By 1949 the airport's facilities were strained to the maximum and the citizens of Kent County voted to expand the airport at its current location, which would require the purchase of 120 acres and 89 houses. Ford's successful vetoes, however, resulted in the lowest yearly spending increases since the Eisenhower administration.

I have given instructions for a reassessment of United States policy in the region, including our relations with Israel, with the aim of ensuring that overall American interests ... are protected.

Upon learning of Douglas's impending retirement, Ford asked Attorney General Levi to submit a short list of potential Supreme Court nominees, and Levi suggested Stevens, Solicitor General Robert Bork, and federal judge Arlin M. Adams. ", Sarah B. Snyder, "Through the Looking Glass: The Helsinki Final Act and the 1976 Election for President.". Interstate 196 (I-196) is an auxiliary Interstate Highway that runs for 80.6 miles (129.7 km) in the US state of Michigan.It is a state trunkline highway that links Benton Harbor, South Haven, Holland, and Grand Rapids together. [42], After Ford left the White House, the former president privately justified his pardon of Nixon by carrying in his wallet a portion of the text of Burdick v. United States, a 1915 Supreme Court decision which stated that a pardon indicated a presumption of guilt, and that acceptance of a pardon was tantamount to a confession of that guilt. Pulling Back the Curtain on the Executive Mansion, A Reflection of Culture, Values, and Achievements, A History of Activism in Lafayette Square, When Gerald R. Ford took the oath of office on August 9, 1974, he declared, "I assume the Presidency under extraordinary circumstances. "160,000 Mark Two 1775 Battles; Concord Protesters Jeer Ford – Reconciliation Plea". They lost repeatedly in the federal courts, most notably in the 1976 Supreme Court decision of Kleppe v. New Mexico. This is an hour of history that troubles our minds and hurts our hearts." On January 27, 1977, Kent County Airport became Kent County International Airport with the opening of a U.S. Customs Bureau Office in the terminal. [83] Ford came under criticism for a 60 Minutes interview his wife Betty gave in 1975, in which she stated that Roe v. Wade was a "great, great decision". After a contentious series of primaries, Ford won his party's nomination at the 1976 Republican National Convention. Ford promised to give Rockefeller a major role in shaping the domestic policy of the administration, but Rockefeller was quickly sidelined by Rumsfeld and other administration officials.[21]. [38] Ford's close friend and press secretary, Jerald terHorst, resigned his post in protest. Groundbreaking for Kent County's first airport took place on November 26, 1919, four miles from downtown Grand Rapids. [102] Shortly before President Ford departed for Helsinki, he held a meeting with a delegation of Americans of Eastern European background, and stated definitively that U.S. policy on the Baltic States would not change, but would be strengthened since the agreement denies the annexation of territory in violation of international law and allows for the peaceful change of borders. [139], In reaction to this attempt, the Secret Service began keeping Ford at a more secure distance from anonymous crowds, a strategy that may have saved his life seventeen days later. For other current airport documents, visit our Airport Publications page. 710–714. At roughly the same time he rolled out WIN, Ford also proposed a ten-point economic plan. In 1975, the left-wing Fretilin party seized power after a civil war in East Timor (now Timor-Leste), a former colony of Portugal that shared the island of Timor with the Indonesian region of West Timor. [81] The ERA was designed to ensure equal rights for all citizens regardless of gender. "The Bitter End and the Lost Chance in Vietnam: Congress, the Ford Administration, and the Battle over Vietnam, 1975–76". Shabecoff, Philip. [14] The moves were intended to fortify Ford's right flank against a primary challenge from Ronald Reagan. The attempt on the president’s life came only 17 days after another woman had tried to assassinate Ford while he was on his way to give a speech to the California legislature in Sacramento.

[105] Though Ford was criticized for his apparent recognition of the Soviet domination of Eastern Europe, the new emphasis on human rights would eventually contribute to the weakening of the Eastern bloc in the 1980s and speed up its collapse in 1989. [117], In May 1975, shortly after the fall of Saigon and the Khmer Rouge conquest of Cambodia, Cambodians seized the American merchant ship Mayaguez in international waters, sparking what became known as the Mayaguez incident. In the wake of Nixon's heavy use of executive privilege to block investigations of his actions, Ford was scrupulous in minimizing its usage. In the 1976 presidential election, Ford was challenged by Ronald Reagan, a leader of the conservative wing of the Republican Party. Weakened by a serious primary challenge from former California Governor Ronald Reagan, Ford in 1976 lost narrowly to Jimmy Carter. However, that complicated his efforts to keep congressional investigations under control. [154] As a result of this blunder, Ford's surge stalled and Carter was able to maintain a slight lead in the polls. Throughout much of the negotiations, U.S. leaders were disengaged and uninterested with the process; Kissinger told Ford in 1974 that "we never wanted it but we went along with the Europeans ... [i]t is meaningless—it is just a grandstand play to the left. GDP is calculated for the calendar year. [citation needed], A civil war broke out Angola after the fledgling African nation gained independence from Portugal in 1975. Ford felt truly annoyed and thought the chance for peace was jeopardized. [65] To try to mesh service and sacrifice, "WIN" called for Americans to reduce their spending and consumption, especially with regards to gasoline. Andrew D. Moran, "More than a caretaker: the economic policy of Gerald R. [88], When New York City faced bankruptcy in 1975, Mayor Abraham Beame was unsuccessful in obtaining Ford's support for a federal bailout. Captain Ernest Medina is acquitted of all charges relating to the My Lai Massacre of March 1968. The show, which featured a group of relatively unknown actors, went on to become a huge hit and air for 10 seasons. [107] South Vietnamese President Nguyen Van Thieu was not involved in the final negotiations, and publicly criticized the proposed agreement, but was pressured by Nixon and Kissinger into signing the agreement.

[32][33][34] In a televised broadcast to the nation, Ford explained that he felt the pardon was in the best interests of the country, and that the Nixon family's situation "is a tragedy in which we all have played a part. On January 27, 1977, Kent County Airport became Kent County International Airport with the opening of a U.S. Customs Bureau Office in the terminal. [75] The Rockefeller Commission marked the first time that a presidential commission was established to investigate the national security apparatus. 2005-2007 saw the reconstruction of the airport's general aviation ramps, increasing their load capacities to accommodate larger business jets including the G-V and Boeing Business Jet. Secretary of the Interior Thomas S. Kleppe was a leader of the “Sagebrush Rebellion”, a movement of western ranchers and other groups that sought the repeal of environmental protections on federal land. The economy recovered in 1976, as both inflation and unemployment declined. A large number of ground forces went to cut down the tree, while at the same time the air force deployed flights over Panmunjom. [100], When Ford took office in August 1974, the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE) negotiations had been underway in Helsinki, Finland, for nearly two years. [129] The following summer months were described by Ford as an American-Israeli "war of nerves" or "test of wills". She was paroled on December 31, 2007, after serving 32 years.