Basic HTML Version
Y
ES, NOW, it strikes HOME! J've
been telling our readers
how, like falling dominoes,
governments of nations have been
toppling ail over the world, one af–
ter another.
Perhaps it d idn ' t seem very sig–
nifican! to sorne of us in the United
States!
lt
did tome, beca use in gov–
ernment after government, I was at
least indirectly involved , personally!
Now, for the firs t time in United
States history, our own government
has been affected - right to the very
top. The 37th President of the
United States, due to the vicissi–
tudes of human frailty, has been
forced to turn the power of govern–
ment over to another - and he. a
man not in office by vote of the
people. He was selected by Mr.
Nixon, who had also selected his
predecessor, also driven from office
due to unfitness.
And now the United States will
have a new vice-president chosen,
not by vote of the people, but by the
38th Presiden! Gerald Ford, himself
chosen by the man forced by his
own misdeeds to resign.
For six years now, [ have been
priva tely discussing their problems
and world conditions with heads of
state all over the world - presidents,
kings, emperors, prime ministe rs.
others high in government - prob–
lems too weighty for human solu–
tion. lf you had sat in a chair beside
me in these many prívate di s–
cussions, you would realize that
human problems, troubles and evils
are beyond human ability to solve.
But when you add human nature
and its temptations and mistakes ,
you have a situation where we sim–
ply cannot put trust in human gov–
ernment.
But Jet me tell you, again, why
these continuous topplings of gov–
ernments strike home so thunder–
ously to me.
I've written you how 1 was in–
vited, in March of last year, to visit
the king of Afghanistan and the em–
peror of Ethiopia. Before I could fit
a visit to Afghanistan into my
schedule, the government was over-
PLAIN TRUTH September 1974
Personal f rom
NOW-
IT STRIKES HOME!
PRESIDENT
Gerald R. Ford is sworn in
by
Chief Justice Warren Burger as
the 38th President of the United S tates, August 9, 19 74.
thrown and the king fled in ex..ile. I
did visit Emperor Hail e Selassie of
Ethiopia in June of last year, and
again this past January. But since
then his country has been virtually
overthrown by a military uprising.
The emperor, however,
is
still on his
throne. 1 had photographers in
Addis Ababa last month , taking
preliminary television footage for a
TV program and for my corning
public appearance there, but had to
cal! them out, beca use those officials
we had contacted were in prison.
Then, you remember I was in
(Continued on page 26)