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7340963
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Statement by the Press Secretary on Assassination Attempt in San Francisco
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document
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1
Source metadata
id
7340963
sourceUrl
contentType
document
title
Statement by the Press Secretary on Assassination Attempt in San Francisco
citationUrl
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White House Press Releases (Ford Administration)
Press Releases
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7340963
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22
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1975-09-22
month
9
year
1975
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nara-archive
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28718ee3325ef117
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Digitized from Box 16 of the White House Press Releases at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 22, 1975
Office of the White House Press Secretary
THE WHITE HOUSE
STATEMENT BY THE PRESS SECRETARY
At the conclusion of a t.v. interview with KPIX-TV, in a suite
on the 6th floor of the St. Francis Hotel in San Francisco,
President Ford boarded an elevator and rode to the groud floor
of the Hotel on the Post Street side. The President greeted a
small group of well-wishers in the lobby of the hotel.
The President stepped out on Post Street, where his car was
parked at the curb. As he walked from the hotel door to the
car, he waved briefly to a large crowd, on the other side of
Post Street.
At that point there was a sound of a single gun shot.
Secret Service agents Ron Pontius and Jack Merchant and
Assistant to the President Donald Rumsfeld pushed the President
down toward the sidewalk shielding him behind his car from the
crowd. The President, agents Pontius and Merchant, and Donald
Rumsfeld entered the car and the motorcade departed immediately
for the San Francisco International Airport.
For the first several blocks after departing from the hotel,
the President was stretched out on the floor of his car between
the seats with agents Pontius and Merchant and Mr. Rumsfeld
shielding his body. After the car was out of the area, the
President sat in the middle of the rear seat with agents Pontius
and Merchant on either side and Mr. Rumsfeld in the jump seat.
Mrs. Ford arrived at the San Francisco International Airport
by U.S. Air Force C-9 aircraft from Monterey a moment or two
after the President and boarded Air Force 1.
She was told of the episode in the Presidential cabin. Mrs.
Ford received the information calmly. The President can be
described as serious following the eipsode and on the flight
home to Washington.
The individual who fired the gun has been identified as Sarah
Moore, age 47. The weapon has been identified as a 5 shot
.38 revolver.
Page 2
During the flight home to Washington, the President told his
staff aboard Air Force 1 that he felt that the U.S. Secret Service
and the State and Local law enforcement officials had performed
their duties in an outstanding manner and he asked that his
thanks be expressed to all involved.
The President indicated to his staff that a circumstance
where the political leaders are forced into isolation from
their constitutents because of the threats of a few would be
intolerable. The communication of ideas is fundamental in our
system, and to allow it to be unduly restricted, warped, or
inhibited would be to weaken, if not destroy it.
He believes it is vitally important for the leadership of our
country to be free to communicate with the people they serve.
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