[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 58 (Thursday, April 25, 2013)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3021-S3022]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  RECOGNIZING THE 30TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE MAUREEN AND MIKE MANSFIELD 
                               FOUNDATION

  Mr. BAUCUS. Mr. President, Senator Tester and I wish to recognize the 
30th anniversary of the Maureen and Mike Mansfield Foundation.
  Nearly 30 years ago Congress passed legislation authorizing funds for 
a foundation honoring Mike Mansfield. Mike was the pride of Montana, 
and represented the State in the U.S. Congress from his election to the 
House of Representatives in 1942 to his retirement from the Senate in 
1977. Mike Mansfield once said he reached the height of his political 
aspirations when he was elected senator from Montana. Montanans 
remember him fondly as a national leader who put Montana first.
  Mr. TESTER. Mr. President, respect and admiration for Mike Mansfield 
reached beyond his Montana roots to Washington, where he shaped the 
character of the modern Senate as the longest-serving Senate Majority 
Leader. It also reached across the Pacific, where he combined his voice 
of wisdom and sense of moderation with his love of Asian culture and 
became the longest-serving U.S. ambassador to Japan.
  Mr. BAUCUS. Mike Mansfield was enamored with the Far East when he 
traveled there as a young United States Marine in the 1920s. This early 
experience shaped his outlook on the Pacific Basin and the world. He 
went on to teach East Asian history at the University of Montana, and 
was a leading expert on Asia while in Congress. He then continued his 
life of public service as U.S. Ambassador to Japan from 1977 to 1989. 
He and his wife Maureen shared a love for Asia and a commitment to 
building relationships that would support strong U.S.-Asia relations.
  Mr. TESTER. The Mansfield Foundation has been committed to carrying 
out this mission since it was established in 1983. For the past 30 
years, the Foundation has offered important opportunities for U.S. and 
Asian leaders in government and business to exchange views and build 
relationships that strengthen cooperation between our countries. These 
exchanges, policy dialogues, and research and education

[[Page S3022]]

opportunities are the legacies of Mike Mansfield's passion for broader 
cultural understanding.
  Mr. BAUCUS. For example, the Mike Mansfield Fellowship Program, a 
centerpiece of the Foundation's work, has been building a corps of U.S. 
Federal Government employees with Japan expertise since it was 
established by Congress in 1994. This program allows U.S. officials to 
gain practical experience working in the Japanese government. More than 
100 Fellows representing 23 U.S. agencies and the U.S. Congress have 
entered the Fellowship Program since its establishment. The 
Foundation's other programs include:
  Exchanges that allow U.S. and Asian government officials, researchers 
and policy experts to explore best practices, expand their contacts, 
and gain expertise and experience. The many exchanges organized by the 
Foundation include Washington, D.C. visits for members of Japan's Diet, 
Korea's National Assembly, and the Chinese government.
  Policy dialogues that facilitate substantive discussions on complex 
U.S.-Asian issues including international trade, national security, the 
rule of law, energy and environmental challenges.
  Programs that identify and foster new generations of American Asia 
experts with the goal of strengthening dialogue, research, and 
cooperation between the United States and Asia into the future.
  Research and education initiatives, including support for the Maureen 
and Mike Mansfield Center at the University of Montana.
  Mr. TESTER. Mike Mansfield served Montanans in Congress as a fair 
player who was focused on building consensus. He recognized the 
importance of fostering relationships between the United States and our 
friends across the Pacific. For 30 years, his vision for U.S.-Asia 
relations has continued through the work of the Mansfield Foundation. 
We are pleased to recognize the Foundation's 30th anniversary and to 
commend the Foundation for its continued efforts to build bridges of 
understanding with the region that Mike and Maureen Mansfield long 
recognized as the place ``where our future lies.''

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