October 5, 2016 marks the fifteenth anniversary of the death of Mike Mansfield. Congress established the Mansfield Foundation in 1983 in honor of Mike Mansfield and in recognition of the pivotal role he played in 20th century domestic and international issues as U.S. congressman from Montana, Senate majority leader, and U.S. ambassador to Japan.
In recognition of the fifteenth anniversary of his passing, the Foundation has posted a video of a symposium that explored Mike Mansfield’s approach to the domestic and international issues of his time and how lessons from this approach might be applied to current challenges in Northeast Asia. The symposium presents recollections from a distinguished panel of Mike Mansfield’s friends and former colleagues. Former Vice President Walter Mondale was the featured speaker at this event. Ambassador Mondale, who serves as Chairman of the Mansfield Foundation’s International Advisory Board (IAB), was joined by IAB member Rust Deming, who served as Deputy Chief of Mission to Ambassador Mondale at the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo, and Board member Charles Ferris, who was chief counsel to Mike Mansfield during his tenure as U.S. Senate majority leader. Their discussion underscores the qualities that made Mike Mansfield a remarkable leader and diplomat.
The symposium, “Addressing Challenges in Northeast Asia: Lessons from the “Mansfield Way,” was moderated by Star Tribune editorial writer and columnist Lori Sturdevant. It was held October 30, 2015 at the Humphrey School of Public Affairs at the University of Minnesota and organized in coordination with the Humphrey School and the Japan-America Society of Minnesota.