SINGLE SIX-YEAR TERM FOR PRESIDENT

HEARING

BEFORE THE

SUBCOMMITTEE ON
CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENTS

OF THE

COMMITTEE ON THE JUDICIARY
UNITED STATES SENATE

NINETY-SECOND CONGRESS

FIRST SESSION

ON

S.J. RES. 77

TO AMEND THE CONSTITUTION BY PROVIDING A SINGLE,
SIX-YEAR TERM FOR PRESIDENT

CONTENTS

WITNESSES BY DATE

OCTOBER 28, 1971

Mansfield, Hon Mike, U.S. Senator from the State of Montana-

Aiken, Hon. George D., U.S. Senator from the State of Vermont_.

Clifford, Mr. Clark M., former Secretary of Defense, now in private practice

in Washington, D.C‒‒‒‒

Reedy, Mr. George E., Jr., former Press Secretary to President Johnson,

now a fellow at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars__

Hagerty, Mr. James, former Press Secretary to President Eisenhower, now

Vice President, American Broadcasting Co-.

OCTOBER 29, 1971

Califano, Mr. Joseph, former Special Assistant to President Johnson, now
in private practice in Washington, D.C__

Tugwell, Mr. Rexford G., former advisor to President Roosevelt, now asso-
ciated with the Center for the Study of Democratic Institutions, Santa
Barbara, Calif_____

Corcoran, Mr. Thomas, former advisor to President Roosevelt, now practic-

ing law.

Burns, Mr. James MacGregor, professor of political science, at Williams

College, biographer of President Roosevelt____

117

WITNESSES ALPHABETICALLY

Aiken, Hon. George D., U.S. Senator from the State of Vermont..

Burns, Mr. James MacGregor, professor of political science at Williams

College, biographer of President Roosevelt__.

33

117

Califano, Mr. Joseph, former Special Assistant to President Johnson, now
in private practice in Washington, D.C___

91

Clifford, Mr. Clark M., former Secretary of Defense, now in private practice

in Washington, D.C...

57

Corcoran, Mr. Thomas, former adviser to President Roosevelt, now practic-
ing law...

112

Hagerty, Mr. James, former Press Secretary to President Eisenhower, now
Vice President, American Broadcasting Co----

Mansfield, Hon. Mike, U.S. Senator from the State of Montana__.

Reedy, Mr. George E., Jr., former Press Secretary to President Johnson,

now a fellow at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars__

Tugwell, Mr. Rexford G., former adviser to President Roosevelt, now asso-

ciated with the Center for the Study of Democratic Institutions, Santa

Barbara, Calif.__.

STATEMENTS SUBMITTED FOR THE RECORD

Chamberlain, Hon. Charles E., U.S. Representative from the State of

Michigan

126

Cronin, Mr. Thomas E., Research Political Scientist, The Brookings Insti-

tution, Washington, D.C___.

127

Schlesinger, Mr. Arthur, Jr., professor history, the City University of New

York

130

(III)

ADDITIONAL MATERIAL

Senate Joint Resolution 77_-

Library of Congress research materials:

The Presidential Term : Debate in the Constitutional Convention___.

Proposed Amendments to the Constitution Relative to Tenure of

the President_.

Table of Proposed Constitutional Amendments Advocating an Execu-

tive Term of 6 Years__

A Single Presidential Term of Six Years: Arguments Pro and Con__-

The Presidential (Term: A Selected Bibliography__

Statements of various Presidents of the United States with reference

to the presidential term__.

O'Donnell, Kenneth, "LBJ and the Kennedys,” Life Magazine, August 7,
1970

Page

4

5

8

11

12

13

15

37

Johnson, Lyndon Baines, excerpt from The Vantage Point, relating to the

6-year term of the President_.

66

Prescott, Arthur Taylor, excerpts from Drafting the Federal Constitution,
1941

132

The Federalist, Nos. 71, 72---

141

Commager, Henry Steele, "Only Two Terms for a President?" New York

Times, April 27, 1947_.

146

Congressional Digest, "The Powers of the President of the United States,"

January, 1947_.

149

House Report 885, 62nd Cong., 2d Sess. (1912) (to accompany H.J.

Res. 325).

153

Rossiter, Clinton, The American Presidency, "The Firing, Retiring, and

Rehiring of Presidents," 1960__.

165

Koenig, Louis William, excerpts from The Chief Executive relating to pre-

sidential tenure_.

168

Neustadt, Richard E., excerpts from Presidential Power_.

170

"Lyndon Johnson Talks Politics," a television interview with former Presi-

dent Lyndon Johnson by Walter Cronkite, January 27, 1972_.

"Johnson Disputes the Theory that He Was Misled by Aides." New York

Times, January 28, 1972_.

171

180

Hagerty, James C., "A Vote for 2-Term Accountability," New York Times,

January 3, 1972__

181

Valenti, Jack, "A Term-and-a-Half for President." New York Times, De-

cember 15, 1971_.

182

Means, Marianne, "6-Year Presidency?" The Boston Sunday Advertiser,

November 21, 1971__.

183

"A Six-Year President," The New Republic, November 20, 1971---

"How Long in White House?" editorial, Today (Cocoa, Florida), Novem-

ber 11, 1971..

184

184

Large, Arlen J., "Electoral Politics v. Persuasion Politics." The Wall

Street Journal, October 28, 1971__

185

Hempstone, Smith, "A Single Six-Year Term for Our Presidents?" The

Washington Evening Star, November 24, 1971____

188

White, William S., "6-Year President Biggest U.S. Need" The Washington

Post, January 11, 1971_.

189

Childs, Marquis, “Talk of One-Term Presidency Gains.” The Washington

Post, March 26, 1971___

190

Bartlett, Charles, "Reflections on Two-Term Limit." The Washington

Evening Star, January 2, 1964-

191

Bartlett, Charles, "Long Presidential Tenure Appeals." The Washington

Evening Star, July 16, 1968---

192

"A Single Six-Year Term for President is Advocated," New York Times,

December 8, 1968--

193

"Presidential Term of Six Years Urged," The Washington Post, July 12,

1968

193

"Should Our Presidents Be Limited to a Single Six-Year Term?" The

Advocates, a televised debate, December 21, 1971__.

193

The Nation Responds to the Advocates-Results of Nationwide Opinion

Poll

207

Page

Valenti, Jack D., "The Case for a Six-Year Presidency." Saturday Review,

August 3, 1968__.

Comments of Senators Mansfield and Aiken upon introduction of proposal

to limit presidential tenure, Congressional Recodr, January 17, 1969_-

Tugwell, Rexford G., A Proposed New Constitution___

Belair, Felix Jr., "Constitution Builder: Rexford Guy Tugwell".

Tugwell, Rexford G., "More Power to the President-Adams, Jefferson,

Lincoln and Nixon All Suffer Critism.".

208

210

217

218

220

St. John, Jeffrey, "A Document for Dictatorship.".

221

Hempstone, Smith, "Six Years for President?" Minneapolis Tribune, No-

vember 28, 1971__.

221

Broder, David S., "Group Works on New U.S. Constitution." The Washing-

ton Post, September 8, 1970--

222

Excerpts from A Single Six-Year Term for President, compiled by Edith

M. Phelps:

Bibliography

223

Eaton, Dorman: "The Perils of Reelecting Presidents".

227

New Republic: "Our Evolving Executive", April 1, 1925_

Low, A. Maurice: "The Third Term"__

233

234

Harper's Weekly, "What Might Have Been", May 25, 1912__

238

Nation, "Proposed Constitutional Amendment and Ex-Presidents."

March 20, 1913_.

238

Wilson, Woodrow, "Presidential Term".

238

Borah, William, "Presidential Term".

Lodge, Henry Cabot, "Presidential Term".

241

244

Rogers, Lindsay and J. W. Rixey Smith, "How to Save the Presi-

dent"

246