Here's Where It Gets Interesting - Mayhem: The 1970s You Never Knew, Episode 6

Episode Date: November 13, 2023

A cover up that cost Nixon's presidency, a pardon that cost Gerald R. Ford his election, and a friendship dating back to the 1940s. It was the first time a President had been impeached, and the only time in U.S. history that a President resigned from office. The betrayal of the public’s trust reverberated well beyond Nixon’s presidency in a time of economic turmoil, but what happened following Nixon’s departure from office? How did the new Ford administration attempt to gain control over the rising unemployment and double-digit inflation? Join us as we learn about how this confluence of events created economic instability, unhappiness, and impacted the mood of the country in 1974. Writer, Host, and Executive Producer: Sharon McMahon Audio Producer: Jenny Snyder Writers and Researchers: Amy Watkin, Mandy Reid, and Kari Anton Production Coordinator: Andrea Champoux  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Hello, friends, and welcome back to the sixth episode in our series about the 1970s, Mayhem. Today we are jetting back to 1974. After serving 2,026 days as president and with two and a half years to go in his second term, Richard Nixon addressed the nation from the Oval Office on August 8th. A weary and divided country. Listen to the radio and TV broadcasts of a man who once declared that he was not a crook and would not leave office or tender his resignation. He said,

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. I'm Sharon McMahon, and here's where it gets interesting. As his support on Capitol Hill and with members of his own party plummeted,

Nixon knew that he would be impeached, and to avoid embarrassment, he had to resign. Watergate wasn't one event, and neither was the cover-up. Barry Goldwater was a leading conservative voice at the time, and he saw Richard Nixon's pattern of lies and cover-up of the truth. He was disgusted that his party's leader squandered the reputation of Republicans for his own political gain. In order to avoid the entire Republican Party being sullied by Nixon's actions, Goldwater wanted him out, quickly and quietly. On August 6th, two days before Nixon's resignation announcement, Goldwater spoke at one of the regular Senate Republican conference lunches. There are only so many lies you can take, and now there has been one too many,

he said. Nixon should get his butt out of the White House today. Except he used a different word for butt, if you know what I mean. Goldwater called the White House and demanded to speak with Nixon, who invited other GOP leaders along as he didn't want to have a one-on-one with Goldwater. They met in the Oval Office, and Goldwater informed Nixon that he had maybe 15 votes in the Senate. Nixon asked the Senate Minority Leader, Hugh Scott of Pennsylvania, if he agreed. Scott dealt a devastating blow, I think 12 to 15, which meant Nixon had no hope of surviving impeachment. Given that the House Judiciary Committee recommended impeachment and Nixon no longer had the support of his party, the writing was on the wall. Around 8 p.m. on August 8th, Nixon invited about 45 senators

and representatives to the Oval, people he considered his friends, where he previewed the message that he would deliver to the American public an hour later. Overcome by emotion, Nixon, in tears, bolted from the room. And Goldwater, of all people, the one who had been clamoring among colleagues for Nixon's resignation, later publicly commented, He just told us that the country couldn't operate with a halftime president. Then he broke down and cried, and he had to leave the room. And then the rest of us broke down and cried. Photos of the public taken at the time show crowds of people praying for the president,

while others congregated outside the White House fence with effigies of Nixon and signs both demanding and celebrating his resignation. The business of the nation could wait for neither celebration nor mourning, though, and Gerald Ford was sworn in as president immediately following Nixon's official resignation at noon on August 9, 1974. Following Ford's swearing in, the new president and first lady escorted their predecessors to a helicopter waiting to whisk them out of D.C., much like the helicopters that served to evacuate American military personnel during the Vietnam War. The Nixons' departure from the White House was broadcast live,

and cameras caught the Nixons and Fords walking out, smiles plastered on their faces. Fords walking out, smiles plastered on their faces. President Ford wrapped his arm around his wife, Betty, and Betty held hands with Pat Nixon. Secretaries and workers from the White House gathered on the lawn, some crying, others waving. Nixon climbed the steps of Marine One, climbed the steps of Marine One, flashed a broad smile and dual victory signs, and then once on board, gazed out the window at what his cover-up had cost him. The Ford's transition to First Family wasn't quite as smooth. The time between Nixon's decision to resign and his official resignation was so short that the Ford family still lived in their home in Arlington, Virginia for a full week after Gerald Ford took office. They had to hastily pack their belongings and arrange for them to be shipped to the White House. In a 2016 interview with the Washington Post, their son Stephen recalled

that a couple of days after his father had been sworn in, his mother looked up for making dinner and remarked, Jerry, there is something wrong with this picture. You are the president of the United States and I am still cooking. So they quickly packed to move. The Fords had four children, and a few were already out of the house when Gerald Ford took office. When they stopped by the White House for a visit, the family's chauffeur had to persuade the security guard that they were in fact the president's family and not just a bunch of tourists. On the political front, Ford took Nixon's parting advice to retain Dr. Henry Kissinger as Secretary of State. He did the same for Nixon's Chief of Staff, General Alexander Haig, though a clash of management styles led to Ford replacing him with someone else whose name might be familiar to you, Donald Rumsfeld.

might be familiar to you, Donald Rumsfeld. On September 8th, 1974, not quite a full month after Nixon resigned, Ford took a bold step he deemed necessary for the healing of the country. And it cost him. His approval rating dropped 40 points from 70% approval to 30% approval. And later, Ford lost his re-election bid in 1976. Why? One of the reasons was because he granted a full pardon to Richard Nixon. I do believe that the buck stops here, that I cannot rely upon public opinion polls to tell me what is right. I do believe that right makes might and that if I am wrong, ten angels swearing I was right

would make no difference. I do believe with all my heart and mind and spirit that I not as president but as a humble servant of God will receive justice without mercy if I fail to show mercy. Finally, I feel that Richard Nixon and his loved ones have suffered enough and will continue to suffer no matter what I do, no matter what we as a great and good nation can do together to make his goal of peace come true. Now therefore, I, Gerald R. Ford, President of the United States, pursuant to the pardon power conferred upon me by Article II, Section 2 of the Constitution, have granted, and by these presents do grant, a full, free, and absolute pardon unto Richard Nixon for all offenses

against the United States which he, Richard Nixon, has committed or may have committed or taken part in during the period from July 20, 1969 through August 9, 1974. Ford assumed the presidency with Watergate and Nixon looming over him. He tried to start fresh, but he was bombarded with questions about Nixon's actions during his first press conference, and false rumors circulated about a secret deal between Nixon, Ford, and special prosecutor Leon Jaworski. Ford also received distressing news about how his friends, the Nixons, were faring in California. Pat Nixon had to wear a disguise to go grocery shopping and otherwise remained secluded while local citizens lobbed dog excrement at their family home. Richard Nixon was depressed and it negatively impacted his health. In 2006, reporter Bob Woodward, who helped uncover the

Watergate scandal, wrote about the deep and mostly hidden friendship Ford and Nixon shared. Their relationship dated back to the 1940s, and the full extent of their friendly affection for each other wasn't revealed until after Gerald Ford died in 2006, and his papers were later released to the public. In a 2005 interview, Ford recalled, I think that Nixon felt I was about the only person he could really trust on the Hill. I looked upon him as my personal friend, and I always treasured our relationship, and I had no hesitancy about granting the pardon because I felt that we had this relationship and that I didn't want to see my real friend have the stigma. This was not merely pity. merely pity. Nixon's own secret phone recordings captured a fateful May 1st, 1973 phone call he made to Ford at the height of the Watergate unraveling. Nixon wanted reassurance and could

find it only in his friend. Ford's loyalty is evident in his words. He said, anytime you want me to do anything under any circumstances, you give me a call, Mr. President. We'll stand by you morning, noon, and night. And he did. Ford volunteered to speak before a congressional subcommittee to explain his controversial pardon, and he reiterated that it was unimperative action in order for the pardon was to try and get the United States, the Congress, the President, and the American people focusing on the serious problems we have both at home and abroad. And I was absolutely convinced then, as I am now, that if we had had this series, an indictment, a trial, a conviction, and anything else that transpired after that, that the attention of the president, the Congress, and the American people would have been diverted from the problems that we have to solve. And that was the principal reason for my granting of the pardon. A pressing issue to which Ford turned his attention was out-of-control inflation.

Two months into his presidency, he proposed a WIN plan, with WIN being an acronym for Whip Inflation Now. But sadly, his plan did not end up being a win after all. Ford's proposal included asking American consumers to economize and reduce their energy consumption in order to save 1 million barrels of oil imports per day, which also served as a way to undermine the oil companies who were gouging prices. Additionally, Ford asked businesses not to increase prices and, if possible, to drop them. And he proposed a 5% tax on ultra-wealthy people and businesses. In the room during Ford's announcement was economist Alan Greenspan, who later served as chairman of the Federal Reserve from 1987 to 2006. Although the men

shared a friendship and even golfed together, they did not always agree on economic matters. Greenspan was wholly unimpressed with the wind plan. He said, the speechwriters had ordered millions of whip inflation now buttons, samples of which they handed out to us in the room. It was surreal. I was the only economist present and I said to myself, this is unbelievable stupidity. What am I doing here? Greenspan saw the only way out of rising unemployment and inflation was to control the federal government's spending. Speaking to reporters, he said, if you don't solve the budget problems, anything else is just treating symptoms. Greenspan was not the only person disappointed by the win plan. People took to wearing the pins

upside down, so they read NIM, which they claimed stood for no immediate miracles. The latest pop culture joke quickly turned dismal as economists, a mere six months later, warned of an impending recession. One economist on Ford's team reminded everyone of the challenges the administration faced from the outset. You all know what happened. We were left with the job of building the airplane in the air. 1974 marked a global economic recession, which, coupled with inflation, created stagflation. Several factors created this situation, including volatility in the valuation of U.S. currency, the price of oil, the price and shortage of gasoline, personal income deficits,

soaring food prices due to crop failures, and a decline in consumer spending. As I mentioned in our last episode, OPEC, or the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, last episode, OPEC, or the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, declared an oil embargo on the United States after we supported Israel in the Yom Kippur War in October of 1973. The embargo cut oil imports from participating countries to the United States. It also cut production, resulting in more demand than supply. And you know what that means? Prices soar. On the home front, the U.S. didn't have excess oil with which they could saturate the market to lower costs. Our monetary system used to link the U.S. dollar to the value of gold, meaning for every dollar that was printed, there was a corresponding amount of gold sitting in reserve.

Nixon changed that in 1971 for a variety of reasons we don't have much time for today, but suffice it to say that the global economic system was impacted by the U.S. moving away from the gold standard. Crop failures in 1972 and anemic wheat harvests in 1974 led to soaring global food prices, as the amount of grain on the market was insufficient for the needs of both people and livestock. And again, with more demand than supply, prices increased astronomically for some families. On top of double-digit inflation in the U.S., the federal personal income tax increased. So not only are all the prices going up, now taxes are going up too. Americans no longer had as much disposable income, and what they had they were spending on gas for

their vehicles or food for their families. Higher and increased interest rates dampened the housing and car markets as people were priced out of purchases. And we were also suffering from another economic crisis, high unemployment. By the way, all of these things are related to each other as they are when it comes to the economy. You can't wiggle one of these things up or down without affecting the other ones. So this was a perfect confluence of events that created an incredible level of economic instability and unhappiness. So just to sum it all up, we have in the early years of the 1970s, high unemployment, way more people without jobs, high inflation, so the money that they make doesn't go as far, low supply of

necessities like oil and food, which drives the prices up even more, a highly corrupt President Nixon and the Vice President Spiro Agnew, the Vietnam War, and with all of that, it's easy to see why the mood of the country was quite low and pessimistic indeed. Inflation was not the only issue on which Ford faced obstacles. Just getting his vice president confirmed was an ordeal that took four months. that took four months. Ford nominated the former governor of New York, Nelson Rockefeller, for the vice presidency in August 1974, 11 days after he took office. But Congress didn't begin their hearings until November for a couple of reasons. The first was Nelson Rockefeller himself, specifically his money. Was he too rich to understand what it was like to be an everyday American? Rockefeller's disclosures to Congress put his net worth in 1974 dollars at $62.6 million,

which is like $400 million today. And he had a history as the governor of New York for being generous with large monetary gifts and loans to other elected officials, including Henry Kissinger. The logical question was, would he use his fortune to influence legislators? Referencing the congressional questioning of him, Rockefeller said, would my family background somehow limit and blind me so that I would not be able to see and serve the general good of all Americans? Poverty too can blind a man or a woman. Some never rise above the hungry resentments of early hardships. The second reason

for the delay was the fact that some members of Congress were unhappy about the fact that neither Ford nor Rockefeller were elected. Ford had been appointed by Nixon to replace the corrupt VP Spiro Agnew, so he had not been elected to either the vice presidency or the presidency. And here was Ford nominating a VP who was also unelected. This was brand new in U.S. history, and it just didn't sit right with some people. This long of a delay, though, was too much for a weary nation, a frustrated public, inundated congressional offices with letters to do your job. And Congress finally did. Rockefeller was confirmed in December. When we last left Richard Nixon, he was peering out the window of Marine One, soon to be circling over D.C. monuments and landmarks, flown out of town in disgrace.

The Nixons moved back to California, where they had an almost six-acre beachfront property. The former president suffered serious health problems, including a blood clot in his leg that required surgery and surgical complications that required a lengthy hospital stay. Reports noted that he seemed despondent. But then he decided to take action. His comeback in 1975 was really a practical matter. The Nixons owed back taxes, and his personal defense for Watergate had cost him about a million dollars, or the equivalent of $5.8 million today. or the equivalent of $5.8 million today. Nixon sold the rights to publish his memoirs for $2 million,

which is like nearly $12 million today. And when the memoir hit the shelves in 1978, they were bestsellers. Not everyone was excited about Nixon profiting off his actions. A grassroots organization in Washington, D.C. raised $40,000 for the Committee to Boycott Nixon's Memoirs. They created and sold shirts with clever slogans including, The Book Stops Here and Don't Buy Books from Crooks. They struggled to buy advertisements in newspapers until the Washington Post and the Pulitzer award-winning writer Mary McGrory interviewed a founder of the group who bluntly said, four years ago he had a chance to tell the truth for free, and now he's charging $19.95 a copy to tell us the same old story. The same old story. That message resonated with the public, and suddenly the group's shirts were wildly popular. Independent booksellers opted not to carry Nixon's memoirs. Corporate booksellers

like Barnes & Noble sold the book in some areas for 50% off. David Frost, a British TV personality known for his satirical news segments broadcast in Britain and Australia, and also a short-lived talk show in the early 70s in the U.S., persuaded Nixon to do personal interviews with him to set the record straight. By all accounts, Nixon anticipated that Frost would be a gentle interviewer. Frost wanted to be seen as a serious journalist, Frost had to pay out of pocket because all but one corporate sponsors refused to subsidize his production. And for that matter, no network wanted to broadcast his four 90-minute interview episodes either. The issue was not one of disinterest, but rather journalistic ethics. Because Nixon was paid, CBS couldn't air the interviews. The other two major networks, whose people were not involved in the production,

likewise passed on the opportunity. Nixon only agreed to participate for a fee, though, and his fee was hefty. $600,000, or like $3 million today. The interviews took place over a month in two-hour blocks of time. Nixon was amenable, perhaps because he had negotiated this very hefty fee, plus he was going to get 20% of any profit from the broadcast. At times, Nixon seemed surprised that Frost was a hard-hitting interviewer who pressed him when he gave evasive or untrue answers. Despite the lack of buy-in from networks and corporate sponsors, the interviews were a success for Frost and his team. They did something novel.

They sold the interviews to channels in individual cities across the country. They sold the interviews to channels in individual cities across the country. In effect, he syndicated his own program, and while it aired, Frost and his team functioned as their own network. Viewership was high, especially for the final episode, which was devoted to Watergate. During taping, Frost leaned hard on Nixon, asking him to unburden himself of anything that made him feel guilty. Nixon confided regret and then justified his inaction by saying that he should have called the FBI, but did not because he didn't want to rat out his friends. In his words, when you let your feelings, your heart get in the way of your head when you're president, that's when you make mistakes. And that's what I did.

Frost was unrelenting in his attempt to get Nixon to admit to participating in the cover-up. And just as he thought he was on the cusp of a bombshell, they ran out of tape. And it cut off. With a new tape installed recording their every word, Frost went off script, dropped his notebook, and gave Nixon the space to confess. Let's listen. I'm sorry. I just hope I haven't let you down. Well, when I said I just hope I haven't let you down that's it at all I had I let down my friends I let down the country I let down our system of government dreams of all those young people that ought to get into government

but will think it's all too corrupt and the rest. Most of all, I let down an opportunity that I would have had for two and a half more years to proceed on great projects and programs for building a lasting peace, which has been my dream as you know from our first interview in 1968 before I had any thought I might even win that year. I didn't tell you I didn't think I might win, but I wasn't sure. Yep, I let the American people down. And I have to carry that burden with me for the rest of my life. Nixon went on to quibble about the semantics of whether his actions were impeachable and seemingly blinking back tears, offered this assessment of himself, his future, and what it might mean for future presidents facing impeachment. I did not commit, in my view, an impeachable offense.

Now, the House has ruled overwhelmingly that I did. Of course, that was only an indictment, and it would have to be tried in the Senate. I might have won, I might have lost. But even if I had won in the Senate by a vote or two, I would have been crippled. And in any event, for six months the country couldn't afford having the president of the dock in the United States Senate. And there can never be an impeachment in the future in this country without a president voluntarily impeaching himself.

I have impeached myself. That speaks for itself. How do you mean, I have impeached myself? By resigning. That was a voluntary impeachment. And I have to carry that burden with me for the rest of my life. My political life is over. I never yet never again have an opportunity to serve any official position as far as the handling of this matter was concerned it was so botched up i made so many bad judgments the worst ones mistakes of the heart rather than the head, as I pointed out. But let me say, a man in that top judge, top job, he's got to have a heart.

But his head must always rule his heart. The ongoing drama in and around the presidency and the global economic crisis were not the only news headlines of 1974, though. And here are a few others. Patty Hearst, a wealthy college student, was kidnapped by members of the Symbionese Liberation Army, and we will dive into her story in a future episode. It is a doozy. Have you ever heard of Stockholm Syndrome? We will explain Patty's complicated relationship with her captors. 26-year-old author Stephen King published his first book, Carrie. It reinvigorated the horror genre and has subsequently been adapted as a film multiple times.

In a fit of self-doubt, he threw away his first draft, and his wife fished it out of the trash can and insisted that he submit it. When his editors called to say that he had sold the rights to the book for $400,000, Stephen recalled, The strength went right out of my legs, and I sat on the linoleum as we talked a bit more and I hung up and I thought, I have to get my wife something. I'm in Bangor, Maine. What's open? The only thing that was open was a drugstore. So I went downtown and I bought her a hairdryer. And she got home from the folks and I said, honey, I bought you something. And she said, oh, a hairdryer.

And then she said, it's beautiful, Steve, but I want you to take it back because we can't afford it. Joke was on her. The Sears Tower in Chicago became the world's tallest building for a little while, for a hot second. In Africa, a hominid skeleton over 3 million years old was discovered and named Lucy. The first woman president in the world, Isabel Perón, took office on July 1st following her husband's death. She was the president of Argentina. And in the United States, Beverly Johnson became the first woman of color to model on the cover of Vogue magazine. Next time, we'll talk about everything about the Vietnam War, violence abroad,

protests at home, and our participation in a conflict that dated back decades. I'll see you soon. The show is written and researched by Sharon McMahon, Amy Watkin, Mandy Reed, and Kari Anton. Our audio producer is Jenny Snyder, and it is executive produced and hosted by me, Sharon McMahon. If you enjoyed today's episode, we would love for you to hit the subscribe button, leave us a review, or share this episode on your favorite social media platform. All of those things help podcasters out so much. We'll see you again soon.