into one of the twelve statutory exceptions. This act was popular amongst citizens because it gave them a sense of security, they felt as though they were more protected from unjust activity. Ford’s main focus was battling inflation and unemployment. He had originally planned on increasing taxes and cutting government spending, which would stop inflation from increasing. However, his plans changed, in an attempt to lower the unemployment rates, Ford proposed tax cuts and the limitation of government spending. In acts like the Tax Reduction Act of 1975, Ford cut taxes by nearly 23 billion dollars.
Even though the tax cut may have been relieving to the citizens, it led to an economic recession. The government spending, tax cuts, and the unemployment rates, all combined forces to create a major recession. Although, these same strategies are responsible for lowering the unemployment and inflation rates in 1976. Another strategy President Ford used to combat inflation was vetoing bills and acts that he had considered “unnecessary” government spending. Ford vetoed over fifty bills that he perceived would have been wasteful, the majority of which were upheld.
Arguably, Ford’s greatest decision comes with the removal of U. S. troops from Vietnam. On April 23, 1975, Ford declares that “as far as America [was] concerned” the Vietnam War had ended. Even though the loss of an American ally was detrimental, Ford avoided public ridicule by pulling the troops once there was no longer a chance for victory. There had already been so many American deaths in Vietnam that it wasn’t worth putting more lives in danger for a battle that at that point had become a lost cause. The end of the war led to the signing of the Helsinki Accord.
The Helsinki Accord were agreements between thirty-five European nations, as well as the U. S. and Canada. The act was divided into four parts, the first part did a number of things, including the defining borders, resolving military issues, and agreeing upon the peaceful settlement of disputes. The second part promised the opportunity of international trade, and the third protected the rights of individuals, like emigration, religion, etc. The final part consisted of details on future meetings (“Gerald Ford | Miller Center”). One of Gerald Ford’s greatest achievements came on May 14, 1975, when he ordered U. S. forces to take back the SS Mayaguez.
Two days earlier, Cambodian gunboats captured the U. S. Mayaguez, an American merchant ship, and was holding all thirty-nine crew members captive. Ford’s mission was successful, saving the ship and all thirty-nine members of the crew, but unfortunately fortyone U. S. troops died during the mission. Citizens commended him for taking action and the mission improved his approval ratings (“Gerald R. Ford Biography”). Since Gerald Ford had taken over the presidential position from Richard Nixon, that meant he had inherited Nixon’s cabinet members.
Initially, the only difference was Ford’s nomination of Nelson Rockefeller as vice president. Rockefeller’s nomination came in a similar means as Ford’s had, Ford needed someone that both the senate and house would approve of. A combination of being wealthy, and having been a successful governor of New York, put him in a good spot for approval, not to mention his family names. Both of his grandfathers were two of the most influential men in United States’ history, one being John D. Rockefeller, founder of the Standard Oil company, and the other being Nelson Aldrich, one of the most powerful senators of all time.
Other than Ford’s new vice president, Nixon’s cabinet remained untouched until what is considered the “Sunday Morning Massacre. ” This massacre, also known as the “Halloween Massacre,” occurred on November 4, 1975, it involved the replacement of all but three of Nixon’s appointed cabinet members. The three members Ford kept included; Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, Secretary of the Treasury William E. Simon, and Secretary of Agriculture Earl Butz. The sudden replacements were an attempt to set himself up to beat his future Republican Party opponent, Ronald Reagan, for the candidacy spot in the 1976 election.
Ford forged his cabinet into a political powerhouse, appointing many people that continued to serve as political figures after Ford’s presidency. Amongst these influential cabinet members were; Donald Rumsfeld as the Secretary of Defense, Eliot Richardson as Secretary of Commerce, future president, George H. W. Bush as the director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), White House Chief of Staff, Dick Cheney, and Edward Levi as Attorney General. Ford’s cabinet was so effective because they each did their individual jobs, allowing them to work smoothly and avoid fighting.
The Secretary of State, Henry Kissinger focused on keeping the period of detente with the Soviets and avoiding unnecessary conflict. As Secretary of Treasury, William Simon created the Federal Energy Administration, an organization used to combat the oil crisis of 1973, he also supported free market, criticizing government actions that penalized businesses. At the end of his time as Secretary of Treasury, he received the “Alexander Hamilton Award,” the highest honor given by the Treasury Department and the Egyptian equivalent, the “Order of the Nile.
After the Vietnam war ended, it was Donald Rumsfeld, the Secretary of Defense who had transferred the military back over to the a voluntary military. Rumsfeld later received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian award. Edward Levi, Ford’s Attorney General was responsible for restricting the powers of the FBI. Levi made it necessary for the agency to have evidence of a crime before they can use secretive police techniques to obtain more evidence (“Gerald Ford | Miller Center”). During Gerald Ford’s time as president, congress was controlled by the Democratic Party, which would normally cause conflicts.
However, Ford worked well with Congress and avoided confrontation for the most part. Ford didn’t have too much of a hard time passing his policies, but he some of his vetoes had been overruled. Only about ten of his vetoes had been overruled, but one in particular was considered a loss. President Ford was in opposition to the Freedom of Information Act. The act would allow the public to view government information. Ford vetoed the bill, claim that it was unconstitutional and that even if it passed, the bill wouldn’t function correctly.
Apparently, Congress didn’t agree, they voted to overrule the veto and accept the bill. Gerald Ford took over the presidency in a time of crisis within the United States. President Ford was forced to face a failing economy, rising inflation, the downfall of U. S. allies, and citizens that had lost trust in their government. After the inevitable recession of 1975, Ford was able to cut inflation in almost half, through tax cuts and decreased government spending, he also began creating more jobs.
He helped keep world peace by withdrawing U. S. roops from Vietnam and by signing the Helsinki Act. He even restored trust within the nation, just with his open and trustworthy character. Gerald Ford receives mixed reviews, but he did a lot of good in a bad situation. Thomas O’Neill puts it best when he says, “God has been good to America, especially during difficult times. At the time of the Civil War, he gave us Abraham Lincoln. And at the time of Watergate, he gave us Gerald For, the right man at the right time who was able to put the Nation back together. ” (“Gerald R. Ford Biography”).