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'Truth is the glue'
By TRUDE B. FELDMAN
WASHINGTON -- Twenty-eight years ago, on Aug. 9, 1974, Richard M. Nixon resigned the presidency. His vice president, Gerald R. Ford, became the 38th president. A month later on Sept. 8, President Ford granted a "full, free and absolute pardon unto Richard Nixon for all offenses against the United States which he has committed, or might have committed or taken part in during the period from Jan. 20, 1969, through Aug. 9, 1974." Ford, who celebrated his 89th birthday on July 14, was a recipient of last year's John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award. The award cites Ford's courage in making the controversial decision of conscience to pardon his predecessor for Nixon's role in the Watergate scandal. In an interview in June, Ford told me that despite the controversy his pardon engendered, he believed that his decision "was right when I made it, and today I feel it is even more right." He added that the press' fixation on Nixon's problems in that first month of the Ford presidency was a factor in his decision. He also recognizes that the pardon "probably had an impact" on the 1976 presidential election, especially because the vote was so close. (Gerald Ford lost by 1.5 percentage points to Jimmy Carter.) In his 11-minute speech from the Oval Office in September 1974, President Ford noted: ". . . As we are a nation under God, so I am sworn to uphold our laws with the help of God. And I have sought such guidance and searched my own conscience with special diligence to determine the right thing for me to do with respect to Richard Nixon, and his loyal wife and family. Theirs is an American tragedy in which we all have played a part. It could go on and on and on, or someone must write the end to it. I have concluded that only I can do that, and if I can, I must. ". . . My concern is the immediate future of this great country . . . My conscience tells me it is my duty, not merely to proclaim domestic tranquility, but to use every means that I have to ensure it . . . I feel that Richard Nixon and his loved ones have suffered enough and will continue to suffer, no matter what I do, no matter what we, as a great and good nation, can do together to make his goal of peace come true . . ." Nonetheless, he now concedes that he did not expect such a "hostile" reaction. "That was one of the greatest disappointments of my presidency," he recalled. "Everyone focused on the individual instead of on the problems the nation faced. I thought people would consider Richard Nixon's resignation sufficient punishment, even shame. I expected more forgiveness." Ford says he refrained from discussing Watergate or offering any advice about it to the president in the period leading up to Nixon's resignation. In the aftermath, however, he said, he was perplexed at not being told the facts from the outset. He also was astonished to learn of the break-in at the office of the Democratic National Committee in the Watergate complex, followed by the cover-up "which devastated so many people." In accepting the Profile in Courage Award from Caroline Kennedy Schlossberg and Sen. Edward Kennedy at the John F. Kennedy Library and Museum in Boston, Ford told members of the Kennedy family and some 250 guests: "No doubt, arguments over the Nixon pardon will continue for as long as historians relive those tumultuous days. But I'd be less than human if I didn't tell you how profoundly grateful I am for this recognition. The award committee has displayed its own brand of courage . . . But here, courage is contagious. "To know John Kennedy, as I did, was to understand the true meaning of the word. He understood that courage is not something to be gauged in a poll or located in a focus group. No adviser can spin it. No historian can back-date it. For in the age-old contest between popularity and principle, only those willing to lose for their convictions are deserving of posterity's approval." In presenting the award, Sen. Kennedy said Ford had "withstood the heat of controversy and persevered in his beliefs about what was in our country's best interest. History has proved him right. "At a time of national turmoil, our nation was fortunate to have him prepared to take over the helm of the storm-tossed ship of state. President Ford recognized that the nation had to get on with its business and could not, if there was a continuing effort to prosecute former President Nixon. So he made a tough decision and pardoned Richard Nixon. "I was one of those who spoke out against his action. But time has a way of clarifying things, and now we see that he was right." During last month's interview at Washington's Willard Inter-Continental, Ford was in an expansive mood while reviewing his life's journey. He evaluated his achievements and assessed the setbacks of his time in the Oval Office; and he reflected on the highs and lows of his 54 years in political life. Today, he said, he remains active and is in excellent health. Asked how he feels about turning 89, he said, "Age doesn't bother me. I'm not as mobile as I was 25 years ago, but I feel fortunate to still have my zest for life. I keep busy and I have more enthusiasm now because of the care I take of myself. I follow a good diet and don't drink or smoke." What does Gerald Ford most regret as he looks back over a long and distinguished career? "Well, I wish I were a better public speaker," he said. "I would have liked to be able to communicate more effectively. That is so very important." He also regrets not having fulfilled his ambition of becoming speaker of the House of Representatives. "I lost five times. There were not, then, enough Republicans in the House. I wanted to be speaker because the legislative process interested me, and was the kind of challenge I enjoyed. I was never as enthusiastic about being in the executive branch. I even turned down the chance to run for governor of Michigan." In fact, he had planned to retire from Congress in January 1977. But in 1973, Vice President Spiro T. Agnew's legal and campaign-finance problems surfaced and Agnew was forced to resign. Ford was selected as Nixon's vice president. Like Ford, George H.W. Bush was a former congressman, vice president and president, and recalls that he learned much from Ford, particularly about the complexities of the U.S. Congress. "As soon as he moved to the White House," former President Bush said in an interview, "he restored its honor and integrity, thus sending the world a reassuring signal about the American presidency itself." Bush, who had coordinated Ford's state visit to China in 1975, described him as a "fine leader who understood the need to avoid extremes as well as the need to bring people together." Ford, even today, does not hide his disappointment at losing the 1976 election. "As you well know," he said, "I tried very hard to win that election. That would have given me a chance to expand individual freedom from mass government, mass industry, mass labor and mass education . . . and to launch a program to get the federal government off the backs of people." How has the presidency evolved in the 25 years since Ford left the White House? "The office changes with each president. Each occupant defines the role and his responsibilities. In my case, I tried to make a difference in my leadership." He added that he learned about leadership and making decisions while serving as an officer in the U.S. Navy during World War II. "I think," he said, "I was a better vice president and president because of that military service." He notes that there is "a majesty" to the presidency that inhibits even close friends and heads of state from telling the chief executive what is actually on their minds -- especially in the Oval Office. "You can ask for blunt truth, but the guarded response never varies," he said. "To keep perspective, any president needs to hear straight talk. And he should, at times, come down from the pedestal the office provides . . . "I'm still convinced that truth is the glue that holds government together -- not only our government, but civilization itself." -- Trude B. Feldman has covered the White House and State Department for more than 30 years.
Gerald Rudolph Ford Jr. was originally Leslie Lynch King Jr. His mother divorced his birth-father when he was an infant and remarried shortly after. Gerald Rudolph Ford Sr. adopted him and gave him his name. Born July 14, 1913 in Omaha, Neb. 40th Vice President of the United States 38th President of the United States ChronologyOct. 12, 1973: After Spiro Agnew resigns as vice president, President Richard Nixon nominates Gerald Ford, the House minority leader, to replace him. Dec. 6, 1973: Ford sworn in as vice president of the United States, the first time the office has been filled mid-term.
Aug. 9, 1974: Ford sworn in as president, one day after Nixon resigns. The first time a U.S. president had not been elected to either the office of president or vice president. Ford nominates Nelson Rockefeller for the vice presidency. Sept. 8, 1974: Ford pardons Nixon. Sept. 16, 1974: Ford offers amnesty to military deserters and draft dodgers of the Vietnam Era. Oct. 17, 1974: Ford explains the Nixon pardon to a subcommittee of the House of Representatives. Nov. 23, 1974: Ford meets with the Soviets in Vladivostok to discuss limiting strategic nuclear arms. Dec. 19, 1974: After approval from both houses of Congress, Nelson Rockefeller is sworn in as vice president. Jan. 31, 1975: Strategic Arms Limitation Talks (SALT II) resume. Feb. 7, 1975: Unemployment hits 8.2 percent, highest since 1941. March 20, 1975: The last U.S. troops in Vietnam are withdrawn. Sept. 5, 1975: Lynette 'Squeaky' Fromme, a follower of Charles Manson, tries to shoot Ford in Sacramento, Calif., but a Secret Service agent grabs the gun before she can fire it. Fromme is sentenced to life in prison. Sept. 22, 1975: Sara Jane Moore, fires a pistol at the president in San Francisco, but an onlooker deflects the shot. She is sentenced to life in prison. Dec. 19, 1975: Ford appoints John Paul Stevens to the Supreme Court, his only nomination. Aug. 19, 1976: Ford beats Ronald Reagan to win the Republican nomination for president. Sept. 23, 1975: The first of three public debates between Ford and Democratic presidential candidate Jimmy Carter. Nov. 2, 1975: Jimmy Carter defeats Ford to become the 39th President of the United States. 1979: Ford publishes his autobiography, A Time to Heal, with co-author Trevor Armbrister. 1981: Gerald R. Ford Library opens in Ann Arbor, Mich., and the Gerald R. Ford Museum opens in Grand Rapids, Mich. -- Compiled by Times Researcher Caryn Baird
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