Introduction
"In all the decisions I have made in my public life, I have always tried to do what was best for the Nation. Throughout the long and difficult period of Watergate, I have felt it was my duty to persevere, to make every possible effort to complete the term of office to which you elected me."
...
"From the discussions I have had with Congressional and other leaders, I have concluded that because of the Watergate matter, I might not have the support of the Congress that I would consider necessary to back the very difficult decisions and carry out the duties of this office in the way the interests of the Nation would require."
...
"I have never been a quitter. To leave office before my term is completed is abhorrent to every instinct in my body. But as President, I must put the interest of America first. America needs a full-time President and a full-time Congress, particularly at this time with problems we face at home and abroad."
...
"Therefore, I shall resign the Presidency effective at noon tomorrow. Vice President Agnew will be sworn in as President at that hour in this office."
--
As President Richard Nixon read his political will to the American people, his final national address after years of sudden speeches about Viet Nam and the economy, the nation watched in pure awe. Some were shocked at the fact such a clearly innocent man would willingly step aside like this—others just seemed surprised the crook went down without having to physically drag him out by his feet.
One man, however, stared ahead with a narrow gaze—unlike many of the men who dwelled within the Nixon administration, he wasn't particularly sad to see the 37th President of the United States leave the White House for good. After all, he would be the 38th soon enough.
Vice President Spiro 'Ted' Agnew had plans, ideas that had never come to fruition through his tenure as Dick Nixon's number two since the men had virtually zero contact for most of the last six years. He had been nothing but a pick to placate the white moderate and galvanize the so-called 'Silent Majority' against Hubert Humphrey and the Democrats. Outside of that, he was nothing but a bother to Nixon.
Agnew knew this, Nixon knew this, John Connally and the rest of Nixon's formerly jolly band knew this—the president's most loyal acolytes didn't give the incoming leader any tips or even their warmest regards, they loathed him. Agnew's sneers made it more than clear the loathing was mutual.
That is save for a few specific men who were likely to hold onto some form of power once the Maryland Greeks took power. He already had a list of names. Kissinger would be pushed out quickly. Ehrlichman too. As would anyone still stuck in the mud over Nixon's fate.
There were others he saw fit to mold. And some he clearly owed favors to. Elliot Richardson—although the former Attorney General was long gone from the Nixon White House, it was well known within the walls of the building that Richardson had saved Agnew's ass by not reporting findings relating to a certain case-that-shall-not-be-named. The Vice President was egotistic, but he knew he owed his promotion to the Massachusetts native. There were others within the administration—young bucks like Rumsfeld and his mini-me, those he saw fit to mold to his new vision for the post-Dick GOP.
Across the building, Richard Nixon sat in solace. The entire Watergate 'scandal' had clearly brought the man to his emotional limits. Already fragile, the president was now a fundamentally destroyed man. If it wasn't worse—if the fact his own party had thrown him under the bus—and the Democrats won the truest battle for the country—you know what was the worst part, he thought?
He now had to hand the keys to a man he truly despised.
Nixon had regretted Spiro Agnew since the moment he won the 1968 election. The President moped and moaned about how he should have chosen John Volpe or Howard Baker. Agnew had proven to be a great running mate back in '68, but his abilities as vice president were damning for the administration most of the time. Nixon couldn't help but freeze for a moment, wondering if the nation would be fine under his helm.
Tomorrow couldn't come soon enough.
On August 9th, 1974, America changed on a fundamental scale. Richard Nixon solemnly saluted his fellow patriots before jumping into a helicopter and leaving the White House for what was assumed to be the final time in any official capacity. In what many had once hoped to be a moment of brevity, the crook finally chased out of power, instead leading to the longest period of anxiety in American history, lasting from this moment in 1974 all the way to the end of the newfound Agnew presidency. Millions of Americans held their breaths as Spiro Agnew, the former Governor of Maryland who had lucked out going against a segregationist perennial loser in his one statewide election—and who only gained the Vice Presidential nomination after being humiliated by his benefactor Nelson Rockefeller—was now the 38th President of the United States.
His inaugural speech had been originally written on a napkin by Agnew's vice presidential chief of staff, Arthur Sohmer, in a mere 20 minutes. The current version was slightly more refined.
He began speaking. Everyone listened.
"Good evening, my fellow Americans. Let me begin by giving my... warmest regards to the Nixons. I pray that their private life is as fruitful as their public careers. I have had the honor of serving as Vice President of the United States over the last six years. I have seen this country through many of its best and worst moments. The recent events that have unfolded have tested our nation's resilience and resolve, but there is little doubt in my mind that we stand firm and unshaken."
...
"In the coming days, weeks, and months, our administration will focus on several key priorities. I can promise you that we will fix the broken government which led to this entire Watergate incident. Let me make this clear—this administration is not an extension or a continuation of the Nixon administration. It is impossible for anyone to truly understand how deep the rot may go. And with that in mind, I must say solemnly that we will commit to a clean sweep for the incoming cabinet. There will be few—truly few men left from the old guard. Men who understood that nation comes before their own goals. Men like Elliot Richardson and others who were purged without getting a word in edgewise—I fully believe if we're going to restore faith in our institutions we must remove what plagues our current system!"
...
"I am forced to evoke the words of Harry Truman when I say that The Buck Stops Here! No longer can we afford the personal issues of the past, the scandals of the last administration should be swept astray and with that, I am calling on Congress to get back to work in passing policy that'll help the American people. We don't have time for the needless nonsensical partisan bickering, and as a nation, we can no longer afford it."
...
"Tonight, I ask that you all pray for me and the First Lady. We have a long road ahead—and we will need all the help we can get in order to get through these troubled times."
It was short. It was nothing special—and it certainly wasn't the normal kind of speech Agnew would deliver. The fact he reserved a section of his speech for condemning a Congress he hadn't dealt with and accusing them of being too concerned with Nixon was a bit concerning for the American people.
It takes a while to settle in.
Spiro Agnew is president.
What now?
...
"From the discussions I have had with Congressional and other leaders, I have concluded that because of the Watergate matter, I might not have the support of the Congress that I would consider necessary to back the very difficult decisions and carry out the duties of this office in the way the interests of the Nation would require."
...
"I have never been a quitter. To leave office before my term is completed is abhorrent to every instinct in my body. But as President, I must put the interest of America first. America needs a full-time President and a full-time Congress, particularly at this time with problems we face at home and abroad."
...
"Therefore, I shall resign the Presidency effective at noon tomorrow. Vice President Agnew will be sworn in as President at that hour in this office."
--
As President Richard Nixon read his political will to the American people, his final national address after years of sudden speeches about Viet Nam and the economy, the nation watched in pure awe. Some were shocked at the fact such a clearly innocent man would willingly step aside like this—others just seemed surprised the crook went down without having to physically drag him out by his feet.
One man, however, stared ahead with a narrow gaze—unlike many of the men who dwelled within the Nixon administration, he wasn't particularly sad to see the 37th President of the United States leave the White House for good. After all, he would be the 38th soon enough.
Vice President Spiro 'Ted' Agnew had plans, ideas that had never come to fruition through his tenure as Dick Nixon's number two since the men had virtually zero contact for most of the last six years. He had been nothing but a pick to placate the white moderate and galvanize the so-called 'Silent Majority' against Hubert Humphrey and the Democrats. Outside of that, he was nothing but a bother to Nixon.
Agnew knew this, Nixon knew this, John Connally and the rest of Nixon's formerly jolly band knew this—the president's most loyal acolytes didn't give the incoming leader any tips or even their warmest regards, they loathed him. Agnew's sneers made it more than clear the loathing was mutual.
That is save for a few specific men who were likely to hold onto some form of power once the Maryland Greeks took power. He already had a list of names. Kissinger would be pushed out quickly. Ehrlichman too. As would anyone still stuck in the mud over Nixon's fate.
There were others he saw fit to mold. And some he clearly owed favors to. Elliot Richardson—although the former Attorney General was long gone from the Nixon White House, it was well known within the walls of the building that Richardson had saved Agnew's ass by not reporting findings relating to a certain case-that-shall-not-be-named. The Vice President was egotistic, but he knew he owed his promotion to the Massachusetts native. There were others within the administration—young bucks like Rumsfeld and his mini-me, those he saw fit to mold to his new vision for the post-Dick GOP.
Across the building, Richard Nixon sat in solace. The entire Watergate 'scandal' had clearly brought the man to his emotional limits. Already fragile, the president was now a fundamentally destroyed man. If it wasn't worse—if the fact his own party had thrown him under the bus—and the Democrats won the truest battle for the country—you know what was the worst part, he thought?
He now had to hand the keys to a man he truly despised.
Nixon had regretted Spiro Agnew since the moment he won the 1968 election. The President moped and moaned about how he should have chosen John Volpe or Howard Baker. Agnew had proven to be a great running mate back in '68, but his abilities as vice president were damning for the administration most of the time. Nixon couldn't help but freeze for a moment, wondering if the nation would be fine under his helm.
Tomorrow couldn't come soon enough.
On August 9th, 1974, America changed on a fundamental scale. Richard Nixon solemnly saluted his fellow patriots before jumping into a helicopter and leaving the White House for what was assumed to be the final time in any official capacity. In what many had once hoped to be a moment of brevity, the crook finally chased out of power, instead leading to the longest period of anxiety in American history, lasting from this moment in 1974 all the way to the end of the newfound Agnew presidency. Millions of Americans held their breaths as Spiro Agnew, the former Governor of Maryland who had lucked out going against a segregationist perennial loser in his one statewide election—and who only gained the Vice Presidential nomination after being humiliated by his benefactor Nelson Rockefeller—was now the 38th President of the United States.
His inaugural speech had been originally written on a napkin by Agnew's vice presidential chief of staff, Arthur Sohmer, in a mere 20 minutes. The current version was slightly more refined.
He began speaking. Everyone listened.
"Good evening, my fellow Americans. Let me begin by giving my... warmest regards to the Nixons. I pray that their private life is as fruitful as their public careers. I have had the honor of serving as Vice President of the United States over the last six years. I have seen this country through many of its best and worst moments. The recent events that have unfolded have tested our nation's resilience and resolve, but there is little doubt in my mind that we stand firm and unshaken."
...
"In the coming days, weeks, and months, our administration will focus on several key priorities. I can promise you that we will fix the broken government which led to this entire Watergate incident. Let me make this clear—this administration is not an extension or a continuation of the Nixon administration. It is impossible for anyone to truly understand how deep the rot may go. And with that in mind, I must say solemnly that we will commit to a clean sweep for the incoming cabinet. There will be few—truly few men left from the old guard. Men who understood that nation comes before their own goals. Men like Elliot Richardson and others who were purged without getting a word in edgewise—I fully believe if we're going to restore faith in our institutions we must remove what plagues our current system!"
...
"I am forced to evoke the words of Harry Truman when I say that The Buck Stops Here! No longer can we afford the personal issues of the past, the scandals of the last administration should be swept astray and with that, I am calling on Congress to get back to work in passing policy that'll help the American people. We don't have time for the needless nonsensical partisan bickering, and as a nation, we can no longer afford it."
...
"Tonight, I ask that you all pray for me and the First Lady. We have a long road ahead—and we will need all the help we can get in order to get through these troubled times."
It was short. It was nothing special—and it certainly wasn't the normal kind of speech Agnew would deliver. The fact he reserved a section of his speech for condemning a Congress he hadn't dealt with and accusing them of being too concerned with Nixon was a bit concerning for the American people.
It takes a while to settle in.
Spiro Agnew is president.
What now?
Last edited:
