October 20, 1971

Adm forces in HR, by vote of 215‐192, succeed in blocking direct vote on Mansfield amendment to mil procurement bill; amendment calls for US to withdraw all its forces in Indochina in 6 mos if Amer POWs are released; vote ends debate on sending bill to Sen‐HR conf to reconcile 2 versions, thus preventing HR vote on whether to accept amendment which Sen attached to bill by 57‐38 vote; narrowness of margin in HR vote is a high point by HR standards for war critics seeking to get a direct vote on war issue; margin in '70 on similar vote was 44 votes; critics say Adm procedureal tactics are admission it does not have votes to block amendment in HR; Repr Whalen was set to offer motion instructing HR to accept amendment, but Speaker Albert and Repr Arends maneuvered the blocking vote; Nixon deputy press sec says Nixon is 'gratified' by vote which he sees as refusal to instruct HR conferees to accept amendment; Common Cause chmn J W Gardner charges HR Dem and Repub leaders 'cynically' blocked effort to get clear‐cut vote

Sen unanimously approves Sen Ervin bill providing new set of ground rules for amending US Const through calling const conv; action is taken to allay fears of some const attys that conv held under present procedures could rewrite entire Const; final passage comes after group of liberal Sens wins sharply contested battle to make it more difficult for such conv to approve any recommended changes; Sen approves, 45‐39, Sen Bayh amendment to increase from simple majority to 2/3 majority conv vote required to adopt new const amendments; as finally passed by Sen, bill sets up 3‐step process: 2/3 of state legis must vote for conv, 2/3 of conv delegates must approve any const changes, 3/4 of state legis must ratify those changes; Ervin bill has its origin in drive by late Sen Dirksen to authorize const conv on reapportionment and overturn Sup Ct's 1‐man, 1‐vote ruling; bars any conv from adopting any amendments different from that stated in resolution calling conv; HR opposition to bill seen led by Repr Celler, who holds present state of uncertainty, while undesirable, is preferable to active encouragement of flood of new amendments that might result from setting up new machinery; Bayh amendment is opposed by Sen conservatives

Japanese Premier Sato says he will undertake urgent new effort to open up commercial and Govt contacts with Chinese Govt, Peking, s to Diet

US Sup Ct agrees to hear C Flood challenge of baseball's reserve clause which binds player to team that first signed him unless he is sold or traded; Flood charges clause is form of involuntary servitude and violation of Fed and state antitrust laws; asks ct to rev '22 decision by Justice Holmes that baseball 'exhibitions' were essentially a sport and not type of interstate commerce covered by antitrust laws; case and earlier litigation leading to ct action revd

Govt announces it will impose 10% tariff surcharge in order to improve its econ position; country's Eur trading partners score action