Violence, Scandal, and the End of the Cold War 287A month later, on September 8 , 1974 , to the shock and anger of
many, Ford gave Nixon a full and unconditional presidential pardon.
He denied that a “deal” had been struck at the time of his elevation in
testimony given to the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Criminal
Justice on October 17. Rather, he insisted, it was his wish to end the
controversy over Watergate and restore peace to the country. But a
great many of the electorate found it difficult to accept the fact of the
pardon, and they noted that the speed with which it was given and the
failure to prepare the public for it beforehand gave credence to the ac-
cusation of another “corrupt bargain.” Ford would pay the price for his
action at the next presidential election in 1976 , but by the time of his
death in 2006 many Americans had come to believe that what he had
said was true, that there had been no “deal,” and that the nation needed
to heal and be done with the Watergate scandal.
Two attempts on the life of Gerald Ford were made in September
1975. Fortunately, both failed. On September 5 , Lynette Fromme
pointed a Colt. 45 -caliber handgun loaded with four bullets at Ford but
was apprehended before she could shoot. Then, on September 22 , Sara
Jane Moore fired a single shot at Ford as he was leaving the St. Francis
Hotel in San Francisco. A bystander, Oliver Simple, grabbed her arm
as she pulled the trigger and deflected the bullet. Ford again escaped
possible injury or death. Although given a life sentence, Moore was
pardoned on December 31 , 2007 , after thirty-two years in prison.
It is not clear whether either attempt was motivated in part by the
pardon or by the fact that Nixon never confessed his guilt, although he
did admit making mistakes. Actually, his ac ceptance of the pardon was
interpreted by many as an admission of guilt. Although he himself es-
caped trial and possible imprisonment for his crimes, his aides were
accused, tried, and convicted of conspiracy, obstruction of justice, per-
jury, and violating federal campaign laws. They received varying prison
sentences. Later, in 1975 , investigations by congressional committees
revealed that the CIA had conducted extensive and illegal intelligence
operations during the Nixon administration.
There were two important results from the Watergate debacle. The
first was passage of the Campaign Finance Act in 1974 , which estab-
lished spending limits and required full disclosure of campaign contri-
butions and expenses. The second was the overwhelming defeat of