I am thinking of events after 1971. Pundits and consultants were casting around for a vice president after Agnew resigned. Many were skeptical of Ford's ability in foreign policy and the issue became more urgent as it seemed increasingly likely through 1973 and early 1974 that Nixon might be forced out. Kissinger had sold many in the press on the idea that he was the real brains of the operation as National Security Advisor and Secretary of State. His shuttle diplomacy in the Middle East and reconfiguring of the Cold War with detente and the trips to China gave him real charisma beside the other contenders who might be nominated as Ford's Vice President. I don't think this ever got beyond the pundits and others who follow the play-by-play of Washington politics. TIME, for example, did a big story on it, while Ford was casting about for a VP, and Hugh Sidey was enamor. One letter writer replied that the natural born requirement should not be changed, citing the example of Weimar Germany whose constitution did not prevent an Austrian-born corporal from becoming chancellor in the 1930s. In its 18th century context, I think, the natural born requirement was not so much anti-immigrant, as it was a safeguard against great powers trying to impose by war and diplomacy a chief executive whose real allegiance was to that great power. Great powers commonly used this kind of manipulation to create allies and empires for themselves.
Ian Mylchreest on 10/9/03 9:03 AM, James C. Ho at [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: > Do you have any documentation that it was Kissinger that motivated amendment > talk during that era? > > Here's the information I have on that front: > > H. J. Res. 795, 90th Cong. (1967) [Matsunaga] Naturalized Citizens (15 > Years) > > No person except a natural born citizen of the United States, or a naturalized > citizen of the United States for at least fifteen years, shall be eligible to > the office of President; neither shall any person be eligible to that office > who shall not have attained the age of thirty-five years, and been fourteen > years a resident within the United States. > > 8/17/1967 Referred to the Committee on the Judiciary. > > S. J. Res. 161, 92nd Cong. (1971) [Fong, for himself and Baker, > Bible, Hollings, Humphrey, Metcalf, Muskie, and Proxmire] All U.S. > Citizens > > Notwithstanding the provision of clause 4 of section 1 of article II of the > Constitution, a person who is a naturalized citizen of the United States shall > be eligible to hold the office of President if he is otherwise eligible under > such clause to hold such office. > > 9/28/1971 Referred to the Committee on the Judiciary. > > Ian Mylchreest <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: >> Speaking of boomlets of interest, during the Watergate crisis and its >> immediate aftermath when Henry Kissinger appeared to be the anchor of the >> Nixon White House, there was also talk of amending the Constitution to > allow >> him to run for the Presidency. Of course, nothing came of it. >> >> Ian Mylchreest > > > James C. Ho > Chief Counsel > U.S. Senate Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights & Property Rights > U.S. Senator John Cornyn, Chairman > Dirksen Senate Office Building Room 139 > (202) 224-7840 (office) > (202) 228-2281 (fax) > > > ____________________________________________________________________ >
