The front page of the Deseret News on Aug. 9, 1974, as Richard M. Nixon resigns as president, and President Gerald R. Ford is sworn into office. On Aug. 9, 1974, Gerald Ford took the oath of office to become the 38th U.S. president after Richard Nixon’s resignation; in a speech following his swearing-in, Ford declared that “our long national nightmare is over.” On Monday, Aug. 5, 1974, the White House released transcripts of subpoenaed tape recordings showing that Nixon and his chief of staff, H.R. Nixon would meet with Ford, speak to the nation via a TV broadcast, and then resign. After Ford took the helm on Aug. 9, he was credited with steadying the country, and working on the economy.