Sara
Mia
Ken
Jacob
Kayla
Tristen
Blane
Erin
Kris
Devon
Chiquilla
Jasmine
Dylan
Chris L
Gaines
Mikalya
James
Dylan
Rebekah
Becca
Bri
Alex
Derek
David
Gerald R. Ford (R)
1974-1977
Political Background
1948-73: U.S. Representative from
Michigan
1965-73: U.S. House Minority Leader
1973 Appointed vice president by
Richard Nixon
1974-77: 38th U.S. president
following the resignation of Nixon
1976: Lost presidential election to
Jimmy Carter
(1) Not elected into office…
How did he get here?
 Appointed VP after the resignation
of Spiro Agnew in 1973
Our long
 Nixon resigned, and
national
nightmar
on August 9, 1974,
e is over.
Ford took the
oath of office.
EXTRA! EXTRA!
 Ford selected New York governor
Nelson Rockefeller as his VP and
kept Nixon’s cabinet in place
 Ford and Rockefeller are the only
president and VP never elected
to their positions serving at the
same time
Rockefeller
(2) Pardon of Nixon
Sept, 1974: Ford issued
Proclamation 4311, which granted
a full pardon to Nixon
Ford’s approval rating nosedived –
71% to 49% in less than a week
Speech Pardoning Nixon
 Critics
believed a
Republican
“deal”
allowed him
to become
president if
he pardoned
Nixon
(3) Vietnam Era Reconciliation
Program: Clemency plan
for draft-dodgers
 Ford offered gov’t forgiveness
to draft-dodgers of Vietnam,
who had to reaffirm allegiance
to the U.S. and perform public
service for 2 years.
 controversial because Ford had
draft-dodger sons
(4) Helsinki Accords
Signed by 35 nations in Helsinki,
Finland, in Dec 1975
Pledged its members to respect human
rights.
A significant step toward reducing
Cold War tensions
We recognized the Soviet’s control of
the Baltic states.
(5)
Economic Troubles & WIN
Inflation continued to increase – Ford:
“domestic enemy #1”
W.I.N. – (Whip Inflation Now) program
designed to reduce federal spending;
created a national volunteer organization
to find ways to keep prices down
Congress does approve some tax cuts, but
not enough!
(6) End of War in Vietnam
Ford presided over the
official end to the
Vietnam War
1. Cease-fire: 1973
2. Fighting continued in
Vietnam until April
30, 1975, when
Saigon was captured.
South fell to North!
Operation
Frequent Wind
Watch footage!
"Though American equipment still stocked Saigon's markets, the Americans were gone. They
counted nearly 60,000 dead and more than 300,000 wounded. It was their first defeat. The
promised end of the tunnel had brought not light but a new uncertainty, new questions: what
was America's role in the world? What were the lessons of Vietnam?"
(7) Aid to S Vietnam, Cambodia:
 Ford requested $722 million in military
aid to Vietnam and Cambodia, who were
fighting communism.
 Congress rejected any military aid, but
did send $300 million in humanitarian
aid.
Khmer Rouge: Communist regime in
power in Cambodia from ’75-’79;
infamous for the massacre of 1 million+
(8) Mayaguez incident
 In May, 1975, Cambodian communists
seized an unarmed American cargo
ship.
 Ford launched a military attack,
hoping to free the prisoners. This
succeeded in gaining him favor in
citizens’ eyes.
(9)“Communication, Conciliation,
Compromise, and Cooperation”:
Republican Ford had to work with a
Democratic majority in Congress.
Pledged to compromise with them;
didn’t work so well...
(10) President during the
Bicentennial Celebration
200th birthday of the United
States (July 4, 1776 – July 4,
1976)
Celebrations took place around the
country, esp. in big cities.
Random Information
a. Most recent
former pres to
die: Dec 2006
• Asked the Marine
Band to play the
University of
Michigan fight
song rather than
Hail to the Chief
b. Two assassination attempts
1. Lynette Alice “Squeaky” Fromme –
follower of Charles Manson; tried to
kill Ford outside a Sacramento hotel
with an inappropriately loaded gun
(Ford thought she wanted to shake
hands!)
2. Sara Jane Moore – identified as a
radical; fired at Ford across the
street from his hotel in San
Francisco, California
Squeaky Fromme (L) and Ford Escaping
an Assassination Attempt (R)
“It is 25 years later, and I am still satisfied that I did
the right thing.”
- “Squeaky” Fromme
3. Both sentenced
to life sentences
(1965 law making
the attempt to
assassinate a
president a
federal crime)
*Moore released
2007
*Fromme released
2009
Sara Jane Moore: "I am very glad
I did not succeed. I know now
that I was wrong to try." -2007
c. Press began to highlight
Ford’s mishaps after LBJ
commented that Ford had
“played football too long
without a helmet”
1. One network newscast
replayed footage (11 times!)
of him falling down the
steps of Air Force One!
Ford Falling Down Air Force One
Stairs