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UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS 1 May ,g 83 THIS IS TO CERTIFY THAT THE THESIS PREPARED UNDER MY SUPERVISION BY DAVID A. REIN ENTITLED CONSTITUENCY INFLUENCE ON THE FORMULATION THE CASE STUDY OF •... •eoressMrpwr'MLFT" IS APPROVED BY ME AS FULFILLING THIS PART OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE O F BACHELOR OF ARTS IN LIBERAL ARTS AND SCIENCES HEAD OF DEPARTMENT OF.... 01W4 CONSTITUENCY INFLUENCE ON THE FORMULATION OF FOREIGN POLICY: THE CASE STUDY OF CONGRESSMAN PAUL FINOLEY BY DAVID A. REIN THESIS for the DEGREE OF BACHELOR OF ARTS 1n LIBERAL ARTS AND SCIENCES College of Llberel Arts and Sciences University of Illinois Urbane, Illinois 1963 111 TABLE Of COMTEHTS Introduction 1 1. Investigative Approach 4 11. Problem Encounttrtd During Research 9 I. Tha Rola of Constituency Considerations 1n Paul Findley's General Foreign Policy Outlook 18 II. Case Study: Constituency Influence During the Reagan Administration Trade Sanctions 3 , III. Case Study: Constituency Influence During the Carter Ada1n1strat1on Grain Embargo 44 IV. Case Study: Constituency Influence over Congressman Findley's PLO Stand 57 V. Conclusion 72 Bibliography 73 TABLES 1. Illinois Twantlath District Congressional Votos 2. Illinois Farnars V1aws on Intomstlonsl Treda Pol1c1as 3. Illinois Congressman's 1980 Campaign Flnancas V FIGURES 1. Geographic voting blocs In Downstate Illinois: p. IE Old Twentieth District 2. Geographic voting blocs 1n Downstate Illinois: P* 12 Now Twentieth District 3. Historical Downstate voting patterns: p< 13 Old Twentieth District 4. Historical Downstate voting patterns: p. 13 New Twentieth 01str1ct Introduction Tho Hon. tail Flndloy served In tho United Status Congrats for twenty* two years. The entirety of his service was spent 1n the House of Represen­ tatives. Eventually he became one of the senior Republicans 1n the House. He served on both the House Committee on Agriculture, where he was the second ranking Republican, and the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, where he was the third ranking Republican. Findley was h1s party's ranking member on two House subcommittees: The Subcommittee on European and Mid­ east Affairs and the Subcommittee on Wheat, Soybeans and Feedgralns. Foreign policy was a major concern of Congressman Findley. At one point early 1n M s career, he forfeited his position on the House Committee on Agriculture 1n order to be grar'rd a position on the Foreign Affairs Com­ mittee.1 Other evidence of Findley's Interest In foreign affairs are the facts that he chaired a MATO task force for three years and that he lead a delegation which wont to China hoping to open up grain trade between the United States and the People's Republic. The Twentieth Congressional District, which Paul Findley represented, 2 was located In West Central Illinois. It stretched from the western bor­ der of the state, the Mississippi River, to about halfway across the state, the easternmost county being Sangamon. The northernmost and southernmost counties were Adams and Madison, respectively. The district was first and foremost an agricultural area. Despite containing sizable population cen­ ters In Springfield, the state capital, Alton and Quincy, the territory was still primarily rural, being dominated by agriculture and agribusiness. 2 ■' The preeminence of agriculture 1* attested to by the fact that appro- imate- * ly seven percent of the district's population were farmers. This percen­ tage 1s almost twice the national figure of nearly four percent*- This study will Investigate the relationship between Paul Findley and the people of this congressional district during his years In the House of Representatives. Specifically, 1t will attempt to discern to what extent Congressman Findley was Influenced by consdleratlons of M s constituency while making foreign policy decisions. The Investigation will consider the question from two different frames of reference. First, the Issue will be examined on general grounds: Did Paul Findley consider the whole area of foreign policy from a constituency dominated viewpoint or from a national perspective?. Did he think M s constituency played a very great role 1n defining his attitudes concerning the vaguely defined Issue-area of foreign policy? Next, the study will concentrate on the three most visible foreign policy Issues of the latter part of Findley's congressional career. These Issues were the 1981 trade sanctions against the Soviet Union Imposed by the Reagan administration, the 1980 grain em­ bargo of the Carter sdmlMstraton, also directed at the Soviet Union, and Congressman Findley's own controversial position regarding the Middle East, specifically, the Palestinian Liberation Organization. The Investigation will question whether the high visibility of these Issues, and the public Interest generated thereby, altered Findley's general pattern of behavior concerning M s constituency and foreign policy as an Issue-area. Before continuing, a clarification of terms 1s necessary. This study proposes to examine the influence that considerations of M s constituency had on Congressman Findley's foreign policy formulation. As such, the 3 manlng of Congressman Findley being "Influenced by considerations" of M s constituency must necessarily be explained. The above phrase con, and will• pertain to several different situations. First, 1t could mean that Congressman Findley mas directly responding to pressure levied on M m by his constituency, or at least pressure wMch he believed Mmself to be under. It could also mean that Congressman Findley was acting 1n a way that he believed M s constituency would want him to act, even If he had not been under any pressure to act 1n this fashion. Finally, It could mean that Congressman Findley was basing M s decisions on his be* 11efs of what was 1n the district's best Interests, regardless of whether the district had voiced this Interest. This Investigation will look for all of these types of Instances. However, 1n the context of this study, 1t does not matter which, 1f any, of the above turns out to be the case. The purpose of this study 1s merely to find out 1f such parochial considerations did play a part In determining national policy, or contrarlly, 1f Congressman Findley considered national Interests as the foundation for M s decisions 1n the area of foreign policy. The meaning of constituency must also be discussed, A congressman can look at his home district on several levels. He can believe that M s constl tuency, the people he has the responsibility Of representing, are only h1s most active supporters: that 1s, he can consider M s constituency to be his closest advisors and most Intimate circle, the people who can make their beliefs most clearly known to the Congressman. Contrarlly, he can see his constituency as his volunteers, the people who worked to get him elected and thus deserve some kind of compensation. H1s financiers can also demand special attention. He can look at M s constituency as those people who he 4 b«11eves to have voted for him and are thus responsible for him being 1n office. Finally, though the possibilities have by no means been exhausted, a Congressman can consider h1s constituency 1n the broadest possible terms: the people of his geographical district. This study takes this last ap­ proach when discussing Congressman Findley's district and 1t Is his rela­ tionship to M s constituency as per this definition that will be Investi­ gated. Indeed, Don Norton, a top Findley aide who worked closely with the Congressmen for the last sixteen years, would claim that Mr. Findley him­ self adopted this view of his constituency. He believes that there was no * one group to which the Congressman felt particularly accountable. 1. Investigative Approach In order to examine the question of whether Congressman Findley was In­ fluenced by considerations of M s constituency, four Investigative steps were undertaken. The first stage of the Investigation was to read background material of studies of this nature which had previously been conducted. These sources, such as "U.S. House Members 1n Their Constituencies" by Richard F. Fenno Jr., Congressmen's Voting Decisions by John W. Klngdon, "The Representative and his District" by Lewis Anthony Dexter, and "Consti­ tuency Influence In Congress" by Warren E. Miller and Donald E. Stokes, were very helpful In that they provided questions to Investigate and set a stanoard against which results could be compared. However, the applicability of their methods to this study proved limited. In general, the extensive pro­ cedures which were used by the aforementioned Investigators could not be adopted for the purposes of this study due to both lack of time and resources. s Also the scope of this Investigation differed from these former studies. Where they chose to study vast numbers of Representatives and correlate the data In order to make generalizations, this study examines one Indi­ vidual and draws Inferences from that examination. Where the above authors studied Congressmen and their relationship to their constituencies con­ cerning several areas, this paper concentrates on one specific Issue-area, foreign policy. At best, these background studies can be considered jump­ ing off points at which to start this type of Investigation. The second Investigative stage entailed a personal profile of Congress­ man Findley's writings and speeches. Findley 1s an accomplished author. Before entering Congress he was the president and publisher of R1ko Press, a weekly newspaper emanating from Pittsfield. Illinois. During M s stay 1n Congress he found time to write numerous articles for periodicals as well as two full-sized books: The Federal Farm Fable, and A. Lincoln: The Crucible of Congress. These articles and books, whether pertaining to this paper's topic of Investigation or not. provided Insight Into Congressman Findley's basic beliefs and stands. They also helped explain the grounds on which he based these stands. For Instance, 1n A.

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