Secretary of State John Foster Dulles today cited a so-called “Mansfield Amendment” to the Eisenhower Doctrine as a meaningful declaration in connection with the Lebanese crisis. But he insisted that the United States was not anxious for a pretext to introduce U. S. military forces into Lebanon.
Mr. Dulles, speaking at a press conference, stressed the amendment by Sen Mike Mansfield, Montana Democrat, as a provision that might prove important in the present crisis. This provision states that the independence of Middle Eastern states is vital to the peace and security of the United States. Mr. Dulles suggested that this provision might be applicable although other authority in the resolution might not pertain.
Mr. Dulles said he regarded the Tripartite Declaration of 1950 as applicable. But he described this instrument as not as powerful as the Mansfield phrase in the Eisenhower Doctrine resolution. He noted that the Tripartite Declaration lacked Congressional approval. He would not give a categorical answer on whether the Mansfield measure provided sufficient authority to dispatch troops without going back to Congress for further authority. He would not comment on what he described as a hypothetical situation.
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