1974 : Nixon resigns
In an evening televised address, President Richard M. Nixon announces
his intention to become the first president in American history to
resign. With impeachment proceedings underway against him for his
involvement in the Watergate affair, Nixon was finally bowing to
pressure from the public and Congress to leave the White House. "By
taking this action," he said in a solemn address from the Oval Office,
"I hope that I will have hastened the start of the process of healing
which is so desperately needed in America."
Just before noon the next day, Nixon officially ended his term as the
37th president of the United States. Before departing with his family
in a helicopter from the White House lawn, he smiled farewell and
enigmatically raised his arms in a victory or peace salute. The
helicopter door was then closed, and the Nixon family began their
journey home to San Clemente, California. Minutes later, Vice
President Gerald R. Ford was sworn in as the 38th president of the
United States in the East Room of the White House. After taking the
oath of office, President Ford spoke to the nation in a television
address, declaring, "My fellow Americans, our long national nightmare
is over." He later pardoned Nixon for any crimes he may have committed
while in office, explaining that he wanted to end the national
divisions created by the Watergate scandal.
On June 17, 1972, five men, including a salaried security coordinator
for President Nixon's reelection committee, were arrested for breaking
into and illegally wiretapping the Democratic National Committee
headquarters in the Washington, D.C., Watergate complex. Soon after,
two other former White House aides were implicated in the break-in,
but the Nixon administration denied any involvement. Later that year,
reporters Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward of The Washington Post
discovered a higher-echelon conspiracy surrounding the incident, and a
political scandal of unprecedented magnitude erupted.
In May 1973, the Senate Select Committee on Presidential Campaign
Activities, headed by Senator Sam Ervin of North Carolina, began
televised proceedings on the rapidly escalating Watergate affair. One
week later, Harvard law professor Archibald Cox was sworn in as
special Watergate prosecutor. During the Senate hearings, former White
House legal counsel John Dean testified that the Watergate break-in
had been approved by former Attorney General John Mitchell with the
knowledge of White House advisers John Ehrlichman and H.R. Haldeman,
and that President Nixon had been aware of the cover-up. Meanwhile,
Watergate prosecutor Cox and his staff began to uncover widespread
evidence of political espionage by the Nixon reelection committee,
illegal wiretapping of thousands of citizens by the administration,
and contributions to the Republican Party in return for political
favors.
In July, the existence of what were to be called the Watergate
tapes--official recordings of White House conversations between Nixon
and his staff--was revealed during the Senate hearings. Cox subpoenaed
these tapes, and after three months of delay President Nixon agreed to
send summaries of the recordings. Cox rejected the summaries, and
Nixon fired him. His successor as special prosecutor, Leon Jaworski,
leveled indictments against several high-ranking administration
officials, including Mitchell and Dean, who were duly convicted.
Public confidence in the president rapidly waned, and by the end of
July 1974 the House Judiciary Committee had adopted three articles of
impeachment against President Nixon: obstruction of justice, abuse of
presidential powers, and hindrance of the impeachment process. On July
30, under coercion from the Supreme Court, Nixon finally released the
Watergate tapes. On August 5, transcripts of the recordings were
released, including a segment in which the president was heard
instructing Haldeman to order the FBI to halt the Watergate
investigation. Three days later, Nixon announced his resignation.
history.com/tdih.do
1879 : Emiliano Zapata born
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=5243
1942 : German saboteurs executed in Washington
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=5244
##########################################
In an evening televised address, President Richard M. Nixon announces
his intention to become the first president in American history to
resign. With impeachment proceedings underway against him for his
involvement in the Watergate affair, Nixon was finally bowing to
pressure from the public and Congress to leave the White House. "By
taking this action," he said in a solemn address from the Oval Office,
"I hope that I will have hastened the start of the process of healing
which is so desperately needed in America."
Just before noon the next day, Nixon officially ended his term as the
37th president of the United States. Before departing with his family
in a helicopter from the White House lawn, he smiled farewell and
enigmatically raised his arms in a victory or peace salute. The
helicopter door was then closed, and the Nixon family began their
journey home to San Clemente, California. Minutes later, Vice
President Gerald R. Ford was sworn in as the 38th president of the
United States in the East Room of the White House. After taking the
oath of office, President Ford spoke to the nation in a television
address, declaring, "My fellow Americans, our long national nightmare
is over." He later pardoned Nixon for any crimes he may have committed
while in office, explaining that he wanted to end the national
divisions created by the Watergate scandal.
On June 17, 1972, five men, including a salaried security coordinator
for President Nixon's reelection committee, were arrested for breaking
into and illegally wiretapping the Democratic National Committee
headquarters in the Washington, D.C., Watergate complex. Soon after,
two other former White House aides were implicated in the break-in,
but the Nixon administration denied any involvement. Later that year,
reporters Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward of The Washington Post
discovered a higher-echelon conspiracy surrounding the incident, and a
political scandal of unprecedented magnitude erupted.
In May 1973, the Senate Select Committee on Presidential Campaign
Activities, headed by Senator Sam Ervin of North Carolina, began
televised proceedings on the rapidly escalating Watergate affair. One
week later, Harvard law professor Archibald Cox was sworn in as
special Watergate prosecutor. During the Senate hearings, former White
House legal counsel John Dean testified that the Watergate break-in
had been approved by former Attorney General John Mitchell with the
knowledge of White House advisers John Ehrlichman and H.R. Haldeman,
and that President Nixon had been aware of the cover-up. Meanwhile,
Watergate prosecutor Cox and his staff began to uncover widespread
evidence of political espionage by the Nixon reelection committee,
illegal wiretapping of thousands of citizens by the administration,
and contributions to the Republican Party in return for political
favors.
In July, the existence of what were to be called the Watergate
tapes--official recordings of White House conversations between Nixon
and his staff--was revealed during the Senate hearings. Cox subpoenaed
these tapes, and after three months of delay President Nixon agreed to
send summaries of the recordings. Cox rejected the summaries, and
Nixon fired him. His successor as special prosecutor, Leon Jaworski,
leveled indictments against several high-ranking administration
officials, including Mitchell and Dean, who were duly convicted.
Public confidence in the president rapidly waned, and by the end of
July 1974 the House Judiciary Committee had adopted three articles of
impeachment against President Nixon: obstruction of justice, abuse of
presidential powers, and hindrance of the impeachment process. On July
30, under coercion from the Supreme Court, Nixon finally released the
Watergate tapes. On August 5, transcripts of the recordings were
released, including a segment in which the president was heard
instructing Haldeman to order the FBI to halt the Watergate
investigation. Three days later, Nixon announced his resignation.
history.com/tdih.do
1879 : Emiliano Zapata born
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=5243
1942 : German saboteurs executed in Washington
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=5244
##########################################
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