University Archives Historical Collection (Video)

  • [Music]
  • Hi, I’m Ann Case, Tulane’s University Archivist, and I’d like to tell you about
  • an event that happened on campus -- a moment that changed the course of American history
  • -- but very few people are aware that it happened here.
  • I’m referring to the speech given by President Gerald Ford on the evening of April twenty
  • third, 1975, in the building now called Devlin Fieldhouse.
  • On that night, in a packed house of Tulanians, invited guests, and Louisiana politicians,
  • the President stunned the world when he unexpectedly announced that the United States would no
  • longer participate in the Vietnam War.
  • [Announcer] Ladies and gentlemen, the president of the United States...
  • [Ford speech] Today, America can regain
  • the sense of pride that existed before Vietnam
  • but it cannot be achieved
  • by refighting a war that is finished
  • as far as America is concerned. [Applause]
  • The complete speech and several of the documents pertaining to this historic event are available
  • for viewing by visiting the University Archives Historical Collection in Tulane’s Digital
  • Library at digitallibrary.tulane.edu.
  • University Archives, which is a part of Howard-Tilton Memorial Library’s Special Collections division,
  • is the official repository for Tulane University.
  • [Music]