Gerald Ford, President Following Watergate, Dies, 93

Dec 26, 2006

Gerald Ford, 38th President of the United StatesGerald Rudolph Ford, the 38th President of the United States, died today, aged 93.

Ford was the oldest ever ex-president and the only man to assume the presidency without being elected.

Ford was appointed Vice-President in 1973, following the resignation of Spiro Agnew. He became President following Richard Nixon’s resignation on August 9, 1974. Attempting election in his own right, Ford was defeated by Jimmy Carter in 1976.

Ford’s most controversial decision as President was to grant a full pardon to Nixon on September 8, 1974.

One of the secretly recorded Oval Office tapes records Ford and Nixon discussing Watergate on May 1, 1973:

  • Listen to Ford and Nixon

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    • Ford was elected to the House of Representatives in 1948, serving for a time as House Minority Leader. He served on the Warren Commission investigation into the assassination of President Kennedy.

    Ford’s wife, Betty, released a brief statement announcing his death:

    “My family joins me in sharing the difficult news that Gerald Ford, our beloved husband, father, grandfather and great grandfather has passed away at 93 years of age. His life was filled with love of God, his family and his country.”

    President George W. Bush released this statement:

    “Laura and I are greatly saddened by the passing of former President Gerald R. Ford.

    “President Ford was a great American who gave many years of dedicated service to our country. On August 9, 1974, after a long career in the House of Representatives and service as Vice President, he assumed the Presidency in an hour of national turmoil and division. With his quiet integrity, common sense, and kind instincts, President Ford helped heal our land and restore public confidence in the Presidency.

    “The American people will always admire Gerald Ford’s devotion to duty, his personal character, and the honorable conduct of his administration. We mourn the loss of such a leader, and our 38th President will always have a special place in our Nation’s memory. On behalf of all Americans, Laura and I offer our deepest sympathies to Betty Ford and all of President Ford’s family. Our thoughts and prayers will be with them in the hours and days ahead.”

    Filed Under: Audio, Pardon, Tapes Tagged With: , ,

    Text Of President Ford’s Pardon Proclamation

    Sep 08, 1974

    This is the full text of President Gerald R. Ford’s Proclamation 4311, Granting a Pardon to Richard Nixon.

    • Listen to Ford read the pardon:

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    Note: The proclamation granted Nixon a pardon for all offenses from January 20, 1969, the day he was first inaugurated as president. In reading the proclamation on national television, Ford inadvertently said ‘July 20′. The text of the proclamation takes precedence.

    By the President of the United States of America a Proclamation

    Richard Nixon became the thirty-seventh President of the United States on January 20, 1969 and was reelected in 1972 for a second term by the electors of forty-nine of the fifty states. His term in office continued until his resignation on August 9, 1974. [Read more...]

    Filed Under: Audio, Pardon Tagged With:

    President Ford Pardons Richard Nixon

    Sep 08, 1974

    A month after taking office, President Gerald Ford, addressed the nation on television to announce that he had decided to pardon Richard Nixon.

    • Listen to Ford read the pardon proclamation

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    • Full Text of the Pardon Proclamation

    Note: The proclamation granted Nixon a pardon for all offenses from January 20, 1969, the day he was first inaugurated as president. In reading the proclamation on national television, Ford inadvertently said ‘July 20′. The text of the proclamation takes precedence.

    Text of President Ford’s Address to the Nation announcing Nixon’s pardon.

    President Ford Announcing Nixon's PardonLadies and gentlemen:

    I have come to a decision which I felt I should tell you and all of my fellow American citizens, as soon as I was certain in my own mind and in my own conscience that it is the right thing to do.

    I have learned already in this office that the difficult decisions always come to this desk. I must admit that many of them do not look at all the same as the hypothetical questions that I have answered freely and perhaps too fast on previous occasions.

    My customary policy is to try and get all the facts and to consider the opinions of my countrymen and to take counsel with my most valued friends. But these seldom agree, and in the end, the decision is mine. To procrastinate, to agonize, and to wait for a more favorable turn of events that may never come or more compelling external pressures that may as well be wrong as right, is itself a decision of sorts and a weak and potentially dangerous course for a President to follow. [Read more...]

    Filed Under: Audio, Nixon, Pardon, Video Tagged With: ,

    Remarks By Gerald Ford On Taking the Oath Of Office As President

    Aug 09, 1974

    Nixon’s resignation letter was delivered to the Secretary of State, Dr. Henry Kissinger, at 11.35am on August 9, 1974, by Assistant to the President, Alexander Haig.

    Ford was sworn in shortly afterwards. The President spoke at 12:05 p.m. in the East Room at the White House following administration of the oath of office by Chief Justice Warren E. Burger. The oath of office and the President’s remarks were broadcast live on radio and television.

    • Listen to Ford take the Oath of Office and to his Following Remarks

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    Ford Swearing In Ceremony

    Mr. Chief Justice, my dear friends, my fellow Americans:

    The oath that I have taken is the same oath that was taken by George Washington and by every President under the Constitution. But I assume the Presidency under extraordinary circumstances never before experienced by Americans. This is an hour of history that troubles our minds and hurts our hearts.

    Therefore, I feel it is my first duty to make an unprecedented compact with my countrymen. Not an inaugural address, not a fireside chat, not a campaign speech–just a little straight talk among friends. And I intend it to be the first of many.

    I am acutely aware that you have not elected me as your President by your ballots, and so I ask you to confirm me as your President with your prayers. And I hope that such prayers will also be the first of many.

    If you have not chosen me by secret ballot, neither have I gained office by any secret promises. I have not campaigned either for the Presidency or the Vice Presidency. I have not subscribed to any partisan platform. I am indebted to no man, and only to one woman–my dear wife–as I begin this very difficult job.

    I have not sought this enormous responsibility, but I will not shirk it. Those who nominated and confirmed me as Vice President were my friends and are my friends. They were of both parties, elected by all the people and acting under the Constitution in their name. It is only fitting then that I should pledge to them and to you that I will be the President of all the people.

    Thomas Jefferson said the people are the only sure reliance for the preservation of our liberty. And down the years, Abraham Lincoln renewed this American article of faith asking, "Is there any better way or equal hope in the world?

    I intend, on Monday next, to request of the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President pro tempore of the Senate the privilege of appearing before the Congress to share with my former colleagues and with you, the American people, my views on the priority business of the Nation and to solicit your views and their views. And may I say to the Speaker and the others, if I could meet with you right after these remarks, I would appreciate it.

    Even though this is late in an election year, there is no way we can go forward except together and no way anybody can win except by serving the people’s urgent needs. We cannot stand still or slip backwards. We must go forward now together.

    To the peoples and the governments of all friendly nations, and I hope that could encompass the whole world, I pledge an uninterrupted and sincere search for peace. America will remain strong and united, but its strength will remain dedicated to the safety and sanity of the entire family of man, as well as to our own precious freedom.

    I believe that truth is the glue that holds government together, not only our Government but civilization itself. That bond, though strained, is unbroken at home and abroad.

    In all my public and private acts as your President, I expect to follow my instincts of openness and candor with full confidence that honesty is always the best policy in the end.

    My fellow Americans, our long national nightmare is over.

    Our Constitution works; our great Republic is a government of laws and not of men. Here the people rule. But there is a higher Power, by whatever name we honor Him, who ordains not only righteousness but love, not only justice but mercy.

    As we bind up the internal wounds of Watergate, more painful and more poisonous than those of foreign wars, let us restore the golden rule to our political process, and let brotherly love purge our hearts of suspicion and of hate.

    In the beginning, I asked you to pray for me. Before closing, I ask again your prayers, for Richard Nixon and for his family. May our former President, who brought peace to millions, find it for himself. May God bless and comfort his wonderful wife and daughters, whose love and loyalty will forever be a shining legacy to all who bear the lonely burdens of the White House.

    I can only guess at those burdens, although I have witnessed at close hand the tragedies that befell three Presidents and the lesser trials of others.

    With all the strength and all the good sense I have gained from life, with all the confidence my family, my friends, and my dedicated staff impart to me, and with the good will of countless Americans I have encountered in recent visits to 40 States, I now solemnly reaffirm my promise I made to you last December 6: to uphold the Constitution, to do what is right as God gives me to see the right, and to do the very best I can for America.

    God helping me, I will not let you down.

    Thank you.

    Filed Under: Audio, Pardon, People, Video Tagged With: ,

    Nixon’s Resignation Speech

    Aug 08, 1974

    Richard M. Nixon addressed the nation at 9pm on August 8, 1974, to announce that he would resign the presidency at noon the following day.

    Nixon became the only president ever to resign the office.

    • Listen to Nixon’s resignation speech (16m)

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    This video shows Nixon’s preparations for his televised resignation announcement. The official speech begins at the 7 minute mark:

    Text of President Richard Nixon’s resignation speech.

    Richard Nixon

    Good evening.

    This is the 37th time I have spoken to you from this office, where so many decisions have been made that shaped the history of this Nation. Each time I have done so to discuss with you some matter that I believe affected the national interest.

    In all the decisions I have made in my public life, I have always tried to do what was best for the Nation. Throughout the long and difficult period of Watergate, I have felt it was my duty to persevere, to make every possible effort to complete the term of office to which you elected me.

    In the past few days, however, it has become evident to me that I no longer have a strong enough political base in the Congress to justify continuing that effort. As long as there was such a base, I felt strongly that it was necessary to see the constitutional process through to its conclusion, that to do otherwise would be unfaithful to the spirit of that deliberately difficult process and a dangerously destabilizing precedent for the future.

    But with the disappearance of that base, I now believe that the constitutional purpose has been served, and there is no longer a need for the process to be prolonged. [Read more...]

    Filed Under: Audio, Nixon Speeches, Resignation, Video

    Nixon’s Second Watergate Speech

    Aug 15, 1973

    Nixon delivered his second speech on Watergate just over three months after the drama of the first.

    This time there were no further resignations or dismissal. Instead, Nixon road-tested the executive privilege argument about the Watergate tapes and decried the nation’s “backward-looking obsession with Watergate”.

    Text of President Richard Nixon’s second speech on Watergate.

    Good evening:

    Now that most of the major witnesses in the Watergate phase of the Senate committee hearings on campaign practices have been heard, the time has come for me to speak out about the charges made and to provide a perspective on the issue for the American people.

    For over 4 months, Watergate has dominated the news media. During the past 3 months, the three major networks have devoted an average of over 22 hours of television time each week to this subject. The Senate committee has heard over 2 million words of testimony.

    This investigation began as an effort to discover the facts about the break-in and bugging of the Democratic National Headquarters and other campaign abuses. [Read more...]

    Filed Under: Audio, Investigation, Nixon Speeches

    Alexander Butterfield Reveals Existence Of White House Tapes

    Jul 16, 1973

    Alexander Butterfield’s appearance before the Senate Watergate Committee was a pivotal moment in the unfolding scandal.

    From the moment Butterfield confirmed the existence of an Oval Office taping system, the hunt for the tapes began. Ultimately, the Supreme Court ordered Nixon to surrender tapes recordings, including the “Smoking Gun” tape that precipitated his resignation.

    • Listen to Butterfield respond to a question from Sam Dash about how to find out what was on the tapes.

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    Filed Under: Audio, Chronology, Tapes Tagged With:

    Nixon’s ‘Peace With Honor’ Broadcast On Vietnam

    Jan 23, 1973

    This is the text of President Nixon’s radio and television broadcast announcing the initialing of the Paris ‘Agreement on Ending the War and Restoring Peace in Vietnam’.

    • Listen to Nixon’s broadcast:

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    Text of President Richard Nixon’s ‘Peace With Honor’ Broadcast.

    Good evening. I have asked for this radio and television time tonight for the purpose of announcing that we today have concluded an agreement to end the war and bring peace with honor in Vietnam and in Southeast Asia. [Read more...]

    Filed Under: Audio, Nixon Speeches Tagged With: , , ,

    President Nixon’s Second Inaugural Address

    Jan 20, 1973

    Following a landslide re-election in November 1972, Nixon was inaugurated for a second term on January 20, 1973.

    • Listen to Nixon’s Second Inaugural Address:

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    President Nixon’s second inaugural address.

    Mr. Vice President, Mr. Speaker, Mr. Chief Justice, Senator Cook, Mrs. Eisenhower, and my fellow citizens of this great and good country we share together:

    When we met here four years ago, America was bleak in spirit, depressed by the prospect of seemingly endless war abroad and of destructive conflict at home.

    As we meet here today, we stand on the threshold of a new era of peace in the world. [Read more...]

    Filed Under: Audio, Nixon Speeches, Video

    The Smoking Gun Tape

    Jun 23, 1972

    This is the transcript of the recording of a meeting between President Nixon and H.R. Haldeman in the Oval Office on June 23, 1972 from 10.04am to 11.39am.

    • Listen to the Smoking Gun tape

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    Haldeman:  okay -that’s fine. Now, on the investigation, you know, the Democratic break-in thing, we’re back to the-in the, the problem area because the FBI is not under control, because Gray doesn’t exactly know how to control them, and they have, their investigation is now leading into some productive areas, because they’ve been able to trace the money, not through the money itself, but through the bank, you know, sources – the banker himself. And, and it goes in some directions we don’t want it to go. Ah, also there have been some things, like an informant came in off the street to the FBI in Miami, who was a photographer or has a friend who is a photographer who developed some films through this guy, Barker, and the films had pictures of Democratic National Committee letter head documents and things. So I guess, so it’s things like that that are gonna, that are filtering in. Mitchell came up with yesterday, and John Dean analyzed very carefully last night and concludes, concurs now with Mitchell’s recommendation that the only way to solve this, and we’re set up beautifully to do it, ah, in that and that…the only network that paid any attention to it last night was NBC…they did a massive story on the Cuban…

    Nixon:   That’s right.

    Haldeman:   thing.

    Nixon:  Right.

    Haldeman:   That the way to handle this now is for us to have Walters call Pat Gray and just say, “Stay the hell out of this…this is ah, business here we don’t want you to go any further on it.” That’s not an unusual development,…

    Nixon:  Um huh.

    Haldeman:   …and, uh, that would take care of it.

    Nixon:  What about Pat Gray, ah, you mean he doesn’t want to?

    Haldeman:  Pat does want to. He doesn’t know how to, and he doesn’t have, he doesn’t have any basis for doing it. Given this, he will then have the basis. He’ll call Mark Felt in, and the two of them …and Mark Felt wants to cooperate because…

    Nixon:  Yeah.

    Haldeman:   he’s ambitious…

    Nixon: Yeah.

    Haldeman:  Ah, he’ll call him in and say, “We’ve got the signal from across the river to, to put the hold on this.” And that will fit rather well because the FBI agents who are working the case, at this point, feel that’s what it is. This is CIA.

    Nixon:  But they’ve traced the money to ‘em.

    Haldeman:  Well they have, they’ve traced to a name, but they haven’t gotten to the guy yet.

    Nixon:  Would it be somebody here?

    Haldeman:  Ken Dahlberg.

    Nixon:  Who the hell is Ken Dahlberg?

    Haldeman:  He’s ah, he gave $25,000 in Minnesota and ah, the check went directly in to this, to this guy Barker.

    Nixon:  Maybe he’s a …bum.

    Nixon:  He didn’t get this from the committee though, from Stans.

    Haldeman:  Yeah. It is. It is. It’s directly traceable and there’s some more through some Texas people in–that went to the Mexican bank which they can also trace to the Mexican bank…they’ll get their names today. And (pause)

    Nixon:  Well, I mean, ah, there’s no way… I’m just thinking if they don’t cooperate, what do they say? They they, they were approached by the Cubans. That’s what Dahlberg has to say, the Texans too. Is that the idea?

    Haldeman:  Well, if they will. But then we’re relying on more and more people all the time. That’s the problem. And ah, they’ll stop if we could, if we take this other step.

    Nixon:  All right. Fine.

    Haldeman:  And, and they seem to feel the thing to do is get them to stop?

    Nixon:  Right, fine.

    Haldeman:  They say the only way to do that is from White House instructions. And it’s got to be to Helms and, ah, what’s his name…? Walters.

    Nixon:  Walters.

    Haldeman:  And the proposal would be that Ehrlichman (coughs) and I call them in

    Nixon:  All right, fine.

    Haldeman:  and say, ah…

    Nixon:  How do you call him in, I mean you just, well, we protected Helms from one hell of a lot of things.

    Haldeman:  That’s what Ehrlichman says.

    Nixon:  Of course, this is a, this is a Hunt, you will-that will uncover a lot of things. You open that scab there’s a hell of a lot of things and that we just feel that it would be very detrimental to have this thing go any further. This involves these Cubans, Hunt, and a lot of hanky-panky that we have nothing to do with ourselves. Well what the hell, did Mitchell know about this thing to any much of a degree.

    Haldeman:  I think so. I don ‘t think he knew the details, but I think he knew.

    Nixon:  He didn’t know how it was going to be handled though, with Dahlberg and the Texans and so forth? Well who was the asshole that did? (Unintelligible) Is it Liddy? Is that the fellow? He must be a little nuts.

    Haldeman:  He is.

    Nixon:  I mean he just isn’t well screwed on is he? Isn’t that the problem?

    Haldeman:  No, but he was under pressure, apparently, to get more information, and as he got more pressure, he pushed the people harder to move harder on…

    Nixon:  Pressure from Mitchell?

    Haldeman:  Apparently.

    Nixon:  Oh, Mitchell, Mitchell was at the point that you made on this, that exactly what I need from you is on the–

    Haldeman:  Gemstone, yeah.

    Nixon:  All right, fine, I understand it all. We won’t second-guess Mitchell and the rest. Thank God it wasn’t Colson.

    Haldeman:  The FBI interviewed Colson yesterday. They determined that would be a good thing to do.

    Nixon:  Um hum.

    Haldeman:  Ah, to have him take a…

    Nixon:  Um hum.

    Haldeman:  An interrogation, which he did, and that, the FBI guys working the case had concluded that there were one or two possibilities, one, that this was a White House, they don’t think that there is anything at the Election Committee, they think it was either a White House operation and they had some obscure reasons for it, non political,…

    Nixon:  Uh huh.

    Haldeman:  or it was a…

    Nixon:  Cuban thing-

    Haldeman:  Cubans and the CIA. And after their interrogation of, of…

    Nixon:  Colson.

    Haldeman:  Colson, yesterday, they concluded it was not the White House, but are now convinced it is a CIA thing, so the CIA turn off would…

    Nixon:  Well, not sure of their analysis, I’m not going to get that involved. I’m (unintelligible).

    Haldeman:  No, sir. We don’t want you to.

    Nixon:  You call them in.

    Nixon:  Good. Good deal! Play it tough. That’s the way they play it and that’s the way we are going to play it.

    Haldeman:  O.K. We’ll do it.

    Nixon:  Yeah, when I saw that news summary item, I of course knew it was a bunch of crap, but I thought ah, well it’s good to have them off on this wild hair thing because when they start bugging us, which they have, we’ll know our little boys will not know how to handle it. I hope they will though. You never know. Maybe, you think about it. Good!

    **********

    Nixon:  When you get in these people when you…get these people in, say: “Look, the problem is that this will open the whole, the whole Bay of Pigs thing, and the President just feels that” ah, without going into the details… don’t, don’t lie to them to the extent to say there is no involvement, but just say this is sort of a comedy of errors, bizarre, without getting into it, “the President believes that it is going to open the whole Bay of Pigs thing up again. And, ah because these people are plugging for, for keeps and that they should call the FBI in and say that we wish for the country, don’t go any further into this case”, period!

    Haldeman:  OK.

    Nixon:  That’s the way to put it, do it straight (Unintelligible)

    Haldeman:  Get more done for our cause by the opposition than by us at this point.

    Nixon:  You think so?

    Haldeman:  I think so, yeah.

    Filed Under: Audio, Tapes Tagged With: ,
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