Nixon - Im not a crook — Transcript

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1. 0:00good
2. 0:00evening this is the 37th time I have
3. 0:05spoken to you from this office where so
4. 0:07many decisions have been made that shape
5. 0:10the history of this
6. 0:13nation each time I have done so to
7. 0:16discuss with you some matter that I
8. 0:18believe affected the national
9. 0:20interest in all the decisions I have
10. 0:22made in my public life I have always
11. 0:25tried to do what was best for the
12. 0:28nation
13. 0:30throughout the long and difficult period
14. 0:32of
15. 0:33Watergate I have felt it was my duty to
16. 0:36persevere to make every possible effort
17. 0:38to complete the term of office to which
18. 0:41you
19. 0:42elected in the past few days however it
20. 0:46has become evident to me that I no
21. 0:49longer have a strong enough political
22. 0:52base in the Congress to justify
23. 0:55continuing that
24. 0:57effort as long as there was such a face
25. 1:01I felt strongly that it was necessary to
26. 1:03see the Constitutional process through
27. 1:05to its
28. 1:06conclusion that to do otherwise would be
29. 1:09unfaithful to the spirit of that
30. 1:12deliberately difficult process and a
31. 1:15dangerously destabilizing precedent for
32. 1:18[Music]
33. 1:19the but with The Disappearance of that
34. 1:23base I now believe that the
35. 1:26Constitutional purpose has been sered
36. 1:29and there is no longer a need for the
37. 1:32process to be the
38. 1:34[Music]
39. 1:36law I would have
40. 1:38preferred to carry through to the
41. 1:40Finish whatever the personal Agony it
42. 1:43would have
43. 1:44involved and my family unanimously urged
44. 1:49me to do
45. 1:51so but the interest of the nation must
46. 1:54always come before any personal
47. 1:57considerations from the discussions I
48. 1:59have had with with Congressional and
49. 2:00other leaders I have
50. 2:02concluded that because of the Watergate
51. 2:05matter I might not have the support of
52. 2:08the Congress that I would consider
53. 2:11necessary to back the very difficult
54. 2:13decisions and carry out the duties of
55. 2:15this office in the way the interests of
56. 2:18the nation will
57. 2:21require I have never been
58. 2:25quitter to leave office before my term
59. 2:28is completed is a horri every Instinct
60. 2:30in my
61. 2:33body but as president I must put the
62. 2:37interest of America
63. 2:40First America needs a fulltime
64. 2:44president and a fulltime
65. 2:46Congress particularly at this time with
66. 2:49problems we face at home and
67. 2:52abroad to continue to fight through the
68. 2:56months ahead for my personal
69. 2:58vindication would almost totally absorb
70. 3:02the time and attention of both the Pres
71. 3:05and the Congress in a period when our
72. 3:08entire focus should be on the great
73. 3:11issue of Peace abroad and prosperity
74. 3:14without inflation at
75. 3:17home
76. 3:19therefore I shall resign the presidency
77. 3:21effective at noon
78. 3:23tomorrow Vice President Ford will be
79. 3:27sworn in as president at that hour
80. 3:30in this off well I'm not a crook I've
81. 3:33earned everything I've got well I'm not
82. 3:36a crook