Description

This is the first comprehensive study of one of our most popular yet most misunderstood presidents. Reaching well beyond the image of Ford as "healer" of a war-torn and scandal-ridden nation. John Robert Greene extends and revises our understanding of Ford's struggles to restore credibility to the presidency in the wake of Watergate and Vietnam. Based on extensive interviews and a wealth of recently declassified documents, Greene reveals new evidence on Ford's role in Watergate and challenges the prevailing view of the infamous Mayaguez incident. He argues persuasively that Ford made no "deal" with Nixon but that his pardon of Nixon was costly nonetheless, for it shadowed his entire presidency thereafter. Greene also shows that the Mayaguez catastrophe was less a simple "rescue mission" than it was an attempt to revive sagging political fortunes by attacking Cambodia. In addition, Greene details Ford's rise to prominence within the Republican party; chronicles the president's problematic relations with his staff, the new Democratic Congress, and Ronald Reagan; sheds new light on the selection and performance of Vice President Nelson Rockefeller; offers new insights into the election of 1976; and provides the first in-depth look at Ford's clemency program for Vietnam era draft evaders.