Mike Mansfield Non-Constituent Correspondence Collection, 1968-1971

Overview of the Collection

Title
Mike Mansfield Non-Constituent Correspondence Collection
Dates
1968-1971 (inclusive)
Quantity
0.25 linear feet, (6 folders)
Collection Number
Mss 130
Summary
Francis Valeo was Senator Mike Mansfield's administrative assistant, and later Secretary to the Majority and Secretary of the U.S. Senate. The collection contains a sample maintained by Valeo of non-constituent correspondence sent to Mansfield concerning national defense and the Vietnam Conflict.
Repository
University of Montana, Mansfield Library, Archives and Special Collections
Archives and Special Collections
Maureen and Mike Mansfield Library
University of Montana
32 Campus Dr. #9936
59812-9936
Missoula, MT
Telephone: 406-243-2053
library.archives@umontana.edu
Access Restrictions

Researchers must use collection in accordance with the policies of Archives and Special Collections, the Maureen and Mike Mansfield Library, and The University of Montana--Missoula.

Languages
English
Sponsor
Funding for creating this finding aid was provided through a grant awarded by the National Historic Publications and Records Commission. Funding for encoding this finding aid was provided through a grant awarded by the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Biographical NoteReturn to Top

Mike Mansfield represented Montana in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1943-1952 and in the U.S. Senate from 1953-1977. Mansfield's responsibility and prestige steadily increased through his tenure in Congress. He became Assistant Majority Leader (Majority Whip) of the Senate in January 1957, and served in that capacity until 1961, when he was elected Majority Leader of the Senate. He held that position until he retired from the Senate in 1977- longer than any other Majority Leader in the history of the U.S. Senate. He served as the Ambassador to Japan from 1977-1988.

Francis Ralph Valeo was born in Brooklyn, New York, in 1916. He studied Asia during his graduate work at New York University and served in Asia during World War II. After the war, Valeo worked in the Foreign Affairs Division of the Legislative Reference Service, where he worked on many Asia-related projects with Mike Mansfield, then member of the House of Representatives, who shared his interest in Asia. Valeo served as Administrative Assistant to Senator Mike Mansfield, 1958-1963; Secretary to the Majority, 1963-1966; and Secretary of the Senate, 1966-1977. Throughout his career, his interests and Mansfield's interests were closely tied.

Content DescriptionReturn to Top

The collection contains non-constituent correspondence sent to Mansfield concerning national defense and the Vietnam Conflict. Additional materials include a letter from Henry Kissinger and one photograph of President Richard Nixon.

Use of the CollectionReturn to Top

Restrictions on Use

Researchers are responsible for using in accordance with 17 U.S.C. and any other applicable statutes. Copyright not transferred to The University of Montana.

Preferred Citation

[Name of document or photograph number], Mike Mansfield Non-Constituent Correspondence Collection, Archives and Special Collections, Maureen and Mike Mansfield Library, The University of Montana-Missoula.

Administrative InformationReturn to Top

Custodial History

The letters were originally part of Mansfield's papers, but were not retained by Mansfield's staff because they were not from Montana constituents. Valeo kept the letters as a sample of Mansfield's other correspondence, particularly that on the Vietnam Conflict.

Acquisition Information

Gift of Michael L. Crenshaw, Assistant Archivist of the U.S. Senate, on behalf of Francis Valeo, 1990.

Processing Note

The collection was originally processed as SC 295 and identified as Mike Mansfield Papers. In 2004, the collection was re-numbered Mss 130, a new finding aid was prepared, and the collection was renamed the Francis Valeo Mike Mansfield Collection. In 2007 the collection was renamed the Mike Mansfield Non-Constituent Correspondence Collection.

Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top

Container(s) Description Dates
Folder
1 Correspondence, Henry Kissinger 1970
2 Correspondence, anti-ballistic missiles 1969
3 Correspondence, defense budget cuts 1969
4 Correspondence, draft amendment 1971
5 Correspondence, Pueblo/Latina 1968
6 Correspondence, Vietnam 1968-1970
7 Photograph, President Richard Nixon in his office
White House photograph
November 5, 1969

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

  • Legislators--United States
  • Vietnamese Conflict, 1961-1975

Personal Names

  • Kissinger, Henry, 1923- --Correspondence
  • Nixon, Richard M. (Richard Milhous), 1913- --Photographs

Corporate Names

  • United States. Congress. Senate
  • United States. Congress. Senate--Majority leaders

Geographical Names

  • United States--Armed Forces--Operational readiness
  • United States--Defenses
  • United States--Politics and government--1963-1969
  • United States--Politics and government--1969-1974

Other Creators

  • Personal Names
    • Mansfield, Mike, 1903-2001