Nixon's Crisis-And Ford's

Newsweek Ford facing pickets in Pittsburgh, NIXON'S CRISIS-AND FORD'S nce again, the White House had be- on's declining physical and mental health, "just as normal as those we used to have come a bunker. The hasty pardon Ford seemed to have stampeded himself at the White House." Oof Richard Nixon—and the muddle over into a badly timed decision. But the real Near the end of a week full of self- possible further pardons that followed— state of Nixon's health remained a mys- contradictions, the White House began suddenly drove Gerald Ford's month-old tery. His doctor, Air Force Maj. Gen. to back away from any suggestion that Administration deep into crisis last week. Walter Tkach, found a new outbreak of Nixon's health had been a factor in the In the public-opinion polls, Ford's stand- phlebitis in Nixon's left leg and what pardon. But by then Richard Nixon had ing dropped precipitously; the mail was may prove to be an even graver state of become the monkey on Gerald Ford's overwhelmingly unfavorable, and this mind: the former President refused hos- back, and he was not to be shaken off fall's elections threatened to turn from a pitalization, telling Tkach that "If I go so easily. Nixon and Watergate . had mere Republican defeat into a rout. On into the hospital, I'll never come out abruptly become Topic A again at the Capitol Hill, all the old jokes about the alive." Nervous and distraught himself, White House, smothering almost every President's intellectual capacity were be- Tkach described Nixon as "a ravaged other subject. "This puts Watergate back ing revived. "I guess he started chewing man who has lost the will to fight." Was into the campaign, just when we thought gum again," cracked a jubilant Demo- Nixon actually dying? "No, not that," we were rid of it," complained a GOP crat with a nod to the old gibe that Ford Tkach told NEWSWEEK. "He is just under official. Perhaps the bitterest reaction couldn't walk and chew gum at the same tremendous tension. It's going to take a came from Rep. John Anderson of Illi- time. And in a morose and defensive miracle for him to recover ... I don't nois, the third-ranking Republican in the White House, some staff members were know whether I can pull him through." House. "Why," he asked, "were we ever stupid enough to think this awful man beginning to think the worst. "I really TOPIC A AGAIN hate to say this," lamented an old Ford would fade away like one of MacArthur's loyalist, "but I would not exclude the Despite what Tkach had to say, other old soldiers? He was always going to be possibility that Ford made a verbal deal recent visitors reported that Nixon was dragged, kicking and screaming, into with Nixon for a pardon before Nixon in good enough spirits and physical oblivion." resigned." shape. Soon after his pardon, the former On both sides of, the aisle in Congress, The available evidence suggested that President felt well enough to play nine some legislators were still trying to exor- chemistry of a different sort had pro- holes of golf (page 35). And a visitor cise the demon. A Senate subcommittee duced the Nixon pardon. Determined to just last Saturday found him favoring the focused critically on Ford's request for get his predecessor off the hook sooner leg but otherwise seemingly fit. Their $850,000 to tide Nixon over his first or later and distressed at reports of Nix- conversation, the visitor recalled, was eleven months out of office; the amount 30 Wally McNaMee—Newsweek Dwizht BrIll---AP Nixon visiting a beach in California last month : Medical questions and a 'crisis of competence' seemed certain to be cut sharply. And until after their trials. By then, the Loyal Republicans were grasping at eight members of the Senate Judiciary White House had retreated two giant straws. "If Nixon goes into the hospital," Committee, including Edward Kennedy, steps. The first fallback position was a GOP leader in the House remarked sent a letter to special prosecutor Leon that pardons would be considered only wistfully, "Ford's curve will shoot right Jaworski urging him to complete his in- for people who requested them; the back up." But failing some such revival, vestigation—for the record, if nothing second was that trials would have to the political calculus for 1976 was else—and to give Congress a complete come first. But even as the White House abruptly changed—and a GOP Congres- report on the case against Nixon. was backing away from blanket pardons, sional leader told NEWSWEEK'S Samuel That case, as Jaworski had already NEWSNVEEK'S Stephan Lesher learned Shaffer: "I don't think it can be taken for informed Ford, was broad. In addition that the Administration was considering granted that Jerry will run in '76. I think to the Watergate cover-up, Jaworski list- commuting the sentences of three Wa- he will remember his promise to Betty ed ten investigative areas—including the tergate figures who helped the prose- and go back to Grand Rapids." preparation of Nixon's tax returns, the cutors and are now in jail: former White use of campaign funds, abuse. of the House counsel John Dean, former Nixon FROM RICHES TO RAGS Internal Revenue Service, and the ITT lawyer Herbert Kalmbach and ex-cam- One act of indecision may actually and milk-fund episodes—that could in-. paign aide Jeb Stuart Magruder. have helped the President slightly. His volve the former President. The prosecu- Through most of the week, in fact, program of limited amnesty for Vietnam- tors, NEWSWEEK learned, also thought the White House rarely seemed to know era deserters and draft evaders was not that new evidence would show Nixon what it was doing. Immediately after announced last week, as scheduled. had advance knowledge of Watergate- Hushen's announcement that wholesale Hushen said the President hadn't had type break-ins planned by his political- pardons were under consideration, for time to study the plan, and instead the intelligence operatives (page 39). example, Presidential counsel Philip Bu- announcement was expected early this chen, Ford's chief legal adviser, said week. As some observers saw it, the TWO GIANT STEPS BACK that he wasn't aware of any pardon furor over Nixon's pardon would have Ford got himself into more trouble study. Partly in response to the Ad- been even worse if there had been any two days after the Nixon pardon by ministration's blunders ( and partly be- apparent connection between that action raising the prospect of a blanket pardon cause of a soaring wholesale-price in- and amnesty. Even so, many of Ford's for all the people involved in the Water- dex), the stock market plunged 50 supporters were growing restless. "The gate affair. "I am authorized to say that points last week to a twelve-year low party people I talk to are aghast at the that entire matter is now under study," of 627.19 on the Dow Jones average pardon and at the appointments he's acting press secretary John Hushen an- (page 77). The Wall Street Journal dis- made to the national committee," re- nounced at the President's express bid- cerned a "crisis of competence." ported a moderate GOP leader. "And ding. Republicans and Democrats alike "I wouldn't say this shows they're in- when's he going to start doing some- were incensed. As denunciations poured competent," a White House survivor of thing about the economy instead of hold- in from every quarter, the Senate passed the Nixon years said of the Ford team. ing meetings? So far, all we've gotten a resolution asserting that no additional "But it really gives you pause about their from him is a lot of platitudes, an am- Watergate figures should be pardoned ability to deal with tough questions." nesty proposal that no one in the party September 23, 1974 31 had asked for and a pardon for Nixon." booing, demonstrators of his Presidency tion that sooner was better than later, The public reaction to the pardon was (along with some cheering supporters ), and that the protests would blow over. not so much a fire storm as a slow burn. and a gaggle of pickets ( FORD'S PARDON "The President knew the issue was bound Telephone calls to the White House DEFIES JUSTICE). Newspaper editorials to become politicized the closer it got were narrowly in favor of Ford's decision, were preponderantly against him, and so to this November and the 1976 elec- but the considerably larger volume of were the letters-to-the-editor columns of tion," said one aide. "So he decided that letters and telegrams that poured in ran many newspapers. Three days after the a swift knife was better than a thou- against the President by 5 to 1. In a pardon, The Chicago Daily News ran 28 sand cuts." And a top staffer concluded: new Gallup poll, 32 per cent of the 553 letters on the subject. Only one of them "The country needs a man who isn't people questioned rated Ford's perform- was favorable, and it came from Louis afraid to stand up and make a decision ance in office "good," while 33 per cent D. Ziegler of Clarendon Hills, Ill.—the and take the heat for it." called it only "fair" and 25 per cent dis- father of Nixon aide Ronald Ziegler. * A LOYAL PARTY MAN Despite the general post-pardon depression The fact was that once Ford's decision among Republicans, Ford had been made, there was very little had a number of stout de- that Congress or the public could do fenders.

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