News stories from Saturday October 13, 1973
Summaries of the stories the major media outlets considered to be of particular importance on this date:
- The morning after announcing his choice on television, President Nixon nominated Gerald Ford, the House minority leader, to succeed Spiro Agnew as Vice President of the United States. A White House messenger bearing the formal nomination arrived at the House chamber at midmorning, a few minutes after his colleagues had given Mr. Ford a standing ovation when he walked onto the House floor. The nominee firmly denied any "intention" to run for office in 1976 and said he would make a full financial disclosure to Congressional screening committees.
Representative Ford had planned a quiet, fence-mending weekend in his Michigan district. That was before he was touched by the wind of history, which swept through the East Room of the White House when he was named as the President's choice for Vice President. Mr. Ford still made the Red Flannel Day parade in Cedar Springs, Mich., and he even presented the award to the state's champion high school band. But he also attended a world affairs briefing by the President and the Secretary of State at the White House. And wherever he went he was trailed by his new detachment of Secret Service agents.
[New York Times] - The selection of Representative Ford was expected to restore some of the administration's sagging power and prestige, especially in Congress, after months of unfolding scandal involving high Nixon officials. The nomination also elevated Mr. Ford -- despite his own disclaimers -- to the ranks of possible presidential contenders. And it set off a lively contest to succeed him as minority leader of the House. [New York Times]
- An informal poll of national Republican leaders produced unanimous praise for President Nixon's choice of Mr. Ford as the next Vice President. But the leaders were divided over whether the nomination -- and expected confirmation -- would make Mr. Ford a leading presidential contender in the 1976 campaign. [New York Times]
- The White House continued to decline to say whether or not President Nixon would appeal the Court of Appeals decision ordering him to surrender the White House tapes. But an appeal to the Supreme Court seemed all but inevitable, since the appellate court flatly rejected Mr. Nixon's conception of presidential prerogatives. The focus of the court's ruling was narrow, but the underlying implications of the decision were broad. [New York Times]
- Governor Cahill reaffirmed New Jersey's commitment to build a sports complex in the Hackensack Meadowlands despite what he called the "transparent, diversionary tactics of those who apparently fear" its potential economic success. The governor's statement, telephoned from Switzerland, was his first public response to a proposal to build a rival complex in Queens. [New York Times]
- Jordan said it had sent a detachment of its best troops to the Syrian defense against Israel. The announcement came after a week of heavy pressure from Arab leaders for King Hussein to commit troops to the Middle East conflict. It was unclear how many troops had been sent to Syria or whether the move would lead to the opening of a new front against Israel. Some European diplomats in Amman described the move as a largely symbolic gesture designed to keep potential Arab critics from denouncing Jordan for not having taken part in the war. [New York Times]
- The entry of Jordan, whose forces are largely American-equipped, into the Middle East conflict surprised and disappointed the Nixon administration, according to officials who called the move a further policy setback for the United States in the Middle East. A Jordanian diplomat said the detachment committed by King Hussein was an armored brigade of about 5,000 men, which had been sent only after adequate air cover had been guaranteed. [New York Times]
- Administration officials indicated that the United States was preparing to replace some of the jet fighters lost by Israel during the first week of the Middle East conflict. Shipment of planes -- primarily F-4 Phantom fighter-bombers, a type that forms the backbone of the Israeli Air Force -- is expected to begin in the next few days. The move is being made under tight secrecy because of American concern about its effects on relations with the oil-producing Arab states and on Soviet actions in resupplying Egypt and Syria. [New York Times]