BECAUSE
BECAUSE THAT MOMENT IS BEYOND COMPARE WE GO BACK IN TIME TO
THE ARCHIVES.
THE ARCHIVES. >> Reporter: ON AUGUST 8, 1974,
AMERICA WAS ABOUT TO BE TOLD
SOMETHING NO PRESIDENT HAD EVER
TOLD THEM AND MINUTES BEFORE IT
HAPPENED, THAT PRESIDENT FOUND
SOME LEVITY.
SOME LEVITY. >> YOU ARE BETTER LOOKING THAN
I AM, WHY DON'T YOU STAY HERE?
I AM AFRAID YOU WILL CATCH ME
PICKING MY NOSE.
>> Reporter: HIS JOKES CAME AN
HOUR AFTER HE LEFT A MEETING
WITH HIS PARTY'S LEADERS IN
TEARS.
TEARS.
TEARS. PRESIDENT RICHARD NIXON'S
SPEECH WAS VIEWED BY ALMOST ALL
OF AMERICA WITH ELECTRICITY IN
A TELEVISION THAT NIGHT.
>> GOOD EVENING.
THIS IS THE 37th TIME I HAVE
SPOKEN TO YOU FROM THIS OFFICE
THROUGHOUT THE LONG AND
DIFFICULT PERIOD OF WATER IT
GATE.
GATE.
GATE. I
GATE. I FELT IT WAS MY DUTY TO
PERSEVERE, TO MAKE EVERY
POSSIBLE EFFORT TO COMPLETE THE
TERM OF OFFICE TO WHICH YOU
ELECTED ME.
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.
THAT EFFORT. I WOULD SAY ONLY THAT IF SOME
OF MY JUDGMENTS WERE WRONG AND
SOME WERE WRONG, THEY WERE MADE
IN WHAT I BELIEVED AT THE TIME
TO BE THE BEST INTEREST OF THE
NATION.
NATION.
NATION. I
NATION. I WOULD HAVE PREFERRED TO CARRY
THROUGH TO THE FINISH.
WHATEVER THE PERSONAL AG19 IT
WOULD HAVE INVOLVED.
I HAVE NEVER BEEN A QUIETER.
TO LEAVE OFFICE BEFORE MY TERM
IS COMPLETED IS ABHORRENT TO
EVER INSEASON TICKET IN MY BODY
BUT AS PRESIDENT I MUST PUT THE
INTEREST OF AMERICA FIRST.
THEREFORE I SHALL RESIGN THE
PRESIDENCY EFFECTIVE AT NOON
TOMORROW.
TOMORROW.
TOMORROW. VIRE FORD WILL BE SWORN IN AS
PRESIDENT.
PRESIDENT. AS WE LOOK TO THE FUTURE, THE
FIRST IS TO BEGIN HEALING THE
WOUNDS OF THIS NATION, TO PUT
THE BITTERNESS AND DIVISION
BEHIND US.
BEHIND US. AND TO REDISCOVER THOSE SHARED
IDEAS THAT LIE AT THE PART OF
OUR STRENGTH AND UNITY AS A
GREAT AND AS A FREE PEOPLE.
BY TAKING THIS ACTION I HOPE
THAT I WILL HAVE HASTENED THE
START OF THAT PROCESS OF
HEALING WHICH IS SO DESPERATELY
NEEDED IN AMERICA.
>> WHAT A NIGHT.
THAT WAS 45 YEARS AGO TONIGHT
AND A BIT OF FACTS FOR YOU TOO,
BECAUSE A LOT OF PEOPLE GET
THIS WRONG.
THIS WRONG. RICHARD NIXON WAS NOT
IMPEACHED.
IMPEACHED. RICHARD NIXON RESIGNED BEFORE
THERE WAS A VOTE.
SOMETIMESPEOPLE GET THAT
CONFUSED AND SAY HE WAS
IMPEACHED AND HE WAS NOT.
JOHN CROMAN LOVES HISTORY AND
POLITICS, WHEN YOU SEE THAT
SPEECH TODAY YOU ARE STILL
STRUCK BY HOW REMARKABLE IT
WAS.
WAS.
WAS. >>
WAS. >> YEAH.
>> YEAH.
>> YEAH. AND I SAW IT LIVE.
THAT NIGHT WENT TO THIS PICNIC
AT THE PARK AND SOMEBODY
BROUGHT A LITTLE PORTABLE TV
AND WE ALL WATCHED THE SPEECH.
>> YOU REMEMBER THAT?
>> I REMEMBER THAT.
BECAUSE THESE WERE BAPTISTS IN
KANSAS, HE IS GETTING A RAW
DEAL, YOU KNOW, THIS IS BLOWN
OUT OF PROPORTION BUT IT WAS
STILL -- WE WERE STUNNED HE
REALLY DID IT.
HE REALLY STEPPED DOWN AND WE
WERE WONDERING WHAT IS GOING TO
HAPPEN NOW.
HAPPEN NOW. >> FIVE YEARS AS PRESIDENT, THE
NEXT DAY FORD TOOK THE OATH OF
OFFICE.
OFFICE.
OFFICE. WAS IT QUIET --
>> YEAH.
>> YEAH.
>> YEAH. EVERYBODY STOPPED WHAT THEY
WERE DOING AND WENT TO THE TV.
YOU CAN HEAR PEOPLE -- THE
GASPS, YOU KNOW, THE PEOPLE --
YOU KNOW, YOU SAW -- I AM NOT A
QUIETER.
QUIETER.
QUIETER. OKAY.
OKAY.
OKAY. HE
OKAY. HE IS PROBABLY GOING TO RESIGN
TONIGHT.