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Timeline of the Gerald Ford presidency (1975)

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

January

  • January 1 – Ford signs the Privacy Act of 1974.
  • January 4 – Ford signs the Federal-Aid Highway Amendments of 1974. Among other changes, the law permanently implements a national 55-mph speed limit (which had already been a temporary limit) for the Interstate Highway System.
  • January 4 – Ford names a Blue Ribbon panel, chaired by Vice President Rockefeller, to review CIA Activities within the United States in response to allegations made in a December New York Times article by Seymour Hersh.
  • January 13 – Ford delivers a "fireside chat" to the nation, outlining his proposals to fight inflation, the economic recession, and energy dependence.
  • January 15 – In his first State of the Union Address, Ford announces bluntly that "the state of the Union is not good. Millions of Americans are out of work. Recession and inflation are eroding the money of millions more. Prices are too high, and sales are too slow." To remedy these problems, Ford proposes tax cuts for American families and businesses, and strongly advocates for the reduction of government spending.

February

March

April

  • April 3 – President Ford announces Operation Babylift, which would evacuate about 2,000 orphans from south Vietnam.
  • April 8 – President Ford signs Executive Order 11850, a renunciation of certain uses in war of chemical herbicides and riot control agents. The executive order restricts the use of herbicides, and riot control agents, including tear gas. Each and every use would require explicit approval.
  • April 10 – As divisions of the North Vietnamese Army approach Saigon; Ford addresses a joint session of Congress to request, unsuccessfully, financial assistance for South Vietnam and Cambodia. (Vietnam Humanitarian Assistance and Evacuation Act of 1975) During the speech two freshman Democrats, Toby Moffett of Connecticut and George Miller of California walk out in protest.
  • April 12 – Ford orders the evacuation of U.S. personnel (military and civilian) and allied Cambodians from Cambodia as the Khmer Rouge advance on the capital Phnom Penh. The Khmer Rouge take over the country on April 17, 1975.
  • April 23 – In a speech at Tulane University, President Ford declares that the Vietnam War "is finished as far as America is concerned."
  • April 28 – With the fall of Saigon to the North Vietnamese Army immanent, President Ford orders the emergency evacuation of all remaining American military personnel and civilians and at-risk South Vietnamese nationals from the city.
  • April 29–30 – Operation Frequent Wind, the final phase in the American evacuation from South Vietnam, is carried out. More than 1,400 U.S. citizens and 5,500 third country nationals and South Vietnamese are evacuated by helicopter from landing zones in and around the United States Embassy and Tân SÆ¡n Nhứt Airport in Saigon. It is the largest helicopter evacuation in history. By the afternoon of April 30, North Vietnamese troops are in control of the important points of the city (subsequently renamed Hồ Chí Minh City) and have raised their flag over the South Vietnamese presidential palace.

May

  • May 12–15 – When Cambodia seizes the American container ship in international waters, Ford orders U.S. Marines to rescue the ship's crew. The civilians are safely recovered and a long hostage crisis averted, but many Marines die. This was the last official battle of the Vietnam War. The names of the Americans killed, as well as those of three Marines who were left behind on the island of Koh Tang after the battle and were subsequently executed by the Khmer Rouge, are the last names on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.
  • May 15 – The construction of an outdoor swimming pool at the White House is announced. Ford swam twice daily before his presidency and regretted being unable to do so at the White House.
  • May 28 – June 3 – Ford makes the fourth international trip of his presidency:
  • May 28–31 – Travels to Brussels, Belgium; attends the NATO Summit Meeting, addresses the North Atlantic Council and meets separately with NATO heads of state and government.
  • May 31 – June 1 – Travels to Madrid, Spain; meets with Generalissimo Francisco Franco, and receives the keys to the city of Madrid from mayor Miguel Angel García-Lomas Mata.

June

July

August

September

October

  • October 2–3 – Ford hosts Japanese Emperor Hirohito and Empress Nagako for a state visit. This is the first state visit for an Emperor and Empress of Japan to the United States.
  • October 29 – Ford urges financial restraint and a financial review for New York City during its fiscal crisis. Ford refuses to support Federal help for New York at this time. He proposes bankruptcy legislation to ensure the City undergoes an orderly default process.

November

December

  • December 1–7 - Ford makes the seventh international trip of his presidency:
  • December 1–5 – Travels to Beijing, China; meets with Communist Party Chairman Mao Zedong and Vice Premier Deng Xiaoping to build momentum toward normalization of relations.
  • December 5–6 – Travels to Jakarta, Indonesia; meets with President Suharto.
  • December 6–7 – Travels to Manila, Philippines; meets with President Ferdinand Marcos.
  • December 19 – Ford opposes the Tunney Amendments of the Defense Appropriations Bill but the Senate passes them 54–22. The amendments prohibit funding for U.S. activities aimed at defeating the Soviet and Cuban backed MPLA factions in the Angolan Civil War.
  • December 22 – Ford signs the Energy Policy and Conservation Act, creating a comprehensive approach to federal energy policy in response to the 1973 oil crisis.

See also

References

External links