President Gerald Ford Not only had Nixon become entangled with the Watergate Scandal, in which men under his leadership broke in to the Democrat Headquarters, in the Watergate building, to steal information, he also possessed hours upon hours of recorded meetings, on tape, that had the potential to link him to other forms of illegal activity. Though many went to jail for Watergate and other related scandals, Nixon was pardoned by President Gerald Ford, who was his Vice President while Nixon was in office. President Ford Pardons Nixon -The Watergate Scandal was creating massive tension in the USA. President Nixon had resigned office and his Vice President, Ford, pardoned him of all crimes connected to various scandals.

-Ford’s initial action as President was controversial. Many felt that, if others went to jail for scandals like Watergate, Nixon should as well.

-Therefore, Ford faced massive opposition and unpopularity at the start of his Presidency in 1974. A Struggling Economy -Not only did Ford have deal with the negative opinion of pardoning Nixon, the economy also struggled while he was in office.

-Unemployment was radically increasing and inflation was drastically growing.

-The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) had also increased oil prices, further damaging the economy. Inflation example: Let’s say a hammer is $6.00. If inflation stays at 3%, then, in one year, that same hammer would cost $6.18. After 20 years, that same hammer would cost $10.52. Ford Tries to “Whip” Inflation -Ford started a Program called WIN, “Whip Inflation Now.”

-The plan called for the USA to cut back on foreign oil consumption and government spending was reduced as well.

-Ford also encouraged Americans to increase their savings and spend less. These efforts failed. The economy still struggled under Ford’s watch. Despite his “Whip Inflation Now” (WIN) campaign, the economy still struggled during Ford’s Presidency.. After WW II, when the Communists took over China, the USA reduced cooperation with the nation to protest their government system. Richard Nixon challenged that approach. He asserted that it was in the best interest of the USA to trade with China, since China was such a large nation. This policy was called Realpolitik. To the left is a picture of Nixon standing on The Great Wall of China. President Richard Nixon shaking hands with the Communist leader of China, Mao Zedong. Ford continued the policy or Realpolitik and continued interactions with China, despite the fact that China was Communist. Pictured above, The Communist dictator, Mao Zedong, meets with President Ford and Henry Kissinger, the Secretary of State. The USA and China -Ford continued the “Realpolitik” approach of Henry Kissinger, who was Secretary of State.

-Kissinger asserted that the USA must cooperate with large nations, even if they are Communist, like China.

-During his Presidency, Ford continued this Realpolitik approach and interacted frequently with Communist nations. During WW II, the Democracies of the world had originally teamed up the Communist USSR to defeat Nazi Germany. When World War II was finished, the USA, Britain, and France grew concerned. They wanted the nations of the world to accept Democracy. Yet, it was clear that Stalin wanted Eastern Europe to be dominated by Communism. After WW II, the USSR controlled Eastern Europe and Western Europe was heavily influenced by the USA and Britain. The Western half of Europe, by in large, practiced Democracy. The Helsinki Accords of 1974 -During this meeting in Helsinki, Finland, the nations of the West, such as the USA and Britain, entered into more dialog with the USSR concerning Eastern Europe and the Baltic States in particular.

-Ford signed the agreement. It asserted that Eastern Communist nations would seek more cooperation with the Democratic Western nations. The goal was to reduce the clear tensions that developed between the Communist East and the Democracies of the West.

-Many feared increased cooperation with the USSR meant the USA was giving in to the USSR’s domination of Eastern Europe and opened a path for the USSR to annex the Baltic States of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. After World War II, Poland, East Germany, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Romania, and Bulgaria became Satellite Nations that were controlled by the USSR. The Baltic States of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania remained disputed areas. The USSR asserted control of the areas. Yet, many believed the Baltic States should be recognized as independent nations.

Many were concerned that the USA’s increased interaction with the USSR would eventually result in a full recognition that the USSR controlled the Baltic States and that the independence movements for these areas would end. Back in the 1940s, President Truman’s goal of “Containment” was simply to keep Communism from spreading any further into the world. This policy failed. Vietnam

Communism expanded to China, North Korea, Cuba, and Vietnam from the 1940s to the 1960s. After World War II, the Democracies of the world, including the USA, were concerned about Communism spreading in Asia. Eventually, China fell to Communism as did North Korea. Then, Communism spread down to Vietnam. The USA got involved to try and keep South Vietnam from falling to Communism. The war became very unpopular in the USA as it lasted from the 1950s to the 1970s. President Lyndon Johnson and President Richard Nixon had to deal with various military campaigns in Vietnam. The End of the Vietnam War -On January 27, 1973, at the Paris Peace Accords, the USA agreed to evacuate its troop presence in Vietnam. This did not end the war. Yet, it ended the USA’s involvement in the conflict.

-President Gerald Ford took power in 1974 and the USA continued to keep American troops out of Vietnam. In April of 1975, the North Vietnamese military seized Saigon, the South’s capital. Ford was the last President to be in office while the Vietnam War was occurring.

-South Vietnam surrendered to the North and fell to Communism in 1975. Over 58,000 Americans had died in the conflict. Millions in North and South Vietnam had been killed as well throughout the war. The last Americans are evacuated from Saigon, in South Vietnam, as the North seizes the city. The End Copyright, USHistoryTeachers.com All Rights Reserved.