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Banned
Clements
1:02 PM EST, Friday, September 5th, 1975
The Pentagon, Washington, DC.
1:02 PM EST, Friday, September 5th, 1975
The Pentagon, Washington, DC.
US Deputy Defense Secretary William Perry "Bill" Clements, Jr., was working inside his office at the Pentagon, analyzing which specific unnecessary programs on the defense budget needed to be cut or reduced in order to save money for the Pentagon & US Department of Defense. He was making specific cuts & obviously wasn't getting along with US SECDEF Donald Rumsfeld, whom Clements referred to his time under Rumsfeld was "very unpleasant" & their hostility was detailed in this: when Rumsfeld tried to have him removed, Clements blatantly resisted efforts to be moved to another department, even going so far as to threaten if removed from his office, to hold a press conference & label his dismissal a "power play". At 1:02 PM, Clements' phone rang non-stop, he answered & was notified about the incident in Sacramento "Oh my God. Are you telling me President Ford has been hit ?" he asked. One of the Pentagon staffers informed him, "Yes sir. Mr. Deputy Secretary. We can confirm that the President has been hit. We don't know how serious, it is, but I've been told by the White House that your presence is needed over there RIGHT NOW!"
Hanging up, Clements told his wife, Rita Crocker Clements, who was shocked at the news "Rita, I'll have to head over to the White House for an emergency National Security Council meeting, it might take all night. I'll have the driver take you home."
More on Clements later....
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