The Ford Presidency: A History

Though he occupied the oval office for less than three years, Gerald Ford made a number of key political moves and decisions during his presidency, moves which helped reunite the country following the divisions over the Vietnam War and helped restore America's faith in government sanctity following the Watergate scandal. This book provides a complete history of Ford's presidency from August 9, 1974, to January 20, 1977, looking at his presidency in the context of post - 1960s political unrest and subsequent government reform. It describes the severe economic crisis that struck the nation while Ford was president, explaining how and why his attempts to stem inflation were largely ineffective. It also covers what many remember as Ford's most controversial decision as president: his full and unconditional pardon of Richard Nixon in the aftermath of Watergate.In terms of foreign policy, the book chronicles Ford's signing of the Helsinki Accords, the fall of Vietnam and Cambodia, the Vladivostok Summit, the administration's attempts to negotiate a SALT II Agreement with the Soviet Union, and the administration's attempts to intervene in the civil war in Angola. The book closes with the election of 1976, when Ford held off a challenge by Ronald Reagan for the Republican nomination but ultimately lost to Democrat Jimmy Carter in the general election. It includes many photographs from the Ford Library, along with extensive endnotes citing interviews, secondary sources, and administration documents from the Ford Library and the National Archives.