McGovern–Hatfield Amendment

The McGovern–Hatfield Amendment (alternately, Hatfield–McGovern Amendment) was a proposed amendment to an appropriations bill in 1970 during the Vietnam War that, if passed, would have required the end of United States military operations in the Republic of Vietnam by December 31, 1970 and a complete withdrawal of American forces halfway through the next year. It was the most outstanding defiance of executive power regarding the war prior to 1971. The amendment was proposed by Senators George McGovern of South Dakota and Mark Hatfield of Oregon, and was known as the "amendment to end the war."

The amendment was heavily opposed by the administration of President Richard Nixon. A revision of the amendment intended to gain more widespread support extended the deadline for withdrawal to the end of 1971. Nevertheless, the amendment was opposed by Nixon and his backers in the Congress, who argued that a withdrawal deadline would devastate the American position in negotiations with North Vietnam. On September 1, 1970, the amendment failed by a 55–39 margin.

McGovern's speech

Minutes before the voting began, McGovern appealed for support with the strongest and most emotional language he had ever used regarding the war:

Every senator in this chamber is partly responsible for sending 50,000 young Americans to an early grave. This chamber reeks of blood. Every Senator here is partly responsible for that human wreckage at Walter Reed and Bethesda Naval and all across our land—young men without legs, or arms, or genitals, or faces or hopes.

There are not very many of these blasted and broken boys who think this war is a glorious adventure. Do not talk to them about bugging out, or national honor or courage. It does not take any courage at all for a congressman, or a senator, or a president to wrap himself in the flag and say we are staying in Vietnam, because it is not our blood that is being shed. But we are responsible for those young men and their lives and their hopes. And if we do not end this damnable war those young men will some day curse us for our pitiful willingness to let the Executive carry the burden that the Constitution places on us.

So before we vote, let us ponder the admonition of Edmund Burke, the great parliamentarian of an earlier day: "A conscientious man would be cautious how he dealt in blood."

According to historian Robert Mann, McGovern's brief, passionate speech shocked his Senate colleagues. As McGovern took his seat, most senators sat in stunned silence. "You could have heard a pin drop," recalled John Holum, McGovern's principal staff advisor on Vietnam. As the Senate prepared to begin voting on the amendment, one senator approached McGovern and indignantly told him that he had been personally offended by the speech. McGovern replied, "That's what I meant to do."^[1]

Text of the amendment

McGovern–Hatfield Amendment, H.R. 17123

(a) In accordance with public statements of policy by the President, no funds authorized by this or any other act may be obligated or expended to maintain a troop level of more than 280,000 armed forces of the United States in Vietnam after April 30, 1971.

(b) After April 30, 1971, funds herein authorized or hereafter appropriated may be expended in connection with activities of American Armed Forces in and over Indochina only to accomplish the following objectives:

(1) the orderly termination of military operations there and the safe and systematic withdrawal of remaining armed forces by December 31, 1971;

(2) to secure the release of prisoners of war;

(3) the provision of asylum for Vietnamese who might be physically endangered by withdrawal of American forces; and

(4) to provide assistance to the Republic of Vietnam consistent with the foregoing objectives; provided however, that if the President while giving effect to the foregoing paragraphs of this section, finds in meeting the termination date that members of the American armed forces are exposed to unanticipated clear and present danger, he may suspend the application of paragraph 2(a) for a period not to exceed 60 days and shall inform the Congress forthwith of his findings; and within 10 days following application of the suspension the President may submit recommendations, including (if necessary) a new date applicable to subsection b(1) for Congressional approval.^[2]

Vote Total

Senate vote on the Amendment to End the War
September 1, 1970	Party		Total votes
	Democratic	Republican
Nay	21	34	55
Yea	32	7	39
Result: Failed
Roll call vote[3] Senator Party State Vote George Aiken R Vermont Nay James Allen D Alabama Nay Gordon Allott R Colorado Nay Howard Baker R Tennessee Nay Birch Bayh D Indiana Yea Henry Bellmon R Oklahoma Nay Wallace F. Bennett R Utah Nay Alan Bible D Nevada Nay J. Caleb Boggs R Delaware Nay Edward Brooke R Massachusetts Yea Quentin Burdick D North Dakota Yea Harry F. Byrd D Virginia Nay Robert Byrd D West Virginia Nay Clifford P. Case R New Jersey Yea Frank Church D Idaho Yea Marlow Cook R Kentucky Nay John Sherman Cooper R Kentucky Nay Norris Cotton R New Hampshire Nay Alan Cranston D California Yea Carl Curtis R Nebraska Nay Thomas J. Dodd D Connecticut Nay Bob Dole R Kansas Nay Peter H. Dominick R Colorado Nay Thomas Eagleton D Missouri Yea James Eastland D Mississippi Nay Allen J. Ellender D Louisiana Nay Sam Ervin D North Carolina Nay Paul Fannin R Arizona Nay Hiram Fong R Hawaii Nay J. William Fulbright D Arkansas Yea Barry Goldwater R Arizona Nay Charles Goodell R New York Yea Albert Gore Sr. D Tennessee Nay Mike Gravel D Alaska Yea Robert P. Griffin R Michigan Nay Edward Gurney R Florida Nay Clifford Hansen R Wyoming Nay Fred R. Harris D Oklahoma Yea Philip Hart D Michigan Yea Vance Hartke D Indiana Yea Mark Hatfield R Oregon Yea Spessard Holland R Florida Nay Ernest F. Hollings D South Carolina Nay Roman Hruska R Nebraska Nay Harold Hughes D Iowa Yea Daniel Inouye D Hawaii Yea Henry M. Jackson D Washington Nay Jacob Javits R New York Yea B. Everett Jordan D North Carolina Nay Leonard B. Jordan R Idaho Nay Ted Kennedy D Massachusetts Yea Warren Magnuson D Washington Yea Mike Mansfield D Montana Yea Charles Mathias R Maryland Yea Eugene McCarthy D Minnesota Yea John L. McClellan D Arkansas Nay Gale W. McGee D Wyoming Nay George McGovern D South Dakota Yea Thomas J. McIntyre D New Hampshire Yea Lee Metcalf D Montana Yea Jack Miller R Iowa Nay Walter Mondale D Minnesota Yea Joseph Montoya D New Mexico Yea George Murphy R California Nay Edmund Muskie D Maine Yea Gaylord Nelson D Wisconsin Yea John Pastore D Rhode Island Yea James B. Pearson R Kansas Nay Claiborne Pell D Rhode Island Yea Charles H. Percy R Illinois Nay Winston L. Prouty R Vermont Nay William Proxmire D Wisconsin Yea Jennings Randolph D West Virginia Nay Abraham Ribicoff D Connecticut Yea Richard Russell Jr. D Georgia Nay William B. Saxbe R Ohio Nay Hugh Scott R Pennsylvania Nay Richard Schweiker R Pennsylvania Yea Ralph T. Smith R Illinois Nay Margaret Chase Smith R Maine Nay John Sparkman D Alabama Nay William Spong Jr. D Virginia Nay John C. Stennis D Mississippi Nay Stuart Symington D Missouri Yea Herman Talmadge D Georgia Nay Strom Thurmond R South Carolina Nay John Tower R Texas Nay Joseph Tydings D Maryland Yea John J. Williams R Delaware Nay Harrison A. Williams D New Jersey Yea Ralph Yarborough D Texas Yea Milton Young R North Dakota Nay Stephen M. Young D Ohio Yea

Notes

1. Mann, Robert (2001). A Grand Delusion: America's Descent Into Vietnam. Basic Books. ISBN 0-465-04369-0. pp. 666–669 Archived 2007-09-27 at the Wayback Machine
2. Congressional Research Service, Congressional Restrictions on U.S. Military Operations in Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Somalia, and Kosovo: Funding and Non-Funding Approaches, January 16, 2007.[1]
3. "WITHDRAWL DEADLINE FAILS BY 55 TO 39" (PDF). CIA.gov. Retrieved 2 July 2024.

External links

• "Military Appropriations Authorization Bill of 1970 - P.L. 91-441" (PDF). 84 Stat. 905 ~ House Bill 17123. Legis★Works. October 7, 1970.
• "Military Appropriations Authorization Bill of 1971 - P.L. 92-156" (PDF). 85 Stat. 423 ~ House Bill 8687. Legis★Works. November 17, 1971.
• Peters, Gerhard; Woolley, John T. "Richard Nixon: "Statement on Signing the Military Appropriations Authorization Bill.," November 17, 1971". The American Presidency Project. University of California - Santa Barbara.^{[permanent dead link‍]}