compete for presidential appointments to the service academies.
Cruikshank, Nelson: tribute, 44614
Elderly: economic impact of retirement, 44614.
Economic Impact of Retirement, Nelson H. Cruikshank, Social Action, 44614-44616.
44614; December 3, 1971; Muskie takes note of a statement by Nelson Cruikshank describing in some detail the economic realities of retirement for the average worker in 1971.
Comprehensive Correctional Training and Employment Act: enact (see bill S. 2962),45142.
45142; December 7, 1971; Muskie is shown as one of the original cosponsors of S. 2962, a Javits (R- New York) bill to provide funds under the Manpower and Training Act to give financial assistance to a program of training and employment for persons who have served prison terms for criminal offenses or have been charged with crimes.
Sickle Cell Anemia Act: bill (S. 2676) to enact, 45341.
45341; December 8, 1971; As the Senate takes up S. 2676, the Sickle Cell Anemia Act, Muskie, who is a cosponsor, makes a statement in support of the bill.
Comprehensive Child Development Act: President's veto, 46726.
President's Veto of Day Care, Washington Post, 46726.
46726; December 13, 1971; When Congress passed the Mondale (D-Minnesota) child care bill, President Nixon vetoed it, citing many of the arguments made against it by a number of ultra-conservative organizations. Muskie spoke against the veto, which Congress was unable to override. This was one of the first and decisive victories of the of the renascent conservative movement in these years.
FEDERALISM, INTERGOVERNMENTAL RELATIONS
1971 1st Session, 92nd Congress
Appointed to Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations, 3718.
3718; February 24, 1971; Muskie is appointed by the Chair to serve on the Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations.
Committee on Government Operations: resolution (S. Res. 31) authorizing funds for, 4460.
4460; March 1, 1971; In the course of the annual debate over the sums requested for Committee operations, Muskie defends the requests made by the Government Operations Committee based on the expanding role that the Committee faces with new legislative demands being made on it.
Revenue Sharing, League of Cities and Conference of Mayors, by, 7418.
7418; March 23, 1971; Senator Metcalf (D-Montana) inserts the text of a Muskie speech to a national gathering of city officials in which he spoke on the kind of revenue sharing program he supported and criticized the Administration’s proposals in this field as inadequate, suggesting that city officials consider the advantages, instead, of a federal assumption of welfare costs.
Remarks in Senate: Revenue sharing position of, 8066
8066; March 25, 1971; Senator Baker (R- Tennessee) reacts publicly to the Muskie revenue sharing speech. As a Republican, Baker was acting to make certain the Administration’s revenue sharing plan would not be set aside in the forthcoming Senate debate, while also making certain his own largely bipartisan approach to legislation was preserved.
Intergovernmental Revenue Act of 1971: introduction, 13502-13504.
Intergovernmental Revenue Act of 1971: enact (see bill S. 1770), 13502.
List: State entitlements under Intergovernmental Revenue Act of 1971, 13508
Text: S. 1770, Intergovernmental Revenue Act of 1971, 13504.
Analysis: S.1770, Intergovernmental Revenue Act of 1971, 13506.
13502, 13503-13510: May 5, 1971; Muskie makes his introductory remarks and provides an analysis of S. 1770, his proposed revenue-sharing bill. Revenue-sharing was a central political issue at this time in part because the state and local governments faced one of the most severe fiscal crises in the nation’s history and in part because those who objected to the growth of the federal government saw revenue-sharing as an ideal means of shifting economic and social issues back to the states and reducing the federal role in these fields. At the same time, it was opposed by the leadership of the taxing committees of the Congress, in part because of normal turf prerogatives, and in part on the grounds that those who spend public funds ought to be responsible for raising public funds. Many people, including Muskie, felt that professionalism at the state and local government would be undercut by the infusion of free money without the discipline of voting for the taxes that raised it. This is why the Muskie bill included a provision to permit states to allow the federal government to act as their tax collection agency, and to encourage the modernization of state tax codes.
Conference on Property Tax Reform, 14240
14240; May 10, 1971; Congressman Rosenthal inserts information about a Nader sponsored conference on property tax reform and includes a Muskie statement among others that were given at the conference.
Questions and answers: Intergovernmental Revenue Act, 14864.
Intergovernmental Revenue Act of 1971: questions and answers, 14864.
14864; May 13, 1971; Muskie inserts an information sheet in the form of Q & A on his revenue sharing bill, responding to the most frequently asked questions about how his bill differs from the proposal put forward by the Nixon Administration.
Muskie and Revenue Sharing, New Republic, 17580.
17580; June 2, 1971; Senator Ribicoff (D-Connecticut) inserts a New Republic article about Muskie’s revenue sharing proposal, which discusses both politics and public policy issues involved in revenue-sharing and concludes that the Muskie approach deserves more attention.
Reorganization Plan No. 1 of 1971: resolution (S. Res. 108) disapproving, 17801-17803.
17801; June 3, 1971; Muskie and others debate the resolution disapproving the reorganization plan. At this time, Presidents had the authority to reorganize the Executive Branch to their liking provided their plans were not rejected by one House of the Congress. This legislative veto was ended by a Supreme Court ruling after Muskie left office, but while he served, it was a common procedure. The plan involved here, to fold all federal volunteer agencies into a new agency called Action, had as one of its components the Nixon Administration’s determination to end the Office of Economic Opportunity (OEO).
Property taxation: report by Congressional Research Service, 17761.
17761; June 3, 1971; Muskie announces the release of a survey on the operation and administration of the property done for the Intergovernmental Relations Subcommittee by the Congressional Research Service, an arm of the Library of Congress which serves the specific needs of the Congress by developing such studies. Members of the Congress can request such studies and while most of them are not made public, Members who wish to make a particular study available to the public may do so.
Committee on Government Operations: notice of hearings, 27940.
27940; July 29, 1971; Muskie announces that the Intergovernmental Relations Subcommittee will hold hearings on two bills, S. 1770 and S. 241, the Muskie and Humphrey (D-Minnesota) revenue sharing bills, respectively, on August 3.
Intergovernmental Relations Committee: report, 36714.
List: Members of Intergovernmental Relations Committee. 36714.
Report: Policy Position and Final Report, Intergovernmental Relations Committee of National Legislative Conference, 36714.
36714; October 19, 1971; Muskie mentions the work that his Intergovernmental Relations Subcommittee does in concert with a group of state legislators called the National Legislative Conference, and inserts the text of their report in the Record.
Revenue Act of 1971: amend bill (H.R. 10947) to enact, 41771.
41771; November 17, 1971; This page is in error. There is no Muskie text or action reflected on this page.
Truth In Government Act of 1971: enact (see bill S. 2965), 45142.
45142; December 7, 1971; Notice only of Muskie’s introduction of S. 2965, a bill to provide the public greater access to government information by creating a declassification board to release classified materials on an orderly basis.
Truth in Government Act of 1971: introduction, 45152-45154, 45157.
Text: S. 2965, Truth in Government Act of 1971, 45157.
Disclosure Board: establish classification, 45152-45154, 45157.
Analysis: S. 2966, Truth in Government Act of 1971, 45157.
Muskie Declassification Proposal Would Bury "Credibility Gap" (sundry), 45154-45156.
45152-45157; December 7, 1971; Muskie makes an introductory statement on S. 2965, a bill to create a board for the purpose of declassifying government documents after a period of 2 years. The impetus for this proposal was mostly the release and subsequent court fights over the so-called Pentagon Papers, detailing the policy decisions that led to U.S. involvement in the Vietnam war. The New York Times began to publish the Pentagon Papers on Sunday, June 13, 1971; on Tuesday, June 14, a court-issued restraining order set the stage for a hearing on prior restraints; on the following Saturday, June 18, the Washington Post took up publication as the Times had been effectively silenced by the restraining order, and the issue was not settled until June 30, when the Supreme Court ruled 6-3 against prior restraints on press publication, one of the most significant First Amendment rulings ever handed down. Many scholars believe that it was the leaking of the Pentagon Papers to the news media which can be properly seen as the genesis of the series of events that became known as Watergate and ultimately led to President Nixon’s decision to resign in the face of impeachment on August 8, 1974.
CRIMINAL LAW, CIVIL RIGHTS, CONSTITUTIONAL LAW
1971 1st Session, 92nd Congress
Voting age: lower to 18 (see S.J. Res. 7), 271.
271; January 25, 1971; Muskie joined a majority of the Senate to cosponsor the Randolph (D- West Virginia) resolution, S.J. Res. 7, for a constitutional amendment to extend the right to vote to citizens 18 years of age or older.
District of Columbia: grant congressional representative (see S.J. Res. 6), 271.
271; January 25, 1971; Muskie is listed as one of the cosponsors of a Kennedy (D-Massachusetts) resolution, S. J. Res. 6, proposing an amendment to the Constitution to provide for full Congressional representation for the residents of the District of Columbia.
Emergency Detention Act of 1950: repeal (see bill S. 592), 1649.
1649; February 4, 1971; Muskie is listed as one of the cosponsors of S.592, an Inouye (D-Hawaii) bill to repeal the Emergency Detention Act of 1950, a bill that became Title II of the Internal Security Act and which gave the President broad powers to detain individuals in the case of a national emergency. The Senate approved an identical bill in 1969, but the House failed to act; in the meantime, rumors of alleged government “plans” to intern dissidents in “concentration camps” gained some currency in ghetto neighborhoods and among anti-war protesters.
Quality Integrated Education Act of 1971: enact (see bill S. 683), 2168.
2168; February 9, 1971, Muskie is listed as one of the cosponsors of S.683, a Mondale (D- Minnesota) bill seeking to establish integrated education. This bill provided for a $1.5 billion two-year authorization to establish integrated schools on a variety of models to counteract the continued evasion of integration by large numbers of school districts nationwide. At this time, school districts continued to segregate classes, to donate equipment to white flight academies, and to curtail extracurricular activities when they would have included minority students.
Offenses against the United States: speedy trial for persons charged with (see bill S. 895), 3405, 22749.
3405; February 22, 1971; Muskie is shown as one of the cosponsors of an Ervin (D- North Carolina) bill, S. 895, to fulfil the guarantee of the Sixth Amendment, a speedy trial. Court backlogs at this time had raised the average wait in the District of Columbia for a felony trial to 10 months, and 56% of those in custody in District had waited more than 2 years for trial.
22749; June 29, 1971; Senator Ervin (D- North Carolina) announces hearings to be held on his Speedy Trials Act, S. 895, and in his statement, asks that the entire list of cosponsors be printed again, which list includes Muskie. There is no Muskie text here.
Downing, Kenneth W.: for relief (see bill S.1006), 4086.
Rzeszotarski, Waclaw Janusz: for (see bill S. 1005), 4086.
Sellier, Victor Frederick: for relief (see bill S. 1409), 8513.
Sakanishi, Noriko: for the relief (see b 2916),43748,
4086; February 26, 1971; Notice only of Muskie’s introduction of two private relief bills, S. 1005, and S. 1006.
8513; March 30, 1971; Notice only of the introduction of a private bill by Muskie for the relief of Victor F. Sellier.
43748; December 1, 1970; Notice only of the introduction of a private bill by Muskie for the relief of Noriko Sakanishi
Private bills are commonly used to deal with the idiosyncratic problems that can arise when conflicting requirements of the law affect an individual and the law provides no way to resolve the conflict, or such cases when compensation to a citizen from the government may be warranted but is not actually covered by any existing law. Most private bills arise from constituent casework, where the ability of a Senator’s caseworker staff runs up against limits in the law or lack of legal authority covering the particular circumstances of a given case.
Details of private bills are never published in the Congressional Record. The paperwork justifying a private bill is handled by the Committee of jurisdiction, usually the Judiciary Committee, which reviews the facts and law of the case and determines whether or not to report favorably on it. Private bills were more common in past years; the expansion of federal courts of adjudication and other arbitration mechanisms throughout government leaves fewer persons who have legitimate claims without redress. Additionally, past scandals in which individual Members of Congress were found to be selling their ability to introduce private bills have helped reduce the willingness of Members to introduce private bills.
Martin Luther King Day: designate (see S.J. Res. 5), 4099.
4099; February 26, 1971; Muskie is added as a cosponsor to S. J. Res. 5, a Kennedy (D- Massachusetts) resolution designating January 15 of each year as “Martin Luther King Day.”
Women: equal rights (see S.J. Res. 8, 9, 79), 4530, 5062, 27434.
4530; March 2, 1971; Muskie is added as a cosponsor to S. J. Res. 8, a Bayh (D- Indiana) proposal to enact an Equal Rights Amendment to bar discrimination under law based on a person’s sex.
5062; March 4, 1971; a list of cosponsors of S. J. Res. 8, the Equal Rights Amendment is reprinted, and Muskie’s name is among those listed.
27434; July 27, 1971; Muskie’s name is added as a cosponsor to S.J. Res. 79, a Harke (D- Indiana) version of the Equal Rights Amendment.
The House had passed an Equal Rights Amendment in 1970, but the Senate took no action, in part because of the illness of Senator Bayh’s wife; he would have been the floor manager of the resolution. In 1971 it was generally assumed that an Equal Rights Amendment would easily pass both Houses of Congress.
President and Vice President: direct popular election (see S.J. Res. 1), 4530.
4530; March 2, 1971; Muskie is added as a cosponsor of S. J. Res. 1, a Bayh (D- Indiana) proposed constitutional amendment to require the direct election of the President and Vice President.
President and Vice President: quadrennial enrollment of persons to vote in election of (see bill S. 1199), 6083.
6083; March 11, 1971; Muskie is listed as one of the cosponsors of S. 1199, an Inouye (D- Hawaii) bill to authorize the Secretary of Commerce, through the Bureau of the Census, to undertake a quadrennial enrollment of those persons eligible to vote in elections of President and Vice President, who meet the qualifications of the states other than residency. This was to be known as the Universal Enrollment Act of 1970. The bill was an effort to eliminate procedural problems which were at the time thought to be an impediment to 6 million potential voters, such as varying state residency requirements, and the goal was to permit easier absentee voting.
Federal employees: protect constitutional rights and prevent invasion of their privacy (see bill S. 1438), 9087.
9087; April 1, 1971; Muskie is shown as one of 50 cosponsors of S. 1438, an Ervin (D- North Carolina) bill to limit the extent to which civilian federal employees can be spied upon by the government, their employer.
Immigration and Naturalization Amendments of 1971: enact (see bill S. 1488), 9523.
9523; April 5, 1971; Notice only of Muskie’s introduction of S. 1488, his green card reform act bill.
Immigration and Naturalization Amendments of 1971: introduction, 9553, 9554
Text: S. 1488, Immigration and Naturalization Amendments of 1971, 9554.
Report: "Commuter" Problem and Low Wages and Unemployment in American Cities on the Report: Mexican Border, Department of Labor, 9555.
Letter: Mexican commuter problems, R. Clark, by W. Wirtz, 9562.
Report: Alien Commuter Problems, Department of Labor, 9562.
9553, 9554; 9562; April 5, 1971; Muskie makes his introductory statement on his green card immigration bill, S. 1488, which is designed to end the informal program of permitting natives of Mexico and Canada to work legally in the U.S. without establishing a permanent U.S. home, as the law requires. Border states, including Maine, were finding that the practice of allowing immigrant visa holders (green card holders) to have a de facto commuter relationship between their jobs inside the U.S. and their homes on the other side of the Mexican or Canadian borders created tension over jobs, wages and similar issues in U.S. border communities. Although the largest number of green card commuters were Mexican, in Maine the issue affected timbering operations in the North Woods near the Canadian border.
Invasion of privacy: FBI, 10313-10315.
Intelligence surveillance: invasion of privacy, 10313-10315.
Earth Day: FBI surveillance of, 10313-10315.
FBI: intelligence surveillance by, 10313-10315.
Report: Earth Day Rallies on April 22, 1970, FBI, 10315.
10313-10315; April 14, 1971; Muskie makes a statement about his discovery that the Federal Bureau of Investigation has been circulating a report on Earth Day activities which included reports about his giving a speech on the Mall on Earth Day as part of its “restricted distribution” intelligence package of materials for the military and civilian agencies concerned with law enforcement and subversive activities. At this time, and to an extent not easily recognized now, the FBI was entirely above question and beyond the scope of public oversight of any kind. Its original director, J. Edgar Hoover, still director, enjoyed widespread admiration and deference, although hints of his racial views were beginning to trouble many.
Muskie’s argument, that open rallies of Americans ought not be monitored by the government, is one that is re-fought in virtually every generation. At the time he made this statement, the national veneration of the FBI Director, J. Edgar Hoover, was high, and although rumors of Hoover’s surveillance of Martin Luther King and claims of bugs on Congressional phones were rife, it remained politically risky to challenge anything Hoover did. Not many years afterwards, evidence of widespread and illegal FBI surveillance of citizens helped set the standards for domestic surveillance far higher than they were at this time.
Remarks in House: Charges against FBI activities, 10650, 11565, 15762-15765.
10650; April 19, 1971; Congressman Devine (R-Ohio) makes a speech about Muskie’s FBI surveillance statement, and in what is intended to be sarcasm, remarks that the way to fix the problem is ban FBI agents from public events.
11565; April 22, 1971; Representative Boggs (D- Louisiana) mentions the Muskie statement in a lengthy comment about the surveillance of Congress which he believes is undertaken by the FBI under Hoover. A March 8, 1971 burglary of domestic surveillance files from the Media, Pennsylvania, FBI field office led to the later publication of 82 pages of files, including mentions of Congressman Reuss’ (D-Wisconsin) daughter, and the April 17 release by a federal judge of four taped conversations between Congressman John Dowdy (D- Texas) contributed to the rising sense that after 47 years in office, it was time for Hoover to step down. Dowdy was later convicted of bribery on December 31, 1971.
15762-15765; May 19, 1971; Congressman Ashbrook (R- Ohio) responds to the remarks of the House Majority Leader, Representatives Boggs (D- Louisiana) about the wiretapping of Members’ telephones, by casting doubt on the claims made, including Muskie’s, against the FBI and extolling the agency’s achievements in crime control.
Civil rights: school segregation outside the South, 11329, 1133O.
Education: integration picture other than in the South, 11329, 11330.
Emergency School Aid and Quality Integrated Education Act of 1971: bill (S. 1557) to enact, 11329, 11330.
11329, 11330; April 21, 1971; Muskie makes a statement on S.1557, a bill to provide financial assistance to local educational agencies in order to establish equal educational opportunities, and speaks about a Ribicoff (D-Connecticut) amendment designed to ensure a minimal numerical integration in school districts. The tone of the statement reflects clearly the confused and contradictory debate over school integration which was the hallmark of the period. Massive busing to achieve segregation resulted both in white flight to the suburbs and a political
resurgence of the concept of states’ rights that had been greatly diminished by a decade and a half of civil rights victories ten years earlier. At the same time, the memory of States such as Virginia, which had shut down its school system rather than integrate it, was still vivid, and many school districts continued to evade integration by a variety of stratagems.
Vietnam veterans: use of Mall by (S. Res. 101). 11501.
11501; April 22, 1971; Muskie is listed as a cosponsor of S. Res. 101, a Hart (D-Michigan) resolution dealing with the use of the Mall by the Vietnam Veterans Against the War. The Vietnam Veterans Against the War was an organization that became active at the beginning of 1971. It held three days of testimony from January 31 to February 2 during which war veterans testified about illegalities and atrocities occurring in Vietnam.
Coupled with public support for the war declining to 34% in March, and North Vietnamese attacks on U.S. military bases in April contradicting the claim that the Laos incursion had been “successful”, antiwar activities increased. On April 18, 1971, the Vietnam Veterans Against the War began what they termed “Operation Dewey Canyon III”, named after the military code name for the Laos incursion. Approximately 1100 veterans gathered on the Mall in Washington D.C. for a week-long protest.
The Nixon Administration had obtained an injunction against the protest, based on National Park Service regulations against “camping” in a National Park, since the Mall is under the jurisdiction of the National Park Service, but the D.C. Court of Appeals lifted the injunction. Then on April 20, 1971, Chief Justice Warren Burger reversed the Court of Appeals’ ruling and gave the veterans a deadline of 4:30 p.m., April 21, to leave the Mall. But at 5:30 p.m., April 21, the full Supreme Court ruled that the veterans could remain on the Mall but that they could not sleep there, because that would contravene National Park Service camping regulations.
The veterans voted to remain on the Mall and to sleep, and no police actions were taken against them. The following day, the District Court judge dissolved the injunction against the veterans since it was not being enforced. The week of veterans’ protests ended with a march past the barricaded Capitol on April 24, at which veterans made brief statements and threw their war medals and campaign ribbons over the barricade, an action that bought massive public attention to their protest. The following day, 500,000 antiwar protesters arrived in the Washington area with the announced intention of closing down the city.
Federal courts: change a minimum age qualifications for jurors (see bill S. 1975), S11920.
11920; This page number is in error.
26931; July 23, 1971; Muskie’s name is added to S. 1975, a Tunney (D-California) bill to change the minimum age qualifications for serving as a juror in federal courts to 18 from age 21.
Earth Day Scare, Omaha World-Herald, 12701.
12701; April 29, 1971; Senator Curtis (R-Nebraska), saying that at a time of national turmoil there should not be efforts to undermine the FBI, inserts an editorial from an Omaha paper which predictably says that because some of those under surveillance at the Earth Day activities had questionable political opinions, the surveillance was justified. A surprisingly large number of Americans apparently believed this or something like this at the time.
Chicago South Side Chapter of the NAACP, by, 20146.
20146; June 16, 1971; Senator Hart (D-Michigan) inserts the text of a Muskie speech to the NAACP in Chicago, in which Muskie discusses the problems of racial polarization and how to overcome them.
Juvenile Delinquency Prevention and Rehabilitation Act of 1971: enact (see bill S.2148),21979.
21979; June 24, 1971; Muskie is shown as one of the cosponsors of a Mathias (R-Maryland) bill, S. 2148, a bill to amend the Safe Streets Act by adding a program of grants for juvenile justice. The bill required that States spend 40 percent of their allocation under the Safe Streets Act programs for juvenile justice, separate incarcerated juveniles from adults, and end the practice of incarceration for status crimes, such as truancy.
Commission on Civil Rights: funds, 25918.
Departments of State, Justice, and Commerce, the Judiciary, and related agencies: bill (H.R. 9272) making appropriations for, 25918.
25918; July 19, 1971; Muskie makes a brief comment in support of adequate funding for the Civil Rights Commission in this bill, noting that it is a small agency whose recommendations have done much to shape the development and strengthening of civil rights.
Muskie Dislikes Busing But Says It's Needed. J. M. Naughton, Washington Star, 31224.
31224; September 9, 1971; Senator Strom Thurmond, (R-South Carolina) inserts a news story about Muskie’s views on school busing, saying it’s important to know his thinking because he is clearly the Democratic front-runner for the presidential nomination. The busing of school children to eliminate racial segregation had by this time antagonized white and Asian parents as well as some black ones, and the Nixon Administration continued to stoke these dissatisfactions by offering ideas like “neighborhood schools.” Partly in reaction and party from genuine commitment to integration, Democrats found themselves defending the abstraction of integration by means of the practical fears of busing, and lost the debate.
Equal Employment Opportunities Enforcement Act of 1971: enact (see bill S.2515), 31702.
31702; September 14, 1971; Muskie is shown as an original cosponsor of S. 2515, a Williams (D- New Jersey) bill which would give the Equal Employment Opportunities Commission the authority to issue judicially enforceable orders against employment discrimination. At this time, the agency’s authority was limited to conciliation efforts, and employers quickly discovered that a non-enforceable finding of discrimination did not require any substantial change in employment practices. This forced individuals to seek redress directly through the courts on their own behalf, a costly and uncertain undertaking.
National Governor's Conference, San Juan, P.R., by, 32140.
32140; September 16, 1971; Representative Pucinski (D- Illinois) inserts the text of a speech Muskie gave at the National Governors’ Conference in Puerto Rico in which he discarded the prepared text he had planned to deliver and instead discussed the prison riot at Attica. Muskie spoke on September 14, the day after New York State police launched an assault on Attica Prison, where a riot had erupted on September 9, with guards held as hostages. The riot at Attica caused a total of 43 deaths, 9 of them guards held as hostages. A subsequent inquiry found that the police assault caused 39 of the deaths from ricocheting bullets inside a prison courtyard. The riot and its aftermath were enormously controversial at the time, and when the State judged its inquiry to be over, the papers were sealed for 50 years. Subsequent awards to the families of those killed were belatedly made in 2000.
President: eligibility of naturalized citizens to hold office of (see S.J. Res. 161), 33582.
33582; September 28, 1971; Muskie is shown as one of the original cosponsors of a proposed Constitutional Amendment, S. J. Res. 161, which would extend eligibility for the presidency to naturalized as well as native-born citizens. This proposal was made by Senator Fong (R-Hawaii), from a state where naturalized citizens constituted a substantial proportion of the residents.
Naturalization: amend Immigration and Nationality Act relative to certain tests for (see bill S. 2711), 36640.
36640; October 19, 1971; Muskie is listed as a cosponsor of a Fong (R-Hawaii) bill, S. 2711, dealing with the English literacy requirement for naturalization. Senator Fong pointed out that the Supreme Court ruling in Katzenbach v. Morgan found that state literacy requirements did not override the Voting Right Act, so individuals whose first language was Spanish could not be barred from voting in New York State, and noted that Hawaii, like several other states, made language accommodations for its residents. He suggested it was time to eliminate the English-language requirement for naturalization.
Equal rights amendment: importance, 37495.
37495; October 26, 1971; Muskie notes the recent House passage of the Equal Rights Amendment and offers the opinion that the Senate decision to put off debate until January, 1972, to avoid a potential end-of-session filibuster gives him confidence that the amendment would be approved in the Senate. He was right, in that the Senate easily passed the Equal Rights Amendment. In the end, however, it was not ratified by the necessary three-fourths of the states.
Offenses against the United States: amend bill (S. 895) to provide for speedy trial for persons charged with, 38995.
38995; November 3, 1971; Muskie is listed as an earlier cosponsor of an Ervin (D- North Carolina) bill providing for the implementation of speedier trials of those indicted and charged. Ervin made a brief statement adding three new sponsors and noted that the bill now had more than a Senate majority cosponsoring which, he said, should mean it would be promptly passed. Muskie’s name appears in the listing of supporters, but there is no Muskie text.
Equal Employment Opportunity Enforcement Act: need to enact, 40714, 40715.
Civil rights: equal employment opportunities, 40714, 40715.
40714, 40715; November 11, 1971; Muskie makes a statement urging action on the bill that would give the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission the power to enforce its findings in job discrimination cases.
Spanish-speaking Americans: publication of economic and social statistics for (S.J..Res. 177), 41662.
41662; November 17, 1971; Muskie is added as a cosponsor of a Humphrey (D- Minnesota) joint resolution, S. J. Res. 177, endorsing the publication of economic and social statistics for Spanish-speaking Americans.
Voting Rights Act Amendments of 1971: enact (see bill S. 2349), 41670.
41670; November 17, 1971; Muskie is added as a cosponsor on a Tunney (D- California) bill, S. 2349, the Voting Rights Act Amendments of 1971. This bill was primarily intended to help clear some of the barriers to voting which the newly-enfranchised 18-to-21-year-olds had faced in the prior year, arising from state and local residency requirements and absentee voting requirements. The bill would have applied to federal elections.
Rehnquist, William H.: nomination, 44644-44647.
Supreme Court: Rehnquist nomination, 44644-44647.
44644-44647; December 3, 1971; Muskie makes a statement describing his reservations about the nomination of William H. Rehnquist to the Supreme Court, particularly based on the nominee’s claims that judicial oversight of wiretapping and surveillance are unnecessary, and his support for questionable Administration shifts in criminal procedure, such as the no-knock law and the preventive detention proposal.
Reflecting the extent to which the Administration was watching Muskie and seeking information about his plans, the text of this speech was typed overnight outside the Senate office and picked up in the morning by a campaign volunteer, a taxi driver who had volunteered for the Muskie campaign. Muskie did not learn until years later that his “volunteer” was actually paid by the Committee to Re-Elect the President and dropped the text off for copying at the White House before delivering it to the Muskie office.
To Stand in the Brandeis Tradition, by, 45770.
45770; December 9, 1971; Senator Ribicoff (D- Connecticut) inserts the text of a Muskie speech about Justice Brandeis, given at the college named for him, which celebrates the Justice’s work in creating legal precedents to protect individual rights.
Majority Who Are Women, Schenectady, N.Y., by, 47608.
47608; December 17, 1971; Senator Bayh (D- Indiana) inserts the text of a Muskie speech on sex discrimination, in which Muskie makes the point that women’s rights are still not taken seriously by most men, and urges a change.
MISCELLANEOUS
1971 1st Session, 92nd Congress
Boy Scouts of America: National Explorers Presidents' Congress of the Boy Scouts of America, 7679, 7680.
Exploring-A New Path to a Better America, J. G. Hubbell, Reader's Digest, 7679.
Text: S. Con. Res. 10, commemorating the first annual National Explorers Presidents' Congress of the Boy Scouts of America, 7680.
National Explorers Presidents’ Congress of the Boy Scouts of America, commemorating ( see S. Con. Res. 10) 7680.
7679-80; March 24, 1871; Muskie makes an introductory statement on S. Con. Res. 10, a resolution welcoming the first national convention of the Boy Scout Explorers to Washington, and includes an article that explains the development of this branch of scouting.
Text: S. Con. Res. 11, commemorate the anniversary of San Juan, Puerto Rico, 7680.
San Juan, Puerto Rico: commemorate anniversary of, 7680.
San Juan, Puerto Rico: anniversary (S. Con. Res. 11), 7680.
7680; March 24, 1971; Muskie and Senator Javits (R- New York ) introduce S. Con. Res. 11, a resolution commemorating the 450th anniversary of San Juan, P.R., the oldest city in the United States.
Poem: I Am Democracy -- Friend of Man, Sol Mann, 9740.
9740; April 5, 1971; Muskie inserts a poem about democracy in the Record. The Congressional tradition of filling the official Record with the essays of schoolchildren and the letters of constituents is a venerable one, although Muskie indulged it somewhat less than many of his colleagues. This particular poem reads as though it may have been intended as a rebuke to the counterculture of the 1960s.
Sinatra, Frank: tribute, 22895.
22895; June 30, 1971; Although Frank Sinatra in fact continued to make many public appearances after 1971, at this time he had made the announcement that he would retire and give no more performances. Senators spoke at length, and Muskie made a brief statement. Sinatra had made appearances for the Humphrey-Muskie ticket in 1968, but in another decade’s time, was one of Ronald Reagan’s best-known supporters.
District of Columbia: designate "Benito Juarez Circle" in (see bill S. 2230), 23652.
23652; July 7, 1971; Muskie is one of several Senators who are listed as original cosponsors of S. 2230, a Cranston (D-California) bill to designate a traffic circle in the District of Columbia “Benito Juarez Circle.” Benito Juarez was a Zapotec Indian who led a revolt against the French regime which governed Mexico during the Napoleonic Wars. The government of Mexico donated a statue of Benito Juarez to the government of the U.S. and the statue was located at a nameless traffic circle where Virginia Avenue, New Hampshire Avenue and 25th Street met.
National Hunting and Fishing Day: declare (see S.J. Res. 117), 30922.
30922; September 8, 1971; Muskie is added as a cosponsor to S. J. Res. 117, a McIntyre (D- New Hampshire) joint resolution which would authorize the President to declare the fourth Saturday of each September as National Hunting and Fishing Day.
National Engineering Technicians Week: designate (see S. J. Res. 145), 31911.
31911; September 15, 1971; Muskie is added to S. J. Res. 145, a Tower (R-Texas) resolution designating the period beginning June 18, 1972 and ending June 24, 1972, as “National Engineering Technicians Week”.
POLITICAL, CAMPAIGN REFORM
1971 92nd Congress, 1st Session
Elections: regulating, encouraging voter participation, and financing campaigns (see S. 1), 268.
268; January 25, 1971; Muskie is listed as one of the sponsors of S.1, an election campaign reform law, whose primary sponsor was Gravel (D- Alaska) but which also had Republican cosponsors, as well as Mansfield (D-Montana) , the majority leader as sponsors. The S. 1 designation on a bill is a traditional way of indicating that the measure is a high priority of the majority party.
Honest Elections Reform Act of 1971: introduction, 372.
Federal election campaigns: Improve, 372.
372; January 25, 1971; Muskie makes a statement endorsing the goals of S.1, the Honest Elections Reform Act of 1971, and describing what he sees as the most significant goals of campaign finance reform.
Government of the United states: Promote public confidence in (see bill S. 343), 1369.
1369; February 2, 1971; Muskie’s name is added as a cosponsor to S.343, a Case (R- New Jersey) to promote public confidence in the federal government by requiring full public financial disclosure from all Members of Congress, top executive branch officials and judges, and all staff earning $18,000 per year or more. At this time, an extremely tentative effort at financial disclosure required Senators to file sealed disclosure forms with the Secretary of the Senate, a requirement that provoked a certain degree of skepticism in the press.
Remarks in House: Criticism by Senator Dole, 6024
6024; March 11, 1971; Congressman Abner Mikva (D-Illinois) defends Muskie against an attack by Senator Dole. The matter to which Mikva referred was the trial of two Catholic priests, Philip and Daniel Berrigan, accused of conspiracy to raid draft boards, to blow up heating tunnels beneath Washington D.C. which serviced federal government buildings, and to kidnap Henry Kissinger, then National Security Advisor to the President. The accusation of such a plot by the Berrigans was made by J. Edgar Hoover in closed hearings of the House and Senate appropriations committees, but when Hoover’s comments were leaked to the media, the FBI felt obliged to bring formal charges. The former Attorney General, Ramsey Clark, defended the brothers.
At trial it became evident that the FBI case rested on the paid testimony of an informant who had received some $9000 for his services. The jury voted ten to two for acquittal, agreeing only to a charge that the brothers had smuggled letters to each other during their incarceration. A later appellate court ruling tossed out six of these letter-smuggling charges as well, since the FBI witness in the case had been instructed by the FBI to help “smuggle” the letters in question. The case aroused enormous controversy between those who felt it was a clear case of two antiwar activists being railroaded by the government and those who believed that law enforcement authority was under siege and in danger of imminent collapse.
Election days: designate certain as legal public holidays (see bill S. 1203), 6084.
6084; March 11, 1971; Muskie is listed as one of the cosponsors of S. 1203, a Harris (D-Oklahoma) bill to make federal election days public holidays. This has been a long standing goal of those who believe election turnout should be encouraged, at this time a Democratic goal, as the gathering evidence of falling voter participation was emerging.
Broadcast: An Angry Man, station WCBS (New York City), 8936.
8936; March 31, 1971; Congressman Ben B. Blackburn (R- Georgia) inserts an editorial from a CBS affiliate disputing Republican claims of Muskie’s temper, and argues that the television station acted improperly in airing this opinion, and inserts a lengthy story about a CBS show called “Selling the Pentagon” with which many conservatives were unhappy. The concerted effort to label all differing viewpoints as “bias” was gathering strength in this period, and this is an example of the kinds of charges that were being made.
Big Ed of Maine, James Reston, New York Times, 13248.
13248; May 3, 1971; Congressman Kyros (D- Maine) inserts an article by James Reston which discusses the increased amount of criticism that Muskie is drawing from Republican and Democratic rivals and notes that this is usually the case with a frontrunner for the presidency.
Remarks in Senate: Survey: Widens Margin Over President, 14254.
14254; May 10, 1971; Congressman Pucinksi (D- Illinois) cites a Harris survey which puts Muskie ahead of Nixon in public opinion polling, and suggests that this is one of the reasons that Republicans are criticizing Muskie so frequently.
Muskie Campaign, Congressional Quarterly, 15110.
Muskie Responds to Congressional Quarterly Questions, 15111.
Biography, 15111.
List: Staff, advisers, 15113.
List: Legislation sponsored by, 15113.
15110-15113; May 14, 1971; Senator Hart (D- Michigan) inserts an article on Muskie from the Congressional Quarterly, a weekly magazine specializing exclusively in Congressional coverage, which sought and published the article because of Muskie’s frontrunner status in the 1972 presidential elections.
New Hampshire Poll Shows Muskie Strong, Robert Healy, Boston Globe. 16067.
16067; [Actually p. 16068]; May 19, 1971; Congressman Kyros (D- Maine) inserts an article from the Boston Globe analyzing Muskie’s standing within the Democratic party as illustrated by a recent New Hampshire poll.
Current Issues (1970-71): sundry, 25943-25971.
25943-25971: July 19, 1971; Senator Eagleton (D- Missouri) inserts a series of Muskie speeches and columns covering domestic and foreign policy issues, which Muskie had given or published in 1970 and 1971. One purpose of this was to provide for an easily enclosed mailing piece to Americans writing to the Muskie campaign and asking for the Senator’s position on different issues, as well as a mass mailing to individuals who had expressed support for his presidential bid.
Senators could have reproductions of excerpts from the Congressional Record reprinted in quantity for mailings by the Senate Service Department, a service which was used by all Senators to mail copies of their speeches and statements to constituents. Even though many of the resulting reprints were mailed to persons outside the state of Maine, nothing in the Senate Rules prohibiting sending reproductions from the Congressional Record outside one’s home state. An index to these 26 writings was subsequently published, and the full texts of these speeches can be accessed from that index.
Letter: Commission on Party Structure and Delegate Selection, 25970, 32909.
25970; July 19, 1971; A letter Muskie wrote to the Democratic Party’s leadership urging that the potential presidential nominees be briefed on the progress of the party’s reforms with respect to delegate selections in each state was included as one of the texts that Senator Eagleton (D- Missouri) inserted as a compilation of Muskie’s views.
32909; September 22, 1971; McGovern (D -South Dakota) who chaired the Democratic Party’s reform commission, enters a lengthy document covering the history and activities of the “Commission on Party Structure and Delegate Selection” that he headed up. One of the “Democratic Leaders” quoted is Muskie. COPIED ONLY TO P. 32913. COPY REMAINDER OF THE MANDATE FOR REFORM. WHOLE THING NEEDS TO BE SCANNED.
List: Congressional Record page numbers of speeches by, 27466.
27466; July 27, 1971; Senator Eagleton (D- Missouri) inserts an index to the list of speeches designated as “Muskie’s Perspectives on America” which he had failed to include with the original submission. Any of these speeches can be reached from this index.
Federal Elections Campaign Act of 1971: bill (S. 382) to enact, 29329.
29329; [This page number is a misprint; the correct page is 39321]; August 4, 1971; Muskie makes a statement during the debate on S. 382, the campaign finance reform legislation. Muskie supported limits on campaign spending, the right to purchase television time at the lowest rate available, and tax credits for small contributions to political candidates.
Muskie: The Longest Journey Begins, Time magazine, 31855.
31855; September 14, 1971; Congressman Kyros (D- Maine) inserts a copy of a Time magazine cover story about Muskie as the front running Democratic presidential candidate, which examines Muskie himself as well as other Democrats seen to be potential candidates at the time.
National Voter Registration Act: enact (see bill S. 2574), 33267.
33267; September 21, 1971; Muskie is shown as one of the original cosponsors of a McGee (D-New Mexico) bill to establish a National Voter Registration Administration in the Bureau of the Census for the purpose of administering a mail-based voter registration program.
Muskie Blooper, Knoxville (Tenn.) News Sentinel, 34404.
34404; September 30, 1971; Congressman Duncan (R- Tennessee) notes that Muskie’s remark saying that he thought the country was “not ready” for a black vice president is the subject of a local newspaper editorial.
Truth Could Cost Muskie Dearly, Paul Hope in Washington Star, 34518.
34518; October 1, 1971; Congressman Riegle (D- Michigan) inserts a column about the “black Vice President” remark which chides the Republicans for the spin they are trying to put on it.
Speaks Up, Tom Wicker in Bath-Brunswick (Maine) Times Record, 35927.
35927; October 12, 1971; Congressman Kyros (D- Maine) inserts a Tom Wicker article about Muskie which compliments him on his black vice president remark.
Remarks in House: candor relative to black running mate, 38719.
Candor Admired Relative to Black Running Mate, Willows (Calif.) Democrat, 38719.
38719; November 2, 1971; Congressman Leggett (D- California) inserts a news story from a local California paper about Muskie’s black vice president remark.
Muskie's Southern Strategy, Birmingham (Ala.) News, 41342.
41342; November 15, 1971; Congressman Edwards (R- Alabama) inserts a local news editorial about Muskie, which makes the normal indignant claims about “southern strategies.” At this time, President Nixon had quite clearly made it his ambition to take advantage of the disaffection in the southern states caused by the civil rights legislation of the mid-1960s. Because of the way that Nixon pursued this goal, with a range of tactics including Supreme Court nominations and school integration strategies, “southern strategy” had a certain disreputable aura which, in turn, offended precisely those in the south most in sympathy.
Finds Granite State Quiet, Tom Braden, Washington Post, 45106.
45106; December 7, 1971; Congressman Wyman (R- New Hampshire) says that columnist Tom Braden has insulted New Hampshire citizens in a column which casts doubt on how representative the population of New Hampshire is of the entire 50 states, a common enough complaint about the state’s first-in-the-nation primary status and the disproportionate weight it commands in presidential elections. The Braden column discusses the beginning of the Muskie campaign in New Hampshire.
To Lead Again, San Francisco, Calif. by, 46282.
46282; December 11, 1971; Senator Eagleton (D- Missouri) inserts the text of a Muskie speech to a Democratic unity dinner in San Francisco, where Muskie spoke of the decline in political passion and the importance of regaining public faith in the nation’s potential.
SENATE RULES, PROCEDURES, HOUSEKEEPING, ASSIGNMENTS
1971 92nd Congress, 1st Session
5; January 21, 1971; A notice from the Secretary of State of Maine, Joseph T. Edgar, certifying that Muskie won election as a Senator in the prior year’s election, appears alongside the certifications for all other re-elected or newly elected Senators.
6; January 21, 1971; Muskie is listed along with other Senators who must be sworn in at the commencement of their terms of service following re-election or election.
Senate: amend rule XXII (cloture) of the Standing Rules of the Senate (see S. Res. 9) 570
570; January 26, 1971; Muskie’s name is added to the list of cosponsors of S. Res. 9, a Church (D- Idaho) resolution to amend the Standing Rules of the Senate by altering the filibuster rule.
The Senate rule of “unlimited debate” has undergone modifications since the beginning of the body’s history. At this time, the rule was that two-thirds of Senators present and voting were required to vote affirmatively to end debate in order to bring a filibuster to a close. Efforts were made repeatedly to reduce the two-thirds voting requirement so that the Senate could not be tied up and prevented from acting by the votes of just one-third-plus-one of those present.
Elected to Committee on Foreign Relations, 867.
Elected to Committee on Government Operations, 867.
Elected to Committee on Public Works, 867.
867; January 28, 1971; Muskie’s name appears, alongside his Democratic Senate colleagues, in the listing of the Committee members chosen for the 92nd Congress, where he is appointed to Government operations and Public Works, as before, but exchanges the Banking and Currency Committee for the Committee on Foreign Relations, reflecting the broad consensus at the time that his political interests were justified by public support and deserved to be highlighted by a seat on the Foreign Relations Committee, then at the height of its prestige.
Memorials of legislature: Maine, 2167, 5521, 10709, 13502, 21569, 25028,
2167; February 9, 1971; Senator Smith (R- Maine) , for herself and Muskie, introduces joint resolutions of the Maine legislature in favor of federal revenue sharing and in opposition to the closing of a public health service clinic at Portland, Maine.
5521; March 9, 1971; Senator Smith (R-Maine) , for herself and Muskie, introduces a joint resolution of the Maine legislature requesting greater protection of vital marine resources, primarily fishing jurisdiction.
13502; May 5, 1971; Senator Smith (R- Maine) for herself and Muskie, introduces a joint resolution of the Maine legislature advocating that the retirement age under Social Security be lowered from 65 to 62 years.
21569; June 23, 1971; Senator Smith (R- Maine) for herself and Muskie, introduces a joint resolution of the Maine legislature urging the U.S. government to take all steps possible to gain the release of the names, addresses, and health condition of every American captive in Vietnam, to repatriate or remove to a neutral country all sick and wounded prisoners, to permit Red Cross inspections , and to abide by the Geneva convention the treatment of prisoners of war.
25028; July 14, 1971; Muskie makes a comment on a peace proposal made by the Viet Cong representative in Paris to release all American POWs in exchange for a withdrawal of all American troops from Vietnam, and includes a Resolution of the Maine Legislature on American POWs.
Cloture motion, 2587, 4108, 5227.
2587; February 11, 1971; Senator Pearson (R- Kansas) files a cloture petition on S. Res. 9, a resolution to change the filibuster rule in the Senate, and Muskie is listed as one of the signatories of the cloture petition.
4108; February 26, 1971; When Senator Church (D- Idaho) files a cloture petition on S. Res. 9, the resolution amending the Senate filibuster rule, Muskie is listed as one of the signatories of the cloture petition.
5227; March 5, 1971; Muskie is listed as one of the signatories to the cloture petition filed by Senator Pearson (R- Kansas) on S. Res. 9, the resolution to amend the Senate filibuster rule.
In all, four efforts were made to close off debate on the rules change in 1971, and all four failed to gain a two-thirds majority vote of Senators present and voting, the number required to formally invoke cloture on an extended debate. The goal of reformers was to reduce the number of Senators needed to cut off debate to three-fifths of those present and voting, a goal that was not achieved. The current Senate rule requires the votes of three-fifths of Senators elected and sworn, and is thus an absolute requirement of 60 or more votes.
Senate: resolution (S. Res. 9) to amend rule XXII (cloture) of the Standing Rules of the Senate, 2629, 2630.
2629, 2630; February 11, 1971; During the debate on S. Res. 9, a proposal to modify the Senate’s filibuster rule, Muskie makes a statement in support of the change, arguing that the two-thirds requirement to end debate amounts to a de facto minority veto over legislation and is an anomaly that should no longer be tolerated.
Remarks in Senate: position on vote for cloture, 3021.
3021; February 18, 1971; On behalf of Muskie, Senator Church (D- Idaho) announces that if Muskie were present he would have voted “aye” on cloture and that he will be present on the next cloture vote and will vote in favor.
Members of Congress: prohibit imposition of residency requirements as condition of voting for (see bill S. 933), 3726.
3726; February 24, 1971; Muskie is listed as a cosponsor on a Hughes (D- Iowa) bill, S. 933, to eliminate state durational residency requirements of over 30 days, and to provide for absentee voting and registration for voters in Congressional elections. One of the sources of support for this and similar bills was the simple electoral math which indicated that in the 1968 presidential elections, approximately 9 million voters had been disenfranchised by long residency requirements, while the election was won by a scant 510,314 votes of the 72,967,119 votes cast.
Russell, Richard B.: eulogy, 4117.
4117; February 26, 1971; Muskie gives a brief eulogy on the death of former Senator Richard B. Russell, of South Carolina. Russell was born in 1897, graduated law school in 1918, served as the governor of Georgia from 1931 to 1933, and in January, 1933 was elected to fill a Senate vacancy, and served in the U.S. Senate until his death in January 21, 1971. The Russell Senate Office Building is named for him.
12782; April 29, 1971; Muskie is appointed a conferee on S.575, the Appalachian Regional Development Act.
Senate pages: appointment of females (S. Res. 112), 13133.
13133; May 3, 1971; Muskie is listed as one of the cosponsors of S. Res. 112, a Javits (R- New York) resolution dealing with nondiscrimination in the appointment of Senate pages, an effort to permit girls as well as boys to serve as pages.
Ellender, Allen J.: birthday tribute, 34186.
34186; September 30, 1971; Muskie makes a lengthy statement congratulating Senator Ellender (D- Louisiana) on his birthday and paying tribute to the help that Ellender has given in passing and financing pollution control legislation. Read and describe.
Holland, Spessard: eulogy, 41073.
41073; November 13; Muskie gives a eulogy for former Senator Spessard Holland who, after being governor of Florida from 1941 to 1945, was appointed to fill a Senate vacancy in 1946 and then served through the end of the 1970 session when he retired. He died eleven months later, in November, 1971.
BUDGET, TAXES, FISCAL POLICY
1971 1st Session, 92nd Congress
Income tax: same exemption for servicemen in and around Korea as for those in Vietnam (see bill S. 1233), 6314.
6314; March 12, 1971; Muskie is listed as a cosponsor of S. 1233, an Inouye (D- Hawaii) bill which would extend certain tax preferences to those serving in Korea which are the same as currently available to those serving in Vietnam.
Income tax: permit certain tax-exempt organizations to engage in communications with legislative bodies and committees (see bill S. 1408), 8513.
Internal Revenue Code of 1954: proposed amendment, 8517.
Tax-exempt organizations: permit communications with Congress, by, 8517.
Text: S. 1408, permit tax-exempt organizations to communicate with Congress, 8518.
8513; March 30, 1971; Notice only of Muskie’s introduction of S. 1408, a bill to grant tax-exempt organizations to lobby the Congress without loss of their tax-exempt status.
8517, 8518; March 30, 1971; Muskie makes an introductory statement on S. 1408, a bill which would allow tax-exempt organizations to lobby the Congress without loss of their tax exempt status. Noting that in 1962 Congress specifically permitted trade and business groups to create tax-exempt organizations for the purpose of lobbying Congress, Muskie’s argument was that it was unreasonable to grant tax-exempt status for publicly acknowledged valuable causes, such as civil rights and then threaten that exemption when efforts were made to communicate with public policy makers.
Depreciation deduction: relating to (see bills S. 1530, 1532), 10318.
10318; April 14, 1971; Notice only of Muskie’s introduction of S. 1530, his proposal on the issue of property depreciation for tax purposes, a controversial issue at the time, and Muskie is shown as a cosponsor of Senator Bayh’s (D- Indiana) depreciation bill, S. 1532. The controversy over Accelerated Depreciation Range or ADR, as it was known, stemmed primarily from the proposal by the Nixon Treasury Department to achieve by regulation a change in the “useful life” rules under which property used for businesses could be depreciated. Many in Congress claimed that the proposed rules went far beyond appropriate regulatory practice and amounted to an improper usurpation of the congressional taxing authority. The Bayh bill Muskie cosponsored, for example, would have written into statute law the Supreme Court rulings which had held that a reasonable depreciation allowance must be based on the estimated useful life of the property, plus its salvage value.
Income tax: legislation relative to computing depreciation of useful life of property, 10331.
Depreciation of property: tax computation, 10331.
Text: S.1530, amend Internal Revenue Code of 1954 relative to depreciation on property, 10332.
Letter: Proposed tax depreciation rules, R. W. Thrower, by, 10332.
10331; April 14, 1971; Muskie makes an introductory statement on S. 1530, his depreciation bill, claiming that the Treasury Department does not have the authority to enact by regulation a proposal which amounts to a 7 percent tax cut for business. He includes a copy of a memorandum to the Commissioner of Internal Revenue, along with his bill requiring that the proposed rules be submitted to the Congress.
Asset Depreciation Range system: relating to proposed (see S. Res. 98), 10344.
10344; April 14, 1971; Muskie is shown as a cosponsor of S. Res. 98, a Bayh (D- Indiana) resolution against the Treasury Department implementing its proposed rules on asset depreciation rates for property used in business. This resolution was introduced together with the Bayh bill, S. 1532, which codified Supreme Court rulings on depreciation and which Muskie also sponsored.
Calendar year: establish as fiscal year, and provide for separate periods for consideration of appropriation bills (see bill S. 1875), 15070.
15070; May 14, 1971; Muskie is listed as one of a large number of Senators cosponsoring a Magnuson (D-Washington) bill, S. 1875, which was designed to establish the government’s fiscal year on the basis of the calendar year, and to create separate legislative and fiscal periods in which Congress would debate authorization and appropriations bills respectively. This proposal responded to the growing awareness that the federal budgetary growth was overwhelming the congress’s institutional abilities; the same system which was used to appropriate a federal budget of roughly $5 billion in 1930 was still in use at this time, when the federal budget was well over $200 billion. In the two years prior to this proposal, not a single appropriation bill had been approved in time for the beginning of the fiscal year, throwing state and local governments, as well as federal agencies, into difficulties as they attempted to guess how much money would be made available and when it would become available. Ultimately, these problems led to the creation of the congressional budget process.
Income tax: credit for purchase of durable consumer goods (see bill S. 2730), 36940.
36940; October 20, 1971; Notice only of Muskie’s introduction of a bill, S. 2730, to create a consumer tax credit as a means of helping improve the economy.
Income tax: provide credit for purchase of durable consumer goods, 36948-36950.
Consumers Come First, Hamilton Democratic Reception, by, 36950
Report: Muskie Consumer Tax Credit, 36951.
Tax Credit Seen as a Spur to Profits, Not Jobs, M. C. Jensen, New York Times, 36952.
36948-36952; October 20, 1971; Muskie makes his introductory statement on S. 2730, his consumer tax credit bill, saying that the Nixon Administration’s plan to provide a massive tax break to business for investment is not logical at a time when industrial capacity is at 70% while his approach responds to the fact that consumer savings rates are at 8%, above normal. The economy in 1971 was seen by contemporaries to be in great difficulty; the President imposed wage and price controls as inflation rose above 4.5%; the unemployment rate rose close to the 6% level, and to a generation which saw full employment as the principal responsibility of fiscal policy, the situation seemed serious enough to warrant major governmental intervention. Policy makers, of course, differed over the form that intervention should take.
Actuarial calculations: proposed reforms, 40698.
40698; November 11, 1971; Muskie makes a statement expressing his support for actuarial changes proposed for the calculation of taxes paid into the Social Security system, and notes that his bill to reform Social Security incorporates additional changes which would make the payroll tax less regressive.
Income tax: exclude from gross income entire compensation of persons who are prisoners of war and/or missing in action (see bill S.2944),44594.
44594; December 7, 1971; Muskie is listed as one of many cosponsors on S. 2944, a Buckley (I-New York) bill which would exclude from gross revenue the entire amount of the compensation of members of the military and civilian employees who are POWs or MIAs.
TRADE, EXPORT SUBSIDIES, TARIFFS
1971 1st Session, 92nd Congress
Motion picture films: temporary free importation of certain (see bill S. 1004), 4086.
4086; February 26, 1971; Notice only of Muskie’s introduction of S. 1004, a bill providing for the temporary free importation of movies. Muskie introduced a series of minor bills on this occasion and offered no introductory remarks or explanation for any of them.
East-West Trade Relations Act of 1971: enact (see bill S. 2620), 39575.
39575; November 5, 1971; Muskie is added as a cosponsor to S. 2620, a Magnuson (D-Washington) bill to promote the economic well-being of the United States by providing authority to negotiate commercial agreements including the granting of most favored national treatment to countries having nonmarket economies.
HOUSING, URBAN RENEWAL, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
1971 1st Session, 92nd Congress
Unemployment: use model cities program to combat (see S. Con. Res. 4), 10501, 25304.
10501; April 15, 1971; Muskie’s name is added as a cosponsor to S. Con Res. 4, a Chiles (D-Florida) resolution expressing the support of the Congress for an expanded Model Cities program.
25304; July 15, 1971; Although Muskie’s name was added in April to S. Con Res. 4, the Record reflects that the request to add it is made again in July.
Cities of Hope – A Chance for the new South, LQC Lamar Society of Emory University, by, 18151.
18151; June 4, 1971; Senator Gambrell (D- Georgia) notes that Muskie spoke at Emory University about the challenges and opportunities facing southern cities, and inserts the text of his speech.
Consolidated Farmers Home Administration Act of 1961: amend (see bill S. 2223), 27434.
27434; This index item is in error. Muskie was not added as a cosponsor of S. 2223, and is not reflected as being a cosponsor in the permanent record.