Dear Bo:
It is with a very special sense of regret but also with profound appreciation for your outstanding service to our Nation, that I accept your resignation as Secretary of the Army, effective July 3, 1975.
For more than two years, your leadership has moved the Army forward with most impressive results. Through your efforts, an all volunteer Army has become reality, as more and more highly qualified young men and women choose to make the Army a career. You have established the Army's credibility with the Congress and the American people. Today's Army is accomplishing more with less than any Army in our history.
Under your guidance, the young men and women of today's Army are filled with enthusiasm for what they are doing. The result is a renewed pride and sense of mission within the Army, and a much greater respect for our men and women in uniform among the American people.
You will be greatly missed at Defense, but it is because of my unqualified confidence and trust in your abilities that I have asked you to take on an entirely different but singularly important set of responsibilities and I am deeply grateful for your willingness to do so.
As you step down as Secretary of the Army, you may take tremendous pride in your outstanding contributions to our country and this Administration, and I hope you will look back on these past two years with pride in what has been achieved. You have served with great distinction, and I look forward to our future association.
Betty joins me in extending to Beth and you our best wishes and warmest personal regards.
Sincerely,
JERRY FORD
[The Honorable Howard H. Callaway, Secretary of the Army, Washington, D.C. 20310]
Note: Secretary Callaway's letter of resignation, dated June 25, 1975, read as follows:
Dear Mr. President:
It has been a great honor and a personal privilege to be a part of your Administration as the Secretary of the Army. It has also been an exciting experience for me to serve with the Defense team during a period of such great change, stimulating challenge, and decisive progress.
I am especially proud that the modern Army has just completed an epic transition from a draft environment to an all-volunteer force that is now stable, strong, and ready. The volunteer soldier is truly representative of the American people and stands ready to serve the Nation's defense whenever and wherever needed. In my judgment, today's Army is the most efficient and responsive ground force in history and its momentum and direction has been firmly set so that it will become stronger and more efficient in the years to come.
As I officially tender my resignation as Secretary of the Army, effective midnight, 3 July 1975, I would like to acknowledge my great debt to you, to Secretary Schlesinger, to Deputy Secretary Clements, and to the American Congress for the dynamic and farsighted support which has been given to the Army. The establishment of a stabilized force has enabled us to provide the Nation with far more deterrent and additional fighting capability. I would also like to express my great admiration for the men and women of the Army who have responded to the Nation's challenge with dedication and enthusiasm.
As you know, I reluctantly leave the Army for it has been the most satisfying, rewarding, and exciting period of my life, but I look forward to serving you and the Nation in a new and challenging role.
Sincerely,
BO CALLAWAY
[The President, The White House, Washington, D.C. 20500]
Gerald R. Ford, Letter Accepting the Resignation of Secretary of the Army Howard H. Callaway. Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency Project https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/node/257301