President Nixon’s Address to the Nation Resigning the Office of the Presidency - Pt 1 of 2
“Throughout the long and difficult period of Watergate, I have felt it was my duty to... complete the term of office to which you elected me... I no longer have a strong enough political base in the Congress to justify continuing that effort.... I would have preferred to carry through to the finish whatever the personal agony... But the interest of the Nation must always come before any personal considerations...
... because of the Watergate matter I might not have the support of the Congress ... necessary to ... carry out the duties of this office...
08:13:00 I have never been a quitter.... But as President, I must put the interest of America first... To continue to fight ... for my personal vindication would almost totally absorb the time and attention of both the President and the Congress...
Therefore, I shall resign the Presidency effective at noon tomorrow. Vice President Ford will be sworn in as President at that hour in this office... I know ... that the leadership of America will be in good hands... the first essential is to begin healing the wounds of this Nation, to put the bitterness and divisions of the recent past behind us...
08:15:59 I regret deeply any injuries that may have been done in the course of the events that led to this decision. I would say only that if some of my Judgments were wrong, and some were wrong, they were made in what I believed at the time to be the best interest of the Nation.
To those who have stood with me during these past difficult month... eternally grateful for your support.
... let me say I leave with no bitterness toward those who have opposed me...
... gratitude for the privilege of serving as your President ... a time of achievement in which we can all be proud... We have ended America's longest war... We must complete a structure of peace so that it will be said of this generation... not only that we ended one war but that we prevented future wars.... “
Resignation Speech; Watergate;
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President Nixon’s Address to the Nation Resigning the Office of the Presidency - Pt 1 of 2 “Throughout the long and difficult period of Watergate, I have felt it was my duty to... complete the term of office to which you elected me... I no longer have a strong enough political base in the Congress to justify continuing that effort.... I would have preferred to carry through to the finish whatever the personal agony... But the interest of the Nation must always come before any personal considerations... ... because of the Watergate matter I might not have the support of the Congress ... necessary to ... carry out the duties of this office... 08:13:00 I have never been a quitter.... But as President, I must put the interest of America first... To continue to fight ... for my personal vindication would almost totally absorb the time and attention of both the President and the Congress... Therefore, I shall resign the Presidency effective at noon tomorrow. Vice President Ford will be sworn in as President at that hour in this office... I know ... that the leadership of America will be in good hands... the first essential is to begin healing the wounds of this Nation, to put the bitterness and divisions of the recent past behind us... 08:15:59 I regret deeply any injuries that may have been done in the course of the events that led to this decision. I would say only that if some of my Judgments were wrong, and some were wrong, they were made in what I believed at the time to be the best interest of the Nation. To those who have stood with me during these past difficult month... eternally grateful for your support. ... let me say I leave with no bitterness toward those who have opposed me... ... gratitude for the privilege of serving as your President ... a time of achievement in which we can all be proud... We have ended America's longest war... We must complete a structure of peace so that it will be said of this generation... not only that we ended one war but that we prevented future wars.... “ Resignation Speech; Watergate; We can provide the transcript of the entire speech.