Thank you, hank. Along with our audience here at the beautiful gerald r. Ford president ial museum in grand rapids, i would also like to welcome our cspan audience to this event. My passion for this flowed from my understanding of Archibald Cox, who became a National Hero who stood up to Richard Nixon i demanding secret white house tapes that would prove or disprove nixons guilt in the watergate coverup. After interviewing president ford in 1995, i was struck by his passion in explaining the reasons for his pardon. I think there are more compelling reasons even now to step back and look at the historical evidence and the perspective that comes with time. To begin todays program, we have a special filmed piece by tom brokaw who covered the events of the pardon. Mr. Brokaw could not be here today, but he filmed this especially for todays historic gathering. All i remember of the pardon was many things. It was a sunday morning, back then in washington it was very relaxed. You must remembe
Im harry fortanado drk tore of public affairs. I want to thank you for joining us in the latest it ration of the hail to the chiefs lecture series copresented by our partners a the trueman Library Institute the Foundation Arm of the harry s. Truman Library Museum and independence. Here at the library, we just love to do programs commemorating anniversaries. And such as the case tonight, 40 years ago. Well technically, 39 years and 363 days ago. But work with me on this gerald ford became the first and to date the only unelected president of the United States. An outcome that would have been beyond conception just two years earlier when Richard Nixon was cruising to his landslide victory over george mcgovern. To tell us more about that in the administration that ensued weve brought back for the third time dr. John robert green. But you can call him bob. Who among many claims to fame ranks as the first historian to perform a serious scholarly study on the administration. The First Editio
First historian to perform the first scholarly study of the fort administration. He First Edition of his book was published some 19 years ago by the University Press of kansas. It is still in print. Report, on its fourth printing. Of course, being a pioneer has its disadvantages. In the earlyhat days, he was often asked if his interest in the ford presidency was a function of the fact that all the more interesting president s had been taken. Thoughts of this nature do a disservice to bobs scholarship. While ford is generally remembered as a genuinely honest man who did his best to heal the country after the travails of watergate, bob argues theres a lot more to the 38th president than a likable guy who performed a credible job as a national. Aretaker locally, we should also recall that he was here in kansas city in 1976. Somehow, i have a feeling well be commemorating that in about tito years. The librarys good friend, who was in the audience tonight with a young city then councilmembe
Libraryand the truman institute. Following the program, here gerald fords 10minute speech here on American History tv. Hello, and welcome to the kansas city public library. I am director of public affairs. I want to thank you in joining us for the latest iteration of our hail to the chief lecture series, cochaired by our partners at the Truman Library institute, the Foundation Arm of the Harry S Truman president ial inrary and museum independence. As many of you know, we here at the library just love to do programs commemorating anniversaries, and such is the case tonight. 40 years ago, well, technically, butars and 363 days ago work with me on this, gerald ford became the first and to date the only unelected president of the United States. At outcome that would have been beyond conception just two years earlier, when Richard Nixon was cruising to his landslide victory over george mcgovern. To tell us more about that and the administration that ensued, we have brought back for the dr.
Hyannisport with the kennedy compound, it seemed like a summer camp. Compared to what other president s have done on their vacations, what sort of activities did john f. Kennedy do . Time magazine in august, 1962, said that not since the days of Theodore Roosevelt had the nation witnessed what the magazine called such a hard pounding, muscleaching round of activities. And hyannisport, which was besieged by tourists, the president , his children, his nephews, his nieces scrambled on the lawn, splashed in the water. At times, when i read about it, i thought it resembled the olympics. Time described it this way sitting down is somehow considered that form. Touch football has rest periods. Between tennis, swimming, water skiing, sailing and dragging. Dragging as an attempt to avoid drowning while being towed by a life preserver tied to the president s schooner. Look magazine put a picture of the president on a golf cart loaded down with nieces and nephews. What did this image say . It cert