Product 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.

Few presidents had ever been asked to achieve so much in so little time against such great adversity. Greene shows that Ford's efforts to lead the nation were severely hampered by Nixon's misdeeds, by America's ignominious disengagement from an unpopular war, and by a watchdog Congress eager to put a brake on presidential power.

Working from a wealth of recently declassified documents, Greene reveals new evidence on Ford's roles 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. He 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 Amnesty Program for Vietnam Era Draft Evaders.

Based on interviews with Ford and more than sixty individuals who figured prominently in his presidency and on extensive use of the Ford Library, Greene's study illuminates Ford's valiant efforts during some of the presidency's most troubled years.

This book is part of the American Presidency Series.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1018044 in Books
• Published on: 1995-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 272 pages

From Library Journal
Greene (history, Cazenovia Coll.) gives a balanced, thoroughly researched, and highly analytical look at Gerald Ford's meteoric rise from the House Minority leader role to the White House. Culling recently declassified documents and interviewing numerous principals from the Nixon and Ford administrations, Greene provides an insider view that is both critical of the administration's organizational shortfalls and adulatory about Ford's basic decency, moral character, and leadership qualities. He spends more time on the structural development and operation of the White House than on personal development, which served as the unifying theme of James Cannon's Time and Change: Gerald Ford's Appointment with History (LJ 12/93). While chronicling the cynicism about Ford's decision to pardon Nixon, Greene also convincingly dispatches the commonly held belief that Ford and Nixon had a deal. Though the pardon, the shrinking Republican base in Congress, staff infighting, and the Reagan candidacy in 1976 complicated Ford's governing efforts, the author presents a favorable image of a president who did not shrink from tough but necessary decisions while remaining the "nice guy" he sought to be. Likely to be a standard on a much maligned and little researched administration, this is recommended for academic and public libraries.
Frank Kessler, Missouri Western St. Coll., St. Joseph
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From the Back Cover
"A revealing and important book."--James M. Cannon, author of Time and Chance: Gerald Ford's Appointment with History

"Should remain the standard work for some time to come. Greene's close, judicious examination will go far toward dispelling simplistic notions about a 'failed' administration. I found it riveting from start to finish."--Herbert S. Parmet, author of Richard Nixon and His America

"This insightful study jettisons the caretaker/healer stereotype to plumb Ford's accomplishments and failures, his sound judgments and miscalculations. A rich portrait of an important period."--Louis Fisher, coeditor of the Encyclopedia of the American Presidency

"An incisively critical account of an important period in twentieth century American history."--Bernard J. Firestone, coeditor of Gerald R. Ford and the Politics of Post-Watergate America

About the Author
John Robert Greene is professor of history and communications at Cazenovia College and author of The Presidency of George Bush.

Customer Reviews

Dispassionate and Thorough
Greene adroitly recognizes that Ford's domestic legislative proposals faced staunch opposition from a Democratically controlled Congress. In foreign affairs, Ford failed to get SALT II ratified and an Egyptian-Israeli accord never materialized during his term. In addition, the author acknowledges that Ford used assertiveness in the Mayaguez incident. Furthermore, Greene avers that Ford received bad publicity from the press. Finally, Greene argues that Ford did not make a secret bargain with Nixon for a Presidential pardon. This book gives a balanced account about a much maligned President.

Ford getting his due
Gerald Ford is not the most popular of presidents to write about. He's almost forgotten in studies of America after 1945. This book gives him his due. Profesor Greene does a fine job of examing the important issues that faced Ford, like "stagflation," the Mayaguez incident, and dealing with the Cold War. It's a balanced account and written for scholars and the general reader.

About THE PRESIDENCY OF GERALD R. FORD
This book is a well-researched and thought provoking book. It is the best book on a bad subject. The author obviously knows what he is talking about, sometimes to the detriment of the reader. Very in-depth. This is NOT the place to start for a study of Gerald Ford. It may be the place to end.