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Air Force One was 13 miles southwest of Jefferson City, Mo.—Middle America by geographical as well as political definition—when Richard Nixon became an ex-President and a private citizen. It was the 2,027th day of his presidency—896 days short of a full two terms. Tricia Nixon Cox and her husband Edward listened to President Ford's first speech on a radio in the plane, but Nixon and Pat did not leave their separate compartments to hear it.
At El Toro Marine Base in California, a crowd of 5,000 was waiting, and Nixon's first words were "We're home!" He promised to work for peace, the legacy for which he wants to be remembered, and "for opportunity and understanding among the people here in America." Then, climbing into another waiting helicopter, Nixon sped with his family the 40 miles to San Clemente and Casa Pacifica. There, shielded from public view by the Bougainvillaea shrubs and a cement wall that had been installed for him, Richard Nixon began his exile.