Mike Mansfield Papers, 1903-2002

This series covers all the bills that Mansfield introduced during his time in the House of Representatives. They include the 78th to the 82nd Congress. The series contains a broad range of materials relating to all aspects of legislation. The number of bills introduced by Mansfield increases with each Congress as the gains seniority. The bills also grow more substantive and related to national policy issues.

The series contains copies of each bill introduced and correspondence relating to the bill. When a bill was introduced in more than one session, the folder generally contains all previous drafts of the bill. Many folders have original working drafts of bills that include notes and revisions in Mansfield's hand. The folders also contain newspaper clippings and numerous letters from constituents, interest groups, and Congressional colleagues. A number of the bills are personal relief bills introduced on behalf of constituents in need of help. They provide a glimpse of the hardships many Montanans faced during World War II and its aftermath. Many cases relate to immigration difficulties and the struggles of veterans. There are letters from various government agencies, particularly the War and State departments, relating to relief cases. The relief folders often contain photographs and effusive thank-you notes.

The folders contain Mansfield's speeches to Congressional committees and on the House floor. There are several handwritten working drafts of speeches that include Mansfield's corrections. Planned testimony on pending legislation and specific pages from the Congressional Record are included as well.

Letters from constituents relating to pending bills offer insight into the political and economic opinions of Montanans during this era. A number of bills relate to federal land management, Native American policies, and large federal work projects in Montana. These folders contain numerous maps, blueprints, and photographs relating to specific projects. Of particular interest is the vigorous support for mining, flood control, and irrigation.

The rest of the series is comprised of Mansfield's replies to constituents, reports to congressional committees, telegrams, press releases, and memorandums. There are also copies of public laws after legislation was passed, letters from Senator James Murray, newsletters from constituent interest groups, and legal documents from various cases.

This series consists of material relating to all the legislation Mansfield's office handled during his time in the House of Representatives. The series is inclusive and covers a broad range of bills in both the House and the Senate. While the series does not contain every piece of pending legislation during this time, any bill that related to Montana or Mansfield's committee assignments is included. The series generally consists of correspondence, committee reports, copies of the pending bills, and newspaper clippings.

More specifically, the folders contain a predictable sequence of documents throughout the series. In general all material relating to a specific piece of legislation is contained in a single file, though some bills, like the Smith-Connolly Bill of 1943, take up several folders. The information contained in the series covers a broad spectrum of issues and includes virtually any subject that might have relevance to Mansfield's tenure in the House. Included in the files are bills relating to wildlife conservation, veteran's benefits, housing, the Kerr Commission, Civil Service, Armed Forces, coal, World War II, agriculture, mining, timber, and foreign relations. A file typically will have all the information on a particular bill, though this covers a broad sweep of documents. The majority of the series consists of correspondence. The letters are predominantly from constituents and interest groups with concerns over the effect of a specific piece of pending legislation. The constituent letters provide a reflection of the concerns of average Montanans during and following World War II. They project an intimacy between Mansfield and Montana citizens that seems a remarkable reflection of both Mansfield's appeal and a more communal era in Montana politics. The letters from interest groups reveal the key players in Montana politics, particularly the strong voices of farmers, ranchers, loggers, and miners. Groups representing these constituencies are very well represented in this series and their letters appear in virtually every folder. A copy of each bill being considered is included in the relevant file and both previous and subsequent drafts of the bill often appear. Some of the bills have Mansfield's handwritten notes, offering his objections or suggestions. Reports to House and Senate Committees and copies of Committee hearings accompany specific legislation. To supplement reports and testimony, interest groups often produced their own reports to convince Mansfield and his Congressional colleagues of the merits of their particular viewpoint. The rest of the series is rounded out by letters and memorandums from Congressional colleagues, press releases, Mansfield's speeches and testimony, newspaper clippings sent by constituents, telegrams, and reports and letters from federal agencies.