July 12, 1976: U.S. President Gerald Ford signs the VOA Charter into federal law (P.L. 94-350), mandating that VOA will serve as an accurate, objective, and comprehensive source of news, that it will broadcast about all of America, and that it will present U.S. policies and responsible discussions of those policies.

1969 to 1977: During VOA Director Kenneth Giddens’ tenure, the longest of any VOA director, VOA dramatically enhances its credibility through its straightforward reporting of two events that traumatized the U.S. – the war in Vietnam and the constitutional crises posed by Watergate.