Was there a Nixon/Ford quid pro quo?

[journalist3072]

What say you, DUers? Was there a quid pro quo between Nixon and Ford? That is to say, do you believe Nixon agreed to resign, because Ford promised him in advance that he would pardon him?

NOTE: Pls do me a favor and leave a post explaining your vote. Regardless of whether you vote yes or no, I'm curious to know WHY you voted the way you did, so pls take the time to explain. Thanks!

[sandnsea]

1. Oh of course

Nixon was a Prescott Bush protege. Ford was a thorough 'company man' Republican, it's no accident that Cheney, Rummy and all the rest came up through him. That party is exactly the same now as it has been for decades.

[RoyGBiv]

2. No one knows ...

Well, maybe someone still alive knows, but I doubt he or she is going to talk.

[Selatius]

3. You don't need quid pro quo if the two people in question have the same party registration papers.

In this case, they were both registered Republicans.

[EdwardM]

4. Probably.

After all, isn't that what politicians do? There's no way of knowing though.

[AndyTiedye]

5. Of Course. Who Better than an Old Warren Commission Member

[nosmokes]

6. of course. you think ford woulda got the appointment w/o the agreement,

either overt or implicit that he was to pardon nixon? it waas absolutely part of the deal, as it woulda bewen for whoever got the nod. that was plainly understood. sheesh, if you were nixon could ya blame him?

[solara]

7. I don't think so

Not all registered Republicans were ethically challenged 30-odd years ago

From all accounts Ford was viewed as a pretty decent guy, for a politician. I think he was being honest when he said he pardoned Nixon to end all the crap about Watergate so he could tend to business. Ford's unexpected presidency threw him into alot of heavy stuff ..

First, the Scandal of Watergate was very disturbing and frightening and was tearing this country apart. I think Ford agreed to step in as VP to help 'hold the line' because he was a team player all the way, and not just the Republican team either, although I am sure it pained him greatly to see the depths to which his party had fallen.

Then there was the unprecedented shock of a PRESIDENT actually resigning..which was totally unreal, very painful and unsettling even if you were anti-Nixon and knew he was a criminal; then, there was the end of the Viet Nam War to deal with, the Russians, oil problems etc etc.

Ford was selected to replace Agnew because he was fairly benign and relatively clean.. not because he was prepared for the presidency...those were some pretty big shoes to fill, no matter who had been wearing them, and besides, who knew Nixon would actually resign?

:shrug:

[saracat]

8. I agree. Very well said.

[solara]

10. Thanks, but let me go further

I stated before why I don't believe Ford was "in on it" with Nixon. But, even though I believe Ford was dangerously in WAY over his head, history must still hold him accountable.

I believe Ford was absolutely not in the loop and had no idea that criminality was the norm and not the exception. This was thirty years ago and people were not as cynical and world-weary as they are now. The crimes and abuses of power by Nixon and his cabinet were still considered "abnormal" by most. Cheney and Rumsfeld were younger and just beginning to hit their stride, and Kissinger was a truly formidable, teflon-coated heavy weight at the time.

I think they chose Ford because he -wasn't- a member of their club, if that makes any sense. Ford was anything but impeccable as a president, but it is just possible that he -was- decent, or tried to be especially in comparison to the others. Sadly, I believe he was a pawn in the truest sense of the word.

Does that excuse the things he did or didn't do? No. But it may explain them even though the idea that "he was just following orders' is a feeble and pathetic presidential legacy at best. Worse, it may be more likely that he blindly accepted Kissinger's council with relief and was further encouraged by the eagerness of such seemingly earnest, competent and smart young Republican 'lions' like Cheney, Rumsfeld and others to help shoulder the enormous burden that history had thrust upon him for which he was so ill-suited.

But, no matter how it all came down, Ford was still responsible for his actions. He was the President, and unfortunately when he pardoned Nixon, however altruistic his motive, his action helped to pave the way for the horrifying nightmare which now entangles us.

I am convinced that the unconscionable abuse of power, the obscenity of the war in Iraq, the sabotage done to our Constitution, the disgusting and unholy decision to trade blood for oil, the lies, the stolen elections....all of the damage done to our country by the current administration could never have succeeded had Nixon and every one of his fellow criminals been held accountable and made to pay for their crimes.

I pray that this lesson has been learned well.

[Raine]

9. No

Ford was a decent guy and he was doing what he thought was best to move the country forward.

[cassiepriam]

11. Two repugs making a sweetheart deal? More shocking if they had not.

Duh, of course it was a done deal from the get go.

[H2O Man]

12. Yes.

A number of the books about that era show that Nixon was intent upon knowing that he would be pardoned. The same books indicate that Ford and those around him did not want to discuss the issue. They may have simply not wanted Ford to commit to such an obligation. But I do not believe that was the real reason. I am convinced that they did not want any record that would show that the issue of a pardon was a factor in Ford's becoming president. In my experiences, even at the local level of town/city/county politics, there are the unsaid "gentlemen's" agreements all the time. I'm sure that Ford never said that he would indeed pardon Nixon, but it seems most likely that Ford -- and Nixon -- understood that he would.

[NoPasaran]

13. I think there probably was

And frankly I'm okay with it. In a perfect world, we'd want to see justice done, but in the world we actually live in, just getting Nixon out of the White House without using force was good enough for me.

[dave_p]

14. I don't know

... and maybe we never will.

In the absence of evidence, what matters is that there didn't need to be one.

Ford might have done it out of the belief that a trial would harm the nation, the presidency or the ability of the Administration - any Administration - to get on with its work.

Or he may have done it out of recognition of the harm the case would inflict on his own party.

There may have been a deal, but there was good reason politically to do it anyway. I'd have done it too in his place. If I'd been a Democrat successor I'd have done it too, while letting the law take its course with those who hadn't been ruined by the revelations.

So I'm voting "don't know".