Michael Joseph Mansfield (
March 16,
1903 -
October 5,
2001) was a
Senator from
Montana. An early supporter of
Ngo Dinh Diem, Mansfield had a change of heart on the
Vietnam issue after a visit in
1962. He reported to
President Kennedy that US money given to Diem's government was being squandered and that the US should avoid further involvement in
Vietnam. During the
Johnson and
Nixon administrations, Mansfield became a frequent and vocal critic of US involvement in the
Vietnam war. He retired from the Senate in
1976, and was appointed Ambassador to
Japan by
Jimmy Carter, a role he retained during the
Reagan administration. He retired in
1989, and died on
October 5,
2001.