1975: Moonbeam lives in the CA Governor's Mansion & Onwards

[49ersFootball]

Jimmy Carter never served in the US Senate, only the Georgia State Senate. Before running in 76’, good ole Jimmy was the Governor of Georgia.

I was just adding a little twist to the TL. Rockefeller might (I say MIGHT) push for a national unity ticket in 1976, which could piss off one political party or both political parties....

However, I can see the GOP pressuring Rocky & Reagan to run as a team to avoid a primary battle in 1976. I'm going to do Reagan's reaction to the events in Sacramento...


Stay tuned....

 

[49ersFootball]

The Ford family brings Jerry back home
11:45 AM PST, Saturday, September 6th, 1975
McClellan AFB, Sacramento, CA.

The Ford Family during happier times from September 1st, 1974.
​

It was time for the Ford family to aboard Air Force One in bringing back their loved one home. Former FLOTUS Betty Ford had been coordinating closely with the US Military District of Washington in planning the funeral arrangements for her husband of 27 years, which would include some similarities to the funerals of Presidents Kennedy, Hoover, Eisenhower & Johnson, but with a twist... instead of a horse-drawn caisson, the flag-draped casket will be driven in a hearse when the State Funeral will be held at the US Capitol. Among the other details of the funeral arrangements would be announced by White House Press Secretary Ron Nessen later on during a White House Briefing later in the day...

 

[49ersFootball]

Reagan
5:00 PM PST, Saturday, September 6th, 1975
Bel Air, CA.

​

The former CA Governor was shocked, stunned & saddened by the news of President Ford's assassination, "WOW. I cannot believe President Ford is gone just like that." Reagan said while watching TV highlights of the Ford family bringing their loved one's remains back to DC in preparation for funeral services to be held later next week (TBD when the Ford family announces it). He was getting phone calls from some people if he was going to be attending the upcoming funeral services for the 38th President, Reagan told some of his close friends, he wasn't sure if he would be invited due to ongoing hostilities between the men. While he was indeed angry at what had occurred in Sacramento & despite the thoughts & prayers going to the Ford family, Ronnie (as Nancy called him) was still being pushed by many Conservatives such as United States Senators John G. Tower (R-TX) & Jesse Helms (R-NC) to jump into the 1976 Presidential campaign right now regardless of what's going on because in the eyes of Tower & Helms "Rockefeller needed to be stopped & must NOT be allowed to serve until 1981".

He had been traveling all over the country in the past several years & was plotting a White House bid despite the Watergate Scandal that brought down then-President Nixon in 1974. Some in the CA GOP badly wanted him to come back to Sacramento & beat the **** out of CA Governor Jerry Brown (D) in 1978, but Reagan blatantly refused those pleas in making another gubernatorial bid because he did all he could do during his tenure in office. Nancy walked into the living room & straight up told her husband, "Ronnie. I know we both feel terrible for Betty & the kids on the loss of a beloved husband & father, but I know & you know that 1976 is our time because I can't stomach seeing those Northeastern freaks Nelson & Happy sticking around in the White House by 1981. I am also concerned about the direction of this country, which is going in the wrong direction. The American people need you Ronnie & they need you NOW."

Ronald got up from the couch & glanced at the window, wondering how he was doing the best he could to avoid undermining the new President from getting things done, "I'm not sure if Nelson is going to run in 1976 & considering what just happened yesterday, I don't want the press to trash me with articles such as "Reagan undermines Rockefeller by launching Presidential campaign days after the Ford assassination". Nancy, I just don't want to be considered meddling into the new President's administration. I just need some time to make up my mind."

​

 

[49ersFootball]

White House Press Briefing:

White House Press Secretary Ron Nessen delivered a short statement on the latest developments regarding funeral arrangements for the 38th President, courtesy from the Ford family:

Private Family Viewing:
Wednesday, September 10th, 1975
10:00 AM EST to 4:00 PM EST
East Room, White House
Washington, DC.

*Members of the Ford family will be receiving visitors from close family friends & members of the Presidential Cabinet including SCOTUS Justices. Once the private viewing is over, the US Armed Forces Honor Guard personnel (consisting of Coast Guard, Navy, Marine Corps, Army & Air Force) will carry the flag-draped casket out of the White House, where "Hail to the Chief" will be performed outside. Soon after this, the casket will be carried down the steps of the White House into an awaiting hearse for the procession to the US Capitol.

5:25 PM EST
US Capitol West Front Grounds
Washington, DC.
*"Hail to the Chief" is performed once again as the 21 Cannon Salute is fired by the Presidential Salute Battery Unit.
*State Funeral inside the US Capitol Rotunda as President Rockefeller, US House Speaker Carl Albert (D-OK) & US Senate Majority Leader Mike Mansfield (D-MT) will deliver remarks.
*President Rockefeller will lay a wreath with the Presidential Seal at the flag-draped casket; wreaths from the US House of Representatives & United States Senate will also be placed.

Lying in Repose
Wednesday, September 10th-Friday, September 12th, 1975
US Capitol Rotunda

Departure Honors: Friday, September 12th, 1975
10:00 AM EST
*21 Cannon Salute
*Procession will drive slowly & stop at the White House for the final time

Funeral Services: Friday, September 12th, 1975
11:00 AM EST
Washington National Cathedral
Washington, DC.
*Speakers include President Rockefeller, US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, US Chief Liaison to PRC George HW Bush, MI Governor William Milliken (R)
*Performances by the United States Marine Corps Orchestra, Armed Forces Chrous, US Coast Guard Band
*Former VP Hubert Humphrey & his wife, former Second Lady Muriel Humphrey, former FLOTUS Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, former FLOTUS Lady Bird Johnson will be in attendance including Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos & his wife, Philippine First Lady Imelda Marcos, Mexican President Luis Echeverria, Chilean President Augusto Pinochet & his wife, Chilean First Lady Lucy Hirart, Brazilian President Ernesto Geisel, Colombian President Alfonso Lopez Michelsen, Guyanese President Arthur Chung & several other prominent foreign Heads of State.

Departure Honors Ceremony:
Andrews AFB
1:30 PM EST
*21 Cannon Salute by the Presidential Salute Battery Unit while "Hail to the Chief" is played by the United States Marine Corps Band.
*Flag-draped casket is placed aboard scissor truck as the Ford family will aboard Special Air Mission 38, which will depart at 1:56 PM EST

Welcoming Honors Ceremony
Capital Region International Airport
Lansing, MI
3:56 PM EST
*21 Cannon Salute fired by the MI Army National Guard Artillery Unit as "Hail to the Chief" is being played by the University of Michigan Band; other songs performed include "The Yellow & Blue" & the University of Michigan's fight song, "The Victors".
*Flag-draped casket transported to the MI State Capitol Grounds in downtown Lansing, where it will be Lying in Repose until the following morning.

Funeral Services:
Saturday, September 13th, 1975
11:00 AM EST
Grace Episcopal Church
1815 Hall Street SE
Grand Rapids, MI 49506
*Members of the Ford family will deliver personal eulogies
*Eulogies delivered by White House Chief of Staff & US SECDEF Donald Rumsfeld, US Chief Liaison to PRC George HW Bush.
* Performances by the US Army Chorus "The Battle Hymn of the Republic" & "On Eagle's Wings"

Final Resting Place:
Saturday, September 13th, 1975
Woodlawn Cemetery
Grand Rapids, MI
*Performances by the 126th Army Band of the MI Army National Guard Unit of Wyoming, MI
*21 Cannon Salute performed by the 119th Field Artillery Regiment of the MI Army National Guard
*21 F-15's from Seymour AFB of Goldsboro, NC will perform the flyover
*Flag presented to the Ford family by President Rockefeller
*Future re-interment at the proposed Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum, located near the Pew Campus of Grand Valley State University in Grand Rapids, MI (TBD at a later date once completed in a few years).

 

[49ersFootball]

President Rocky
10:00 AM EST, Monday, September 8th, 1975
Oval Office, White House, Washington, DC.

​

President Rockefeller entered the Oval Office for the first time since ascending to the Presidency on that fateful Friday following Ford's assassination (the Ford family was still living in the Private Residence on the 3rd floor, packing up their personal belongings, etc). It was very quiet & the mood was somber, which was obvious considering several staffers from the Ford administration began cleaning out their desks, crying & angry. While he had asked some of the Ford Cabinet to stay on, he had other ideas for those, who had shunned & sidelined him, particularly White House Chief of Staff & US SECDEF Donald Rumsfeld & Deputy Chief of Staff Dick Cheney, both of whom were called into the Oval Office for a closed door meeting...

Rumsfeld: "Mr. President, you asked for Dick & me ?"

Rockefeller: "Yes I did. Both of you please sit down because I want to say this face-to-face. I've evaluated both of your records, analyzed some good ideas while being concerned about your aggressiveness in others, which concerned me because I haven't forgotten the way you & several others threw me to the wolves when I wasn't allowed to shape domestic policy under the late President Ford's administration. Plus, I believe you & Dick have become too overbearing, looking over people's shoulders & causing too much political toxicity. In order for my administration to get started & wiping the slate clean, I'm going to fire both of you immediately!"

Cheney: "Excuse me sir ? Did you just say th...."

Rockefeller: "You damn right I said it. Both of you get the Hell out of my office. Clean out your offices, hand over your security clearances & if you don't leave voluntarily, I will call the Secret Service to have both of you thrown out!

Now Mr. Rumsfeld, I also want your resignation as US Secretary of Defense as well because I need somebody I can trust in making things run efficient."

Rumsfeld pulled out his resignation letter, was thankful of his time serving both as White House Chief of Staff & US SECDEF which the President accepted the resignation letter. Cheney on the other hand, was pissed off.

After Rumsfeld & Cheney had left, President Rockefeller asked his former VP Chief of Staff Ann C. Whitman to come in, he was naming her as the new White House Chief of Staff, which she accepted. He also asked her to compile a list of names who would become the new US SECDEF & knowing he would be pressured to name a VP soon. The new President also had plans for US Secretary of State (Kissinger's job was on the line for obvious reasons) & US Attorney General.

While that was going on, Rockefeller also thought to himself that some changes inside the White House needed to made, such as ordering the removal of the indoor bowling alley immediately by replacing it with the large swimming pool "that annoying bowling alley is getting removed immediately, which will take several weeks to get rid of, so I can have that indoor swimming pool back in there. I also see some of the chairs need to go too. Now that couch can go over there...."

 

[49ersFootball]

Later in the Afternoon:

Newly-minted White House Chief of Staff Ann C. Whitman gave President Rockefeller a list of potential names for VP including their strengths & weaknesses:

(VP Shortlist)

1.) Former CA Governor Ronald Reagan (R): 33rd Governor of CA from January 2nd, 1967 to January 6th, 1975
Military Service: United States Army Reserve; US Army Air Corps (1937 to 1945) during World War II; served on the 18th Army Air Forces Base Unit with the rank of Captain.
Strengths: Hardcore Conservative GOPer & popular with the Conservative base including backing from the Religious Right; stronger advocate of smaller government & strong national defense
Weaknesses: No foreign policy experience

2.) United States Senator Howard Baker (R-TN): United States Senator from TN since 1967
Military Service: United States Navy (1943 to 1946) during World War II.
Strengths: Brokering compromises, enacting legislation & maintaining civility. Moderate-to-Conservative GOPer, who is respected by his Dem colleagues in the United States Senate. Played a major role in fashioning & passing the Clean Air Act of 1970.
Weaknesses: Baker was caught in one of the Nixon recordings, telling the disgraced President "I'm your friend. I'm going to see that your interests are protected".

3.) US Chief Liaison to PRC George HW Bush: Member, US House of Representatives, TX's 7th Congressional District (1967 to 1971); 10th US Ambassador to the United Nations from March 1st, 1971 to January 18th, 1973; RNC Chairman from January 19th, 1973 to September 16th, 1974; 2nd US Chief Liaison to PRC since September 26th, 1974.
Military Service: United States Navy (1942 to 1945) during World War II; Fast Carrier Task Force Unit; awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross, Air Medal, Presidential Unit Citation.
Strengths: Moderate-to-Conservative GOPer; known as a consensus bridge-builder
Weaknesses: Closely aligned political views with Rockefeller on several social domestic issues.

4.) United States Senator Richard Schweiker (R-PA): United States Senator from PA since 1969; Member, US House of Representatives from PA's 13th District from 1961 to 1969
Military Service: United States Navy during World War II (1944 to 1946), served aboard the aircraft carrier USS Tarawa (CV-40).
Strengths: Comes from a Swing State in the Northeast; Moderate-to-Liberal GOPer with slightly Conservative views; supported Civil Rights legislation.
Weaknesses: Opposed the Vietnam War & the nominations of Clement Haysworth & G. Harrold Carswell to the US Supreme Court.

5.) US Assistant Secretary of State for Legislative Affairs Linwood Holton (R-VA): 61st Governor of VA from January 17th, 1970 to January 12th, 1974; US Secretary of State for Legislative Affairs from February 28th, 1974 to January 31st, 1975 under then-Presidents Richard Nixon & Gerald R. Ford.
Military Service: United States Navy (1942 to 1969); also served in the US Naval Reserves with the rank of Captain during World War II.
Strengths: First GOP VA Governor since Reconstruction, ending long-decades of Dem dominance in the Old Dominion with his victory in 1969. Gained national attention when Holton placed his kids in mostly-African American Richmond public schools during desegregation. During his Governorship, Holton increased employment of African Americans & women in state government, created the VA Governor's Schools Program in 1973, provided the first state funds for community mental health centers, & supported environmental efforts.
Weaknesses: Unpopular from hardcore conservatives as the VA GOP was welcoming Byrd Dems & turned increasingly rightward, turning their backs on the moderate Holton. No foreign policy experience or congressional legislative experience.

 

[CalBear]

Carter
6:30 PM EST, Friday, September 5th, 1975
Senate Office Building, Washington, DC.

View attachment 490238 ​

For the Junior United States Senator from the Peach State, James Earl Carter, Jr., (D-GA), any hope of 1976 White House campaign evaporated once President Ford was assassinated in Sacramento & Rockefeller ascended to the Presidency as the nation's 39th Chief Executive. Carter, who defeated arch-segregationist United States Senator Herman Talmadge (D-GA) in the August 13th, 1974 Dem Primary election (Carter defeated Talmadge 59% to 29%)....Carter later won the November General Election in a landslide with 71% of the statewide vote, sweeping all 159 Counties. However, Carter didn't leave the Governorship early, in part because he didn't want to give outgoing GA Lieutenant Governor Lester Maddox (D), [who previously served as GA's 75th Governor from January 10th, 1967 to January 12th, 1971 before getting elected to GA'S 7th Lieutenant Governor in 1970].

Following Busbee's Oath of Office as GA's 77th Governor & the 19 Cannon Salute being fired by the GA Army National Guard, Carter & his wife, Rosalyn congratulated the Busbee's before leaving the Inaugural platform (because Carter had to be sworn in as United States Senator later that day). Later that day once the Carter's flew to DC, US Senate Majority Leader Mike Mansfield (D-MT) greeted Carter as he walked with his fellow Georgian, Senior United States Senator Sam Nunn (D-GA), who escorted Carter to be sworn into office & got to work immediately.

However, before Carter's election to the United States Senate, he had originally been planning a 1976 White House campaign during his tenure as GA's 76th Governor from January 12th, 1971 to January 14th, 1975. During the last 3 years of his governorship, Carter had been traveling IA, NH, SC, NV, PA, OH, FL, IL & other states. He had been also planning an official announcement in jumping into the 1976 Presidential campaign (despite criticism by many political analysts, who thought Carter was using the US Senate seat as a stepping stone for the Presidency despite being on the job for 8 months) in the Fall of 1975..... until the assassination of President Ford on September 5th in Sacramento.

This ended Carter's White House dreams, but being the master, skilled manipulator who can exploit a crisis for his own benefit & badly needing to get in the good grace of the new President Rockefeller, Carter called the President. [Carter & the late President Ford weren't getting along at all due to strong disagreements on major issues].

Carter: "Mr. President ?"

Rockefeller: "Jimmy! How's the United States Senate treating ya. Sounds different since we both served as Governors together during the early 1970s."

Carter: "The committee assignments have been rigorous 24 HRS per day, but I'm getting the hang of it. Now on the business at hand, what can I do in helping your newly-minted administration be successful, I see another of our former fellow Governors from CA is plotting to run against you in 1976 if you decide to run."

Rockefeller: "Jimmy, my focus right now is helping the Ford family during this difficult time & making sure things are running smoothly for all Americans going forward."

Carter: "Mr. President, if there's anything you & Happy need, just let me & Rosalyn know if I can help you coordinate in bipartisan legislation such as infrastructure projects, education reform, etc.,"

Did you just refer to JAMES EARL CARTER as a master, skilled manipulator?

Sweet Jesus.

Guy was Donald Duck with more teeth.

 

[49ersFootball]

Did you just refer to JAMES EARL CARTER as a master, skilled manipulator?

Sweet Jesus.

Guy was Donald Duck with more teeth.

I'll make some corrections on Carter later on in the TL. I did hear he was a micromanager, which pissed some people off.

 

[CalBear]

I'll make some corrections on Carter later on in the TL. I did hear he was a micromanager, which pissed some people off.

Micromanager =/= master, skilled manipulator. If anything, it is the exact opposite.

 

[49ersFootball]

The Presidential Cabinet of President Rockefeller:
President: Nelson Rockefeller (R-NY St)
VP: NONE [VP nominee pending]
US Secretary of State: Henry Kissinger (R-NY St)****** [pending evaluation on job performance]
US Secretary of the Treasury: William Simon (R-CA)
US SECDEF: [Nominee pending]
US Attorney General: [Nominee pending]
US Secretary of the Interior: Stanley K. Hathaway (R-WY)
US Secretary of Agriculture {Nominee pending]
US Secretary of Commerce: Rogers Morton (R-MD)
US Secretary of Labor: John Thomas Dunlop (R-MA)
US Secretary of Health, Education & Welfare: F. David Matthews (I-AL)
US Secretary of Housing & Urban Development: Carla Anderson Hills (R-CA): 4th female to serve in a Presidential Cabinet in history
US Secretary of Transportation: William Thaddeus Coleman, Jr., (R-VA): 2nd African American to serve in a Presidential Cabinet
Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency: Russell E. Train (R-MD)
Director of Office of Management & Budget: James Lynn (R-OH)
US Trade Representative: Frederick B. Dent (R-SC)
White House Chief of Staff: Ann C. Whitman (R-NY St)

 

[49ersFootball]

Brooke
6:42 PM EST, Monday, September 8th, 1975
Boston, MA.

​

United States Senator Edward W. Brooke, III (R-MA) was inside his residence in suburban Boston while reading over major important notes in preparation for an upcoming meeting of the Senate Foreign Operations Subcommittee to discuss the aftermath of the Vietnam War & how the US can capitulate American foreign policy with stronger diplomacy efforts in the Southeast Asia region, when he got a phone call from the White House...

Brooke: "Hello, this is Senator Brooke speaking."

Voiceover from the White House: "This is the White House Senator Brooke, please hold for the President of the United States."

[Music playing]

Rockefeller: "Senator Brooke, this is President Rockefeller. Very good to hear from you."

Brooke: "Mr. President, it's an honor to hear from you during this difficult time for our nation. If there's anything I can do to help cooperate with your administration on moving major important issues forward for the American people, just let me know & I'm available."

Rockefeller: "I'm glad that I called you because I have a vacancy in the office of US Attorney General & I need a strong, experienced prosecutor who can lead the US Department of Justice into making it very efficient, stronger & better. How would you like to become the new Attorney General of the United States of America ?"

Brooke: "Um, I need time to talk this over with my family, I don't know what to say Mr. President."

Rockefeller: "Take your time Senator Brooke because if you decide to join the team, I'll be honored to have you come along."

Just a few HRS later, Brooke called President Rockefeller to officially accept the position of US Attorney General, which Rockefeller replied happily "Welcome aboard to the team!"

President Rockefeller's next task in getting a clean slate in becoming his own man while being careful in avoiding to overshadow the Ford legacy, was calling the potential contenders to become US SECDEF...

 

[49ersFootball]

Meanwhile in Sacramento

Squeaky was being interrogated by members of the Sacramento PD, Sacramento County Sheriff's Department, Federal Bureau of Investigation & CA Highway Patrol. She was arrogant, smirking during the questioning period as well as yawning, being annoyed at it all. "Who are your co-conspirators Ms. Fromme ? You're going to tell us who gave the order to kill President Ford & why did you do it ?" one of the FBI Special Agents strongly said to the assassin, who was likely to face a courtroom trial & the prospect of getting the death penalty if convicted...

 

[49ersFootball]

National & International Events in the week of September 7th, 1975:

(National)
Sunday, September 7th, 1975: 4 American women became the last improperly ordained priests of the Episcopal Church, as Lee McGee, Alison Palmer, Betty Rosenberg & Diane Tickell brought to 15 the number of females to receive authority "to preach the word of God & to administer His holy sacraments". These women became known as the "Washington Four". On July 29th, 1974, a group of women known as the "Philadelphia Eleven" had been the first to be ordained.

(International)
Monday, September 8th, 1975: 2 gunmen took control of a Paris bank, taking 7 hostages then escaping with $1,360,000 in ransom money.

*Officials in the intelligence agencies of Israel (The Mossad) & West Germany (The Bundesnachrichtendeist or BND) met secretly to discuss a joint effort to conduct a new type of electronic eavesdropping by Mossad on foreign offices in Germany.

(National)

Tuesday, September 9th, 1975: "Welcome Back, Kotter" premieres on ABC Network in the United States, starring Gabe Kaplan, the TV Comedy Show introduced John Travolta, who played the role of student Vinnie Barbarino.

(International)

Saturday, September 13th, 1975: Argentine President Isabel Peron, believed to be "on the edge of a nervous breakdown", took a temporary leave of absence & was replaced by Senate President Italo Luder. She would return to office on October 16th.

 

[49ersFootball]

Askew
10:00 AM EST, Tuesday, September 9th, 1975
FL Governor's Mansion, Tallahassee, FL.

January 7th, 1975: FL Governor Reubin Askew (D) receiving the 19 Cannon Salute during his 2nd Inauguration
at the FL State Capitol Grounds in downtown Tallahassee.
​

Many Dems were strategizing who's going to run for the Presidency in 1976: among the usual suspects: United States Senators Lloyd Bentsen (D-TX), Jimmy Carter (D-GA), CA Governor Jerry Brown (D) including several others. But many political analysts were looking at FL Governor Reubin Askew (D), who 8 months after was inaugurated for a 2nd 4-year term, accomplishing this historic feat in being the 1st FL Governor to succeed himself.

Askew was on the move with sky-high approval ratings of 73%, it was the perfect time to launch a campaign for the White House in 1976 & he had some advantages: Young Governor elected in the New South of 1970, later winning reelection in 1974; comes from a large, Swing State in the South, very popular among Moderate Dems & Swing voters, etc.,

 

[49ersFootball]

The Ford family reflects
10:00 AM EST, Wednesday, September 10th, 1975
East Room, White House, Washington, DC.

US Armed Forces Honor Guard guarding the flag-draped casket of the 38th President
inside the East Room of the White House.
​

Before members of the Ford family walked down the stairs in preparation of seeing their beloved husband & father's casket, former FLOTUS Betty Ford was composed, trying to hold it together while secretly tempting to get another drink in the liquor cabinet (which the White House maids & butlers secretly removed when the Ford family flew to retrieve Jerry's body from Sacramento).

While the Ford's personal belongings were being packed up & prepared to be placed into U-haul trucks (they were moving to Palm Springs, CA), the family held a private prayer upstairs in the Family Quarters on the 3rd floor of the White House before descending downstairs toward the East Room, where it was very quiet as one by one, the family walked up to the flag-draped casket & had several moments to themselves personally before sitting down, waiting to be greeted by members of the Presidential Cabinet as well as President & First Lady Rockefeller.

Betty wanted to see her husband for the final time, which the mortuary directors obliged, opened the casket showing her husband dressed in a dark 3-piece suit with a pin-stripped blue-ish tie including the US flag lapel pin on his left lapel of his suit jacket. "Jerry, My Jerry baby!" Betty said to avoid crying before kissing her late husband. Soon afterwards, all 4 of the Ford kids walked up to the open casket to bid a final goodbye & personal moments before the casket was closed, then sealed for good.

 

[49ersFootball]

Nixon
1:16 PM PST, Wednesday, September 10th, 1975
San Clemente, CA.

August 9th, 1974: Former POTUS Richard Nixon addressing supporters upon
landing in CA.
​

The talk among many Americans was whether former President Nixon would attend the funeral services for President Ford later in the week. Nixon had been in a low profile since resigning from the Presidency in disgrace the previous year in the aftermath of the massive Watergate Scandal, which resulted in a backlash so great, the American people voted in droves for Dems in the 1974 Midterms. Nixon was writing his memoirs at his residence when he was notified by his wife, Pat on Ford's assassination in Sacramento. Shocked & stunned, Nixon had one of his loyal staff members to telegram condolences to the Ford family. Some supporters of the disgraced 37th President asked if he would be attending the funeral services in DC, Nixon chose not to attend for obvious reasons: being booed by many people, who were strongly anti-Nixon & hostility from the press.

 

[49ersFootball]

The first of several farewells to the 38th President
6:00 PM EST, Wednesday, September 10th, 1975
US Capitol Rotunda, Washington, DC.

President Rockefeller delivering a personal eulogy inside the
US Capitol Rotunda.
​

Following the private viewing inside the East Room of the White House, it was time for the procession to the US Capitol. Outside the White House, the flags of all 50 US States & US Territories were flying side by side as it was quiet because many people wanted to see the moment when the 38th President would exit the White House for the final time....

"Hail to the Chief" was played by the United States Marine Corps Band & "Stars & Stripes Forever" followed as the US Armed Forces Honor Guard carried the flag-draped casket down the steps outside toward an awaiting hearse, then the Ford family followed, going into the limousine behind the hearse including many dignitaries, who went into the awaiting automobiles. CBS News, NBC News & ABC News aired live coverage without commercial interruption (which annoyed some Soap Opera fans of CBS' "As The World Turns" & "Guiding Light"; NBC's "Days of Our Lives" & ABC's "All My Children", "One Life to Live" & "General Hospital"), but it was much needed.

The funeral procession to the US Capitol was dignified without the elaborate fanfare that the funeral of then-President Kennedy had 12 years earlier. Hundreds of mourners lined up the streets of DC in silence, some crying as the hearse carrying the flag-draped casket of the 38th President passed them by, several military veterans of World War II, Korea & Vietnam saluted in silence.

Walter Cronkite of CBS Evening News was live in DC along with many other CBS News co-anchors watched from the CBS News DC Bureau HQ as the procession passed them. In LA, MS & KY & other parts of the US with Gubernatorial & Mayoral elections, political campaigning was suspended indefinitely, out of respect for Ford.

During the procession, military units escorted the hearse as it made its way to the sounds of muffled drums. The procession stopped at 4th Street & Constitutional Avenue, where 21 Air Force F-15's from Seymour AFB, NC, flew over in missing man formation.

Upon arrival at the US Capitol, "Hail to the Chief" was performed including the loud 21 Cannon Salute & in an unprecedented historical tribute to President Ford's distinction as the President who served the longest in the US House of Representatives, his flag-draped casket was carried up the east House steps & then placed in repose just outside the main doors to the US House Chamber (it was a moving moment). The casket remained there for a brief period of repose throughout which, in another unprecedented tribute to Ford, the doors to the House Chamber were opened & the House Chamber was lit during the period of Repose. Soon afterwards, the casket was then carried through Statuary Hall to the Rotunda to Lie in State on then-POTUS Abraham Lincoln's catafalque.

During the State Funeral, President Rockefeller, US House Speaker Carl Albert (D-OK) & US Senate Majority Leader Mike Mansfield (D-MT) delivered remarks, all called the late President Ford, "a dignified public servant, who brought civility & dignity back to the Presidency during traumatic times & moved the country past Watergate."

​

 

[49ersFootball]

Humphrey
3:34 PM CST, Wednesday, September 10th, 1975
Minneapolis, MN

The former VP & current United States Senator (who was campaigning for his 5th term in 1976) had been having a rough health fight lately.... In January 1974, Humphrey checked into Bethesda Naval Hospital for tests regarding a minute tumor of the bladder. His physician Edgar Berman said the next day that Humphrey "looks fine & feels fine" & was expected to leave early the following week. In an interview conducted on March 29th, 1974, Humphrey concurred with US Senate Majority Leader Mike Mansfield (D-MT)'s assessment from the prior day that the US House of Representatives had enough votes to impeach then-President Nixon. Humphrey was pleased by Nixon's resignation.

Humphrey's health problems would continue to persist......

 

[49ersFootball]

More highlights from the Lying in Repose
for the 38th President
Wednesday, September 10th-Friday, September 12th, 1975
US Capitol Rotunda, Washington, DC.

​

Meanwhile during the 3 days that the body of the late President Ford was Lying in Repose at the US Capitol Rotunda, thousands of Americans of all ethnicities, many military veterans from World War II, Korea & Vietnam as well as the few remaining World War I military veterans filed past the flag-draped casket of the 38th President.

On Thursday, September 11th, former FLOTUS Lady Bird Johnson, the wife of the late 36th POTUS Lyndon Baines Johnson, her daughters: Lynda Bird Johnson Robb & her husband, Chuck Robb (more on Robb later in this TL), their 3 daughters & Luci Baines Johnson Nugent & her husband, Patrick Nugent including 3 of their kids, were in attendance, filing past the flag-draped casket. They later went to greet the Ford family in person over at the White House.

Korean President Park Chung-hee & his eldest daughter, de-facto Korean First Lady Park Geun-hye filed past the casket, paying their respects before heading over to the White House as well to greet the Ford family as well. Among the other foreign dignitaries who paid their respects to the 38th President included the following:

1.) Japanese PM Takeo Miki.

2.) King Hussein of Jordan & his wife, Queen Alia Al-Hussein.

3.) Israeli PM Yitzhak Rabin.

4.) Singaporean PM Lee Kuan Yew.

5.) Danish PM Anker Jorgensen.

6.) West German Chancellor Helmut Schmidt.

7.) Gabonese President Omar Bongo.

​

 

[49ersFootball]

Clements
5:08 PM EST, Thursday, September 11th, 1975
Cabinet Room, White House, Washington, DC.

​

Clements was called into the Cabinet Room of the White House for a "closed-door meeting" with President Rockefeller. Waiting inside the Cabinet Room, Clements wondered "I wonder what this is all about. Hopefully, it's about the budgeting proposals for the Pentagon." before President Rockefeller entered, "Please sit down Bill. I like to have a talk with you face-to-face about the future of the Defense Department."

Rockefeller continued, "I see you've been doing a great job as the Deputy Secretary of Defense for nearly 3 years & I'm impressed by your aggressiveness in getting things fixed, putting together a smooth, efficient Pentagon for the future of tomorrow in the next generation of Americans. As you know, the position of Secretary of Defense is vacant & I've been analyzing each of the possible candidates to fill it. Bill, I am asking you, will you accept the position as the new Secretary of Defense ?" Clements was shocked by the new President's suggestion that he, Clements, become the new top dog at the Pentagon & without hesitation, Clements responded, "Mr. President, it would be an extreme honor to accept this position. Thank you very much sir." They shook hands & Clements excused himself to deliver the news to his wife, Rita.

Satisfied, Rockefeller's next move was to decide whether to keep Kissinger as US Secretary of State. He was torn on this decision, but would prefer to wait for several days until after his late predecessor, President Ford was laid to rest.. However, at the same time, Rockefeller was being pressured to appoint a VP, but he preferred to hold off on that one for awhile. He still had the list of potential contenders for the Vice Presidency (Reagan, Baker, Schweiker, Bush, & Holton) in the drawer of his desk inside the Oval Office & only he KNEW who he preferred to be the new VP & nobody else knew what he was going to say or do.