Gerald Ford
By: Allie McKee
First Unelected President
Gerald Rudolph Ford
- 1st man to be made president by a vote of Congress
- After Nixon's resignation
- August 1974; Entered the White House
- Submitted by Nixon as a vice-president candidate
- Was submitted as being unintelligent
- Ford's pardon was granted to Nixon for any crimes he may have committed as president
- Outraged Democrats*
- Believed Ford was part of a "buddy deal" with Nixon
- Possibility of being a part of Watergate break-in
Achievements and Accomplishments:
- Wanted to enhance the détente
- Signed the Helsinki accords
- Recognized Soviet boundaries and helped ease tensions between the nations
"A war that is finished" -Gerald Ford
End of the Vietnam War
1975
- North Vietnamese made a full invasion of South Vietnam
- Ford asked for aid for South Vietnam
- Congress rejected the request
- South Vietnam collapsed without the aid of America
April 29, 1975
- Last of Americans were removed from South Vietnam
- 140,000 South Vietnamese were brought to the U.S. also
- Added to the melting pot
America did not lose the war, their client nation did.
Losses for America
- Face in the eyes of foreigners
- Self-esteem
- Economic leadership
- Power