Ford was inclined to give the senators what they wanted, and exclude Bush a priori from
the vice presidential contest. When Ford called George over to the Oval Office on
December 18, he already had the text of a letter to Stennis announcing that Bush was
summarily ruled off the ticket if Ford were the candidate (which was anything but
certain). Ford showed Bush the letter. We do not know what whining may have been
heard in the White House that day from a senatorial patrician deprived (for the moment)
of his birthright. Ford could not yield; it would have thrown his entire election campaign
into acute embarrassment just as he was trying to get it off the ground under the likes of
Bo Callaway. When George saw that Ford was obdurate, he proposed that the letter be
amended to make it look as if the initiative to rule him out as a running mate had
originated with Bush. The fateful letter:
Dear Mr. Chairman:As we both know, the nation must have a strong and effective foreign intelligence capability. Just
over two weeks ago, on December 7 while in Pearl Habor, I said that we must never drop our
guard nor unilaterally dismantle our defenses. The Central Intelligence Agency is essential to
maintaining our national security.I nominated Ambassador George Bush to be CIA Director so we can now get on with appropriate
decisions concerning the intelligence community. I need-- and the nation needs-- his leadership at
CIA as we rebuild and strengthen the foreign intelligence community in a manner which earns the
confidence of the American people.Ambassador Bush and I agree that the Nation's immediate foreign intelligence needs must take
precedence over other considerations and there should be continuity in his CIA leadership.
Therefore, if Ambassador Bush is confirmed by the Senate as Director of Central Intelligence, I
will not consider him as my Vice Presidential running mate in 1976.He and I have discussed this in detail. In fact, he urged that I make this decision. This says
something about the man and about his desire to do this job for the nation. [...]On December 19, this letter was received by Stennis, who announced its contents to his
committee. This committe promptly approved the Bush appointment by a vote of 12 to 4,
with Gary Hart, Leahy, Culver, and McIntyre voting against him. Bush's name could now
be sent to the floor, where a recrudescence of anti-Bush sentiment was not likely, but
could not be ruled out.
Bush, true to form, sent a hand-written note to Kendall and O'Donnell on December 18.
"You guys were great to me in all this whirlwind," wrote Bush. "Thank you for your
help--and for your understanding. I have never been in one quite like this before and it
helped to have a couple of guys who seemed to care and want to help. Thanks, men--
Thank Max, [Friedersdorf] too -George" [fn 19]
But underneath his usual network-tending habits, Bush was now engulfed by a profound
rage. He had fought to get elected to the Senate twice, in 1964 and 1970, and failed both
times. He had tried for the vice presidency in 1968, in 1972, had been passed over by
Nixon in late 1973 when Ford was chosen, in 1974, and was now out of the running in