I was saddened to learn of the death of President Gerald Ford.
As President Ford himself said on taking the oath of office in 1974, he assumed the Presidency of the United States of America "under extraordinary circumstances". He had been the first Vice President chosen under the terms of the 25th Amendment and, in the aftermath of the Watergate scandal, succeeded the first President ever to resign.
As President, he provided calm leadership and healing to a nation troubled by high inflation, a depressed economy, an energy crisis and international challenges.
The Ford Administration oversaw the final withdrawal of American personnel from Vietnam. Under President Ford, d‚tente continued with the Soviet Union and China. He visited China in 1975 and in the same year his Administration entered into the Helsinki Accords with the Soviet Union, which contributed to the international codification of human rights and reduced political and military tensions between East and West.
President Ford will be remembered as a forthright and decent man who safely guided the United States of America in troubled times.
On behalf of the Government and people of Australia, I extend my deepest sympathies to his wife Betty, their children and their families, and to the people of the United States of America.