Halloween Massacre (Ford administration)

Last updated

"Halloween Massacre" is the term associated with the major reorganization of United States president Gerald Ford's cabinet on November 4, 1975, [1] which was an attempt to address multiple high-level personality and policy clashes within the administration. [2] The overhaul came at a time when the president's leadership abilities were being broadly questioned, and he was being heavily criticized by California governor Ronald Reagan and others from the nascent conservative wing of the Republican Party. [3] [4]

Contents

Cabinet shake-up

The shake-up had its roots at the beginning of Ford's presidency in August 1974. [2] As was the case when Lyndon B. Johnson and Harry S. Truman succeeded to the presidency intra-term, in 1963 and in 1945 respectively, under similarly strained sets of circumstances, Ford inherited President Richard Nixon's cabinet and staff of presidential advisers. The Nixon and new Ford appointees often clashed, and the resulting acrimony often got in the way of policy making. [5] [6]

On October 25, 1975, Donald Rumsfeld and Dick Cheney submitted their resignations to the president. Attached to the resignation letters was a memo with their detailed analysis of the perceived problems, and possible future strategies for the Ford administration. The analysis blamed the majority of the problems on Robert T. Hartmann, Henry Kissinger, and Vice President Nelson Rockefeller. [7]

Starting November 4, 1975, which was the Tuesday after the Halloween weekend, and which was timed to fit in the Congressional confirmation window, Ford terminated several Nixon holdovers, and announced the names of the successors and new Cabinet nominees.

The changes were:

Subsequent to these events, Rogers Morton was also replaced by Elliot Richardson as Secretary of Commerce.

Impact and legacy

Various newspaper and magazine articles at the time identified Donald Rumsfeld as having orchestrated these events. [2] At the time, Ford said he alone was responsible for firings. Later, he expressed regret: "I was angry at myself for showing cowardice in not saying to the ultraconservatives, 'It's going to be Ford and Rockefeller, whatever the consequences.'" [3]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Donald Rumsfeld</span> American Politician and Diplomat

Donald Henry Rumsfeld was an American politician, government official and businessman who served as Secretary of Defense from 1975 to 1977 under president Gerald Ford, and again from 2001 to 2006 under President George W. Bush. He was both the youngest and the oldest secretary of defense. Additionally, Rumsfeld was a four-term U.S. Congressman from Illinois (1963–1969), director of the Office of Economic Opportunity (1969–1970), counselor to the president (1969–1973), the U.S. Representative to NATO (1973–1974), and the White House Chief of Staff (1974–1975). Between his terms as secretary of defense, he served as the CEO and chairman of several companies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alexander Haig</span> American army general and statesman (1924–2010)

Alexander Meigs Haig Jr. was United States Secretary of State under President Ronald Reagan and White House Chief of Staff under Presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford. Prior to and in between these cabinet-level positions, he was a general in the United States Army, serving first as the vice chief of staff of the Army and then as Supreme Allied Commander Europe. In 1973, Haig became the youngest four-star general in the U.S. Army's history.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Détente</span> Relaxation of strained international relations by verbal communication

Détente is the relaxation of strained relations, especially political ones, through verbal communication. The diplomacy term originates from around 1912, when France and Germany tried unsuccessfully to reduce tensions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Presidency of Gerald Ford</span> U.S. presidential administration from 1974 to 1977

Gerald Ford's tenure as the 38th president of the United States began on August 9, 1974, upon the resignation of Richard Nixon from office, and ended on January 20, 1977, a period of 895 days. Ford, a Republican from Michigan, had served as vice president since December 6, 1973, following Spiro Agnew's resignation from that office. Ford was the only person to serve as president without being elected to either the presidency or the vice presidency. His presidency ended following his defeat in the 1976 presidential election by Democrat Jimmy Carter.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United States President's Commission on CIA Activities within the United States</span> Panel investigating intelligence activities within the U.S.

The United States President's Commission on CIA Activities within the United States was ordained by President Gerald Ford in 1975 to investigate the activities of the Central Intelligence Agency and other intelligence agencies within the United States. The Presidential Commission was led by Vice President Nelson Rockefeller, from whom it gained the nickname the Rockefeller Commission.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Timeline of the Watergate scandal</span>

The Watergate scandal refers to the burglary and illegal wiretapping of the headquarters of the Democratic National Committee, in the Watergate complex by members of President Richard Nixon's re-election campaign, and the subsequent cover-up of the break-in resulting in Nixon's resignation on August 9, 1974, as well as other abuses of power by the Nixon White House that were discovered during the course of the scandal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tom C. Korologos</span> American diplomat (born 1933)

Tom Chris Korologos is an American former diplomat who served as the United States Ambassador to Belgium.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gerald Ford</span> President of the United States from 1974 to 1977

Gerald Rudolph Ford Jr. was an American politician who served as the 38th president of the United States from 1974 to 1977. He previously served as the leader of the Republican Party in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1965 to 1973, and as the 40th vice president under President Richard Nixon from 1973 to 1974. Ford succeeded to the presidency when Nixon resigned in 1974, but was defeated for election to a full term in 1976. Ford is the only person to become U.S. president without winning an election for president or vice president.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Death and state funeral of Gerald Ford</span> Public event

On December 26, 2006, Gerald Ford, the 38th president of the United States, died at his home in Rancho Mirage, California at 6:45 p.m. local time. At 8:49 p.m. local time, President Ford's wife of 58 years, Betty Ford, issued a statement that confirmed his death: "My family joins me in sharing the difficult news that Gerald Ford, our beloved husband, father, grandfather and great-grandfather has passed away at 93 years of age. His life was filled with love of God, his family and his country." The causes of death listed on the subsequent death certificate were arteriosclerotic cerebrovascular disease and diffuse arteriosclerosis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Secret Service code name</span> Names given to persons whom the US Secret Service protects

The United States Secret Service uses code names for U.S. presidents, first ladies, and other prominent persons and locations. The use of such names was originally for security purposes and dates to a time when sensitive electronic communications were not routinely encrypted; today, the names simply serve for purposes of brevity, clarity, and tradition. The Secret Service does not choose these names, however. The White House Communications Agency maintains a list that candidates choose from, often choosing ones that resonate with them personally.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nelson Rockefeller</span> Vice president of the United States from 1974 to 1977

Nelson Aldrich Rockefeller, sometimes referred to by his nickname Rocky, was an American businessman and politician who served as the 41st vice president of the United States from 1974 to 1977 under President Gerald Ford. A member of the Republican Party and the wealthy Rockefeller family, he previously served as the 49th governor of New York from 1959 to 1973. Rockefeller also served as assistant secretary of State for American Republic Affairs for Presidents Franklin D. Roosevelt and Harry S. Truman (1944–1945) as well as under secretary of Health, Education and Welfare (HEW) under Dwight D. Eisenhower from 1953 to 1954. A son of John D. Rockefeller Jr. and Abby Aldrich Rockefeller as well as a grandson of Standard Oil co-founder John D. Rockefeller, he was a noted art collector and served as administrator of Rockefeller Center in Manhattan, New York City.

The vice president-elect of the United States is the candidate who has won election to the office of vice president of the United States in a United States presidential election, but is awaiting inauguration to assume the office.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Inauguration of Gerald Ford</span> 9th United States intra-term presidential inauguration

The inauguration of Gerald Ford as the 38th president of the United States was held on Friday, August 9, 1974, in the East Room of the White House in Washington, D.C., after President Richard Nixon resigned due to the Watergate scandal. The inauguration – the last non-scheduled, extraordinary inauguration to take place in the 20th century – marked the commencement of Gerald Ford's only term as president. Chief Justice Warren E. Burger administered the oath of office. The Bible upon which Ford recited the oath was held by his wife, Betty Ford, open to Proverbs 3:5–6. Ford was the ninth vice president to succeed to the presidency intra-term, and he remains the most recent to do so, as of 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum</span> Presidential museum for U.S. President Gerald Ford in Grand Rapids, Michigan

The Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum is the presidential museum and burial place of Gerald Ford, the 38th president of the United States (1974–1977), and his wife Betty Ford. It is located near the Pew Campus of Grand Valley State University in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Ford's presidential museum is the only such facility under the auspices of the National Archives and Records Administration to be separate from the presidential library, which is located approximately 130 miles (210 km) to the east in Ann Arbor. Despite the separation, the library and museum are a single institution with one director.

The Young Turks was a splinter group of politicians in the United States within the Republican Party during the early 1960s. The group, mostly consisting of Congressmen who had become disenchanted with the course of the Republican Party, worked within the system to appoint their fellow members into leadership roles, so they could take control of the party. They were considered "rebels" by the traditional Republicans. Gerald Ford, who would become President of the United States, rose to prominence as a Young Turk.

The presidency of Richard Nixon began on January 20, 1969, when Richard Nixon was inaugurated as the 37th president of the United States, and ended on August 9, 1974, when, in the face of almost certain impeachment and removal from office, he resigned the presidency.

<i>Vice</i> (2018 film) 2018 American semi-biographical film by Adam McKay

Vice is a 2018 American biographical political satire black comedy-drama film directed, written, and co-produced by Adam McKay and starring Christian Bale as former U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney, with Amy Adams, Steve Carell, Sam Rockwell, Justin Kirk, Tyler Perry, Alison Pill, Lily Rabe, and Jesse Plemons in supporting roles. The film follows Cheney on his path to becoming the most powerful vice president in American history. It is the second theatrical film to depict the presidency of George W. Bush, following Oliver Stone's W. (2008).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Foreign policy of the Gerald Ford administration</span>

The United States foreign policy during the 1974-1977 presidency of Gerald Ford was marked by efforts to de-escalate the Cold War. Ford focused on maintaining stability and promoting détente with the Soviet Union. One of Ford's key foreign policy achievements was the signing of the Helsinki Accords in 1975. The accords were a series of agreements between the US, Soviet Union, and other European countries that aimed to promote human rights, economic cooperation, and peaceful relations between East and West. Ford met with Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev several times, and the two countries signed the Strategic Arms Limitation Talks in 1979, which aimed to limit the number of nuclear weapons held by the two superpowers.

The following is a timeline of the presidency of Gerald Ford from January 1, 1975, to December 31, 1975.

References

  1. ↑ "Timeline of President Ford's Life and Career". National Archives and Records Administration Gerald Ford Presidential Foundation. Retrieved July 5, 2017.
  2. 1 2 3 "The Nation: Scenario of the Shake-Up". Time . Vol. 106, no. 20. New York: Time. November 17, 1975. Retrieved July 5, 2017.
  3. 1 2 King, Gilbert (October 25, 2012). "A Halloween Massacre at the White House". Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution . Retrieved July 5, 2017.
  4. ↑ Rozell, Mark J. (1992). The Press and the Ford Presidency . Ann Arbor, Michigan: The University of Michigan Press. pp.  118–121. ISBN   0-472-10350-4. Ford Shakes Up His Cabinet.
  5. ↑ "Gerald Ford: Domestic Affairs". Charlottesville, Virginia: Miller Center of Public Affairs, University of Virginia. 4 October 2016. Retrieved July 2, 2017.
  6. ↑ DeFrank, Thomas M. (2007). Write It When I'm Gone: Remarkable Off-the-Record Conversations with Gerald R. Ford . New York: G. P. Putnam's Sons. p.  49. ISBN   978-0-399-15450-8.
  7. ↑ Rumsfeld, Donald (October 25, 1975). "To Gerald Ford re Re-election" (PDF). library.rumsfeld.com. Retrieved January 30, 2023.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.