Presidential Proclamation 4311 of September 8, 1974, by President Gerald R. Ford granting a pardon to Richard M. Nixon.  | |
 | |
 PresidentGerald Ford announcing his decision to pardon former PresidentRichard Nixon | |
| Type | Presidential proclamation |
|---|---|
| President | Gerald Ford |
| Signed | September 8, 1974 |
| Summary | |
| Granted a full and unconditional pardon to former PresidentRichard Nixon | |
Thepardon of Richard Nixon (officially,Proclamation 4311) was apresidential proclamation issued byGerald Ford, thepresident of the United States, on September 8, 1974, granting a full and unconditionalpardon toRichard Nixon, his predecessor, for any crimes that he might have committed against theUnited States as president.[1][2] In particular, the pardon covered Nixon's actions during theWatergate scandal. In a televised broadcast to the nation, Ford, who had succeeded to the presidency upon Nixon's resignation, explained that he felt the pardon was in the best interests of the country and that the Nixon family's situation was "a tragedy in which we all have played a part. It could go on and on and on, or someone must write the end to it. I have concluded that only I can do that, and if I can, I must."[3]
After Ford left the White House in 1977, he privately justified his pardon of Nixon by carrying in his wallet a portion of the text ofBurdick v. United States, a 1915U.S. Supreme Court case where thedictum stated that a pardon carries an imputation of guilt and that its acceptance carries a confession of guilt.[4][5]
Following the release ofthe "smoking gun" tape on August 5, 1974, Nixon's position had become untenable. In his 1979 autobiography,A Time to Heal, Ford wrote about a meeting he had withWhite House Chief of StaffAlexander Haig before Nixon's resignation. Haig was explaining what he and Nixon's staff thought were Nixon's only options. He could try to ride out the impeachment and fight against conviction in the Senate all the way, or he could resign. His options for resigning were to delay his resignation until further along in the impeachment process to try to settle for a censure vote in Congress, or to pardon himself and then resign. Haig told Ford that some of Nixon's staff suggested that Nixon could agree to resign in return for an agreement that Ford would pardon him. On this subject, Ford wrote:
Haig emphasized that these weren'this suggestions. He didn't identify the staff members, and he made it very clear that he wasn't recommending any one option over another. What he wanted to know was whether or not my overall assessment of the situation agreed with his....[emphasis in original] Next, he asked if I had any suggestions as to courses of action for the President. I didn't think it would be proper for me to make any recommendations at all, and I told him so.[6]
In aWashington Post story published the night Ford died, journalistBob Woodward said that Ford once told Woodward he decided to pardon Nixon for other reasons, primarily the friendship that Ford and Nixon shared.[7]
Following Nixon's resignation on August 9, 1974, the Nixons flew toLa Casa Pacifica, their home inSan Clemente, California.[citation needed] According to his biographer,Jonathan Aitken, after his resignation, "Nixon was a soul in torment."[8] Congress had funded Nixon's transition costs, including some salary expenses, but reduced the appropriation from $850,000 to $200,000. With some of his staff still with him, Nixon was at his desk by 7 a.m. with little to do.[8] His former press secretary,Ron Ziegler, sat with him alone for hours each day.[9]
Nixon's resignation had not put an end to the desire among many to see him punished. With his resignation, Congress droppedits impeachment proceedings against him, but criminal prosecution was still a possibility on both the federal and state levels.[10]
The Ford White House considered a pardon of Nixon, but it would be unpopular in the country. Nixon, contacted by Ford emissaries, was initially reluctant to accept the pardon but then agreed to do so. Ford, however, insisted on a statement of contrition; Nixon felt he had not committed any crimes and should not have to issue such a document. Ford eventually agreed, and on September 8, 1974, he granted Nixon a "full, free, and absolute pardon" that ended any possibility of an indictment. Nixon then released a statement:
I was wrong in not acting more decisively and more forthrightly in dealing with Watergate, particularly when it reached the stage of judicial proceedings and grew from a political scandal into a national tragedy. No words can describe the depth of my regret and pain at the anguish my mistakes over Watergate have caused the nation and the presidency, a nation I so deeply love, and an institution I so greatly respect.[11][12][13]
The Nixon pardon was controversial. Critics derided the move and claimed a "corrupt bargain" had been struck between the men: that Ford's pardon was granted in exchange for Nixon's resignation, elevating Ford to the presidency. Ford's first press secretary and close friendJerald terHorst resigned his post in protest after the pardon.
The Nixon pardon was a pivotal moment in theFord presidency. Historians believe that the controversy was one of the major reasons that Ford lost theelection in 1976, and Ford agreed with that observation.[7] In an editorial at the time,The New York Times stated that the Nixon pardon was a "profoundly unwise, divisive and unjust act" in which "President Ford [...] signally failed to provide courageous and impartial moral leadership."[14] Allegations of a secret deal made with Ford, promising a pardon in return for Nixon's resignation, led Ford to testify before theHouse Judiciary Committee on October 17, 1974.[15][16] He was the first sitting president to testify before theHouse of Representatives sinceAbraham Lincoln.[17][18] Ford's approval rating dropped from 71% to 50% following the pardon.[19]
In October 1974, Nixon fell ill withphlebitis. Told by his doctors that he could either be operated on or die, a reluctant Nixon chose surgery, and Ford visited him in the hospital. Nixon was under subpoena for the trial of three of his former aides (John Dean,H. R. Haldeman, andJohn Ehrlichman). The pardon would have put Nixon in a difficult position on the witness stand since he would not have been able to assert anyFifth Amendment privilege when questioned about his actions as president.The Washington Post, disbelieving his illness, printed a cartoon showing Nixon with a cast on the "wrong foot". JudgeJohn Sirica excused Nixon's presence despite the defendants' objections.[20]
Congress instructed Ford to retain Nixon's presidential papers, which began a three-decade legal battle over the documents that was eventually lost by Nixon and his estate.[21] Nixon was in the hospital when the1974 midterm elections were held. Watergate and the pardon were contributing factors to the Republican loss of 43 seats in the House and four in the Senate.[22] Two years later, lingering public resentment over the pardon was a factor in Ford's narrow loss to Democratic Party nomineeJimmy Carter in the1976 presidential election.[23]
After Ford left the White House in 1977, he privately justified his pardon of Nixon by carrying in his wallet a portion of the text ofBurdick v. United States, a 1915U.S. Supreme Court decision which states that a pardon carries an imputation of guilt and that acceptance carries a confession of guilt.[4][full citation needed] In 2001, theJohn F. Kennedy Library Foundation awarded the John F. KennedyProfile in Courage Award to Ford for his pardon of Nixon.[24] In presenting the award to Ford, SenatorTed Kennedy said that he had initially been opposed to the pardon of Nixon, but later stated that history had proven Ford to have made the correct decision.[25]
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