”The elimination of Mr. Richard Nixon leaves intact all the mechanisms and all the false values which permitted the Watergate scandal”(545)

Nothing was being changed they weren’t fixing anything. Nixon would be pardoned but the foreign policies stayed and the power president to do what he wanted would stay. The system was being kept the same. By removing Nixon faith was suppose to be brought back to the government and everybody was suppose to trust the government and believe they did what did because it was best for you. Ford’s goal was to get the people back to the point where they weren’t questioning what the government was doing and just had full trust in its government. Ford kept Nixon’s policy of aid to the Saigon regime, which led to the Fall of Saigon. After that crushing defeat, the faith in the government was only worsened.

The U.S need to get its reputation back up. It seemed like military force is the only way to do this. American cargo ship, The Mayaguez, was sailing by Cambodia. The ship was stopped and the crew was brought back to mainland. In an effort to show to show that the U.S was still powerful Ford demanded their release, however the messages wasn’t received. The crew was released 3 days later. Ford with this knowledge still issued a marine attack of Tang Island. In the attack 41 American solders were lost . With everyone questioning Ford decision, the answer soon came out. ”It was necessary to show the world that giant America, defeated by tiny Vietnam, was still powerful and resolute”(552). The determination to get U.S reputation back as powerful was there, even if it meant AMerican solders would have to go down.