Transcripts For CSPAN First Ladies Influence Image 20140103

From expressing my ideas. [applause] betty ford spoke her mind, pro choice and a supporter of the equal rights amendment. She and gerald ford openly discussed her experience with Breast Cancer. For much of her familys public life she struggled with alcohol and drug dependency and confronting it defined her post white house years. Welcome to first ladies influence and image. Tonight well tell you the story of elizabeth ford, the wife of president gerald ford. Here to tell her story is Richard Norton smith. You know him, hes one of our academic advisors for the whole project. Hes helped launch a number of president ial libraries among them the gerald r. Ford library in michigan. You developed a relationship with the fords so you bring that to the table. Sure. I try to be as objective as possible. But i was very fortunate to become a good friends of both of the fords. We want to start tonight where we left off which is in august of 1974 when the fords learned they were going to be in the white house. How much of a surprise was it for them when they heard the news . This is one of the things i find astonishing almost 40 years later. I recently took part in a his trip project which included about 150 of the fords associates including all their children. And you would think every other American Household the summer of 1974 at some point sat around the dinner table discussing what was happening and what might happen in the white house. The only dinner table in america where that discussion apparently never took place was the fords. For mrs. Ford, i think it really was a case of denial in a lot of ways. She said august 9, 1974 was the saddest day of her life. I think in part she felt badly for the country but even more she felt badly for pat nixon and the nixon family who were good friends. He had never aspired to the presidency and she was more reluctant of going and she didnt find out until about a week before it happened. Among the video pieces youll see tonight are some clips with the ford family children. The first one up is steve ford. We talked to him a year ago at a conference on first ladies and well include some of the pieces of that interview tonight. As we begin tonight is on the familys transition in august from their home in virginia and the Vice President si to the white house. Lets listen. Mrs. Ford has hoped you would get out of politics. What is her reaction to the heavy response 1234b89 shes doing her best and well wait and see about the other. First of all, you have to remember after dad got swoorn in, the day nixon resigned and everybody remembers the image of nixons helicopter and him saying good buy to his staff and family and friend. Helicopter leaves. We go into the east room of the white house where dad puts his hand on the bible. Mom hold it is bible oath of office. Were sitting there. We go take a family portrait in the oval office. Nixon cleared off his desk. What people dont remember is we didnt get to move in the white house. Because we lived in our own little home back in virginia, a little four bedroom house and because nixon resigned so quickly they werent able to pack up all their belongings so they left their daughter and soninlaw to pack up all their belongings. It took seven or eight days. So we went back to our little house in virginia. Dad has just become president of the United States. And were eating dinner around the table. Mom was cooking dinner and she looks at my dad and she goes jerry, something is wrong here. You just became president of the United States and im still cooking. That was our reality for the next seven or eight days before we moved into the white house. But when they transitioned to the white house, it was that basic american normal family that really got so much coverage. I remember and you probably do news reports of the president toasting his own the fact is mrs. Ford was never a morning person. I suspect he had been toasting his own english muffins for many years. The idea was even more than that. Edwin remembers those famous pictures of Richard Nixon at the helicopter. What they dont know is what president ford, soon to be president ford said to his wife on the way back into the white house because he realized his job was to reassure the country. And if he couldnt reassure his wife, he couldnt reassure the country. And he whispered in her ear we can do it. And it was just the right thing to say. He said a lot of right things that day. There were a lot of problems and continue verse sis that ensued. But youre right, there is a sense that its as if the country had been building up to this thunderstorm and the storm raged for a while and then suddenly the clouds parted and it was normal again. There were people in the white house we could recognize and relate to. You have to remember this was like going to live on another planet for these people. The first days she actually lived in the white house, she didnt understand. She would walk through the halls and say hello to people when she saw them. Secret Service Agents. Household personnel, whatever, that was her nature. And no one spoke back to her. And she finally went to the legendary curate or the and said am i doing something wrong, do they dislike us for being here . No, the nixons who were more formal had established that practice and so word went out to the white house staff its okay to talk to the first family. And before long the stories about president ford and the butler about whom the movie was made recently comparing football scores. They became old shoe almost over night. Whats been so enjoyable about this series is your involvement all along the way. And tonight is no different. Were going to have our phone lines open and you can call us. You can also send us a tweet and join our facebook conversation. You can see there is a large picture of betty ford and a robust conversation already under way. We said at the out set that her comments were often controversial and its interesting to see to this day she remains controversial. I loved her, i couldnt stand her. What made her so controversial . Well, a number of things. First of all, she spoke her mind. And in part the very fact that she would address subjects. Quite frankly, you can understand a lot of the criticism of people who were accustomed for lack of a better word more traditional approach to the job. First ladies were not overtly political. First ladies did not wade into intensely debated moral issues like abortion for example. First ladies certainly did not discuss whether their children had used marijuana or whether their daughter might have an affair. Part of what was different was for the first time she was being asked questions that no one would have put to a pat nixon or johnson. The difference is she was willing to respond. Mayor on facebook said mrs. Ford was an inspiration perfect for the times. One of the things weve followed this year is the changing role of women in society and how the first lady often is a benchmark for that. And i think that is where she connected with millions of women. She was candid about her personal struggles. She was a lot of people didnt realize when she became first lady that she had been married before. I think Time Magazine asked her about that and why people didnt know about it which no one had asked her about it before. In 1957, i remember the first time her name appeared in the Washington Post and it was about her passion sensibility and it talked about her taste for quiet hats and slightly more talkative suits. In 1957 that was fine. That was one culture. A lot of people looked at betty ford, this cub scout den mother, this sunday schoolteacher and they labeled her. They wrote her off in effect. And then they discovered no, actually this is a woman with views of her own this. Is a woman who has had a lot of challenges in her life and a lot of those challenges bonded her with millions of other women who entertained similar doubts and uncertainties as she did. You reference her first marriage. Lets go in time and learn her roots. Where was she born and when . She was born in chicago. Her parents are fascinating contrast. Her mother clearly is the dominating defining figure in her life. Hortense who ive thought of as a character out of tennessee williams. She came from a prosperous family. Status meant a lot to her mother. She insisted for example that betty wear white gloves when she went shopping. She was a perfectionist to end all perfectionist. Betty was a child that was prone to overeat who responded by hanging a sign over her daughters neck saying please dont feed this child. Hortense was a form dabble figure. Her father, talk about patterns. Her father was a traveling salesman and an alcoholic who died amid amidst mysterious circumstances and it was one of those deaths that was never fully discussed. In fact, it was only then that betty learned that her father was an alcoholic and that those trips that her mother had made from time to time to be with him on the road were a consequence of his illness. It was a house where secrets flourished. She had two brothers, one of whom was an alcoholic. So in many ways she was genetically or culturally programmed for the disease that she would have later on. But hortense is a larger than life figure. She was president of the hospital in grand rapids for crippled children. She wanted betty to join the Junior League at an early age and rise up the ladder. She had problems with a daughter who had a mind of her own who for example wanted to pursue a career as a dancer. She did. She went to new york and studied dance and was accepted which was quite an accomplishment. She did. She spent a couple of years in Vermont Associated with the program there and then she joined the martha gram company. She never made the first ranks. She was very modest in later years. But it is a key to her personality. She was a natural performer. She was comfortable being on the stage. And in some ways that came back to her to aid her when she became first lady. And she came back to grand rapids and can you tell us about her first marriage and what happened to snit she came back to grand rapids and taught dance. She worked as a fashion coordinator in a local department store. And she by her own acknowledgment was a party girl who met a party boy. Actually she had known him since she was 12 years old, bill warren who was himself a traveling salesman. And he was an alcoholic. They were married. She was i think 24. And she had almost overnight embraced a whole different set of values. She was ready to settle down and be a wife and have children. And that was not necessarily the same agenda that he had. The interesting thing is she made the decision after about three years to divorce him. And then he went into a diabetic comma and she spent the next two years nursing him back to health. And then she filed for divorce. 1947. So al together five years. She called it her five year misunderstanding. I want to get to the story how she met and married gerald ford. But let me take a call and well learn more about how that match was made. First up is susan who is watching us in texas. You are on the air as we discuss betty ford. Caller i have thoroughly enjoyed the whole series. Its been wonderful. And i love the way this is being done. I just love it. And my question is did betty ford support her husband gerald ford when he wanted to run for the presidency . He became president by i guess just being the Vice President but when he wanted to run for president , did she support him in this . Good question. She supported him very vigorously. Both of the fords its interesting people forget now. President ford right at the beginning of his presidency had let it be known he would not be a candidate in 1976. And i think Henry Kissinger helped persuade him that would undermine his presidency from the out set. But both fords decide they kind of liked life in the white house. For ms. Ford it was a great improvement. Her husband as house leader was on the road 250 flights a year. She actually spent more time with him once they were in the white house. They were both determined to do their best to extend the ford presidency and i think for him particularly to have the mandate of a popular election as the only appointed president , almost a president with an asterisk next to his name. She may have supported his bid for the white house but when they first met she didnt know she was getting a politician. Is that true . Thats what she says. Its hard for me to believe she was totally naive. Jerry ford was the big man on campus. The local hero from High School Days playing football. Its not terribly surprising he should decide to go into public life. But there is no doubt she was surprised. They were married in october 1948. And on twitter did the fords schedule their wedding for october 15 after the republican congressional primary and why . The simple answer is yes. Have you to know west michigan to appreciate. West michigan more than now was a very culturally conservative place. A place where the Dutch Reform Church held sway. And ford who was certainly a conservative ff nevertheless was running against an entrenched republican incumbent who opposed the mar alcohol plan. He was one of those returning veterans who had seen the consequences of american isolationism and went into politics with an idea which was that america would have to play on a continuing role, a significant leadership role in the world. Mrs. Ford was a divorcee and the concern was he told her who he proposed he wanted to get married but he couldnt tell her when and he couldnt tell her why he couldnt tell her. The fact of the matter is his political advisors were very concerned that west michigan he was already facing an uphill campaign that having a divorced woman in the family might lengthen those odds even more. So but october 15, about three weeks before the election, he showed up at the rehearsal dinner late. Showed up in time for dessert at the rehearsal dinner. He was late for the wedding. He showed up in brown shoes and they were muddy because he had been out campaigning. The honeymoon consisted of over night in michigan sitting outdoors listening to the favorite son and then a Football Game in ann arbor, his beloved university of michigan. She stayed in the hotel. He went to the game. They went back to grand rapids on monday and he said he had to campaign that evening. Could she make him a sandwich. He said a number of times she never let him hear the end of it. I think they took a number of second honeymoons to compensate. There are a lot of women thinking he ode her one big after that. Michael in 1950. Jack born in 1952. Stephen in 1956 and susan born in 1957. Going to return to steve ford talking about their congressional years because in fact the politician won that race for the house of representatives and spend the next 25 years as a member of congress. Lets hear steve ford talking about that life. Dad was on the road maybe 200 nights a year sometimes out campaigning for other republicans trying to get a majority in congress. He wanted to be speaker of the house. And mom to her credit was the one like many wives of congressmen back home making sure we got to the dentist and got our home work done and to football practice and those kind of things and the glue that they would kid together while dad was out public servant. So it was later in the presidency that she finally had a chance to i would say blossom or shine and get her chance in the spotlight. But during dads 26 years of being a congressman she was the one that kept the family. Its interesting because every family there would be some blowup and one of us would get in trouble and it would be wait until your father gets home. And we knew by the time dad got home the storm was gone and he wanted to come home and be the good guy anyway. My heart really went out to mom because she was the one that had to keep the whole ship pointed in the right direction. We are going to take a call but keeping the ship together also starts another very important chapter of her life. Lets listen to michael from atlanta. You are on the air. Caller my question is what opinion or influence did mrs. Ford have in president fords decision to pardon Richard Nixon . That is a great question and it is one of the elusive areas. She said very little about the pardon. She thought it was necessary. She thought it was an act of courage. She said what you would expect her to say. I will say this, i do know toward the end of his life when the john f. Kennedy library chose to give him the courage award specifically for the nixon pardon, he was initially reluctant to go all the way across the country. He didnt see the emotional significance of this and it was mrs. Ford who convinced him this is the greatest honor that has been bestowed on you since leaving office. He said after that for 20 years everybody asked him about the burden and after that award people stopped asking. Robert in chicago. Youre on the air. Caller thank you very much for your time. I understand two president s, kennedy and hoover never received an income as president. Did mrs. Ford receive any kind of income after president ford passed away . First of all, you are right about hoover and j. F. K. And in fact they rejected federal salaries as president. In hoovers case he never accepted payment for any of his various positions whether secretary of commerce or the hoover commissions or whatever. The question about whether mrs. Ford did she get a widows pension . Do you get compensation if your husband dies and he served as president . I dont believe you do. I dont think so. So back to the amount of time no, in terms of a payment or pension, no. There is an office of course, the president s office remained in operation and she had the franking privilege. What is the franking privilege . It is basically free postage and of course the secret Service Protection until the end of her life. Did the public pay for that office . So there were benefits not salary . Absolutely. Steve ford talked about his dad being on the road sometimes 250 days a year. Thats a lot of time. What were his aspirations . In 1963 there was kind of a Youth Movement among republicans who were really tired of being in the minority and there was kind of an uprising and ford was catapulted into the number three position in the leadership at that time. In 1964 came the gold water debacle and in the beginning of 1965 fords hat was thrown in the ring to become House Republican leader. He ran against a name who had himself staged an uprising against Joseph Martin his predecessor. This was not ideological, it was generational. It was the young turks and people who ran fords campaign but the two people who were most instrument until his victory by three votes over charlie, one was a young congressman from illinois named Donald Rumsfeld and another from kansas named bob dole. What that election really significance any fide was the Republican Party was moving the center of gravity was moving away from the eastern establishment. At that point it was in the midwest but there are beginning to be a significant number of republicans in the south in both houses of congress, a trend that would accelerate. And 40 years later you could argue that the midwestern party has become allied with the southern and western party. On twitter this question aside from her predisposition did her being alone to raise the kids contribute to her drinking . Im going to let her own words answer that. She wrote two memoirs and here is some of what she writes. I hated feeling crippled so i took more pills. Now i know some of the pain i was trying to wipe out was emotional. Jerry became minority leader of the house but i was feeling sorry for myself. She goes on to write in 1965 about a year after i began mixing pain medication with alcohol i snapped. I packed my bag one afternoon and decided to ride to the beach and take susan with me and let my whole ungrateful family worry about where i was and if i was ever coming home. In 1965, thats the year her husband became House Republican leader. Over the years between his election to congress and their Vice President ial pick, talk about her drug and alcohol use and what she has written about it and what people should know about how big a problem that had become . I think it became a real problem in the 1960s. First of all, there were a number of contributing factors. She had developed arthritis and she had a pinched nerve which may or may not have been the result of reaching up to raise a window. Whatever it was, she had a pinched nerve that was very painful. And i think it became easy. Frankly she had pills prescribed for her and the pills made her feel better and the alcohol made her feel better still. One of the things that you realize as we went through this history project i just mentioned, although we werent particularly looking for this information, people volunteered, talk about a cultural change. Its remarkable how much more people drank. How routinely people drank to excess in washington 40 years ago. And the argument years ago. And the argument can be made it lubricated culture. From the job of House Minority leader, how was he Richard Nixons pick for Vice President . He had been considered in 1968 as a possible nixon running mate. He wasnt interested in the executive branch. He loved congress and he wanted very much to be the first republican speaker in a very long time. That was his goal. In 1973 arguably the nixon presidency while water gate is unfolding, the it becomes apparent that Vice President is also under investigation for unrelated offenses, many of them stemming if his time as governor of maryland. To make a long story short, he resigns the office in october of 1973 and the 25th amendment which has never been applied until now is applied. Richard nixon has to find a Vice President but critically he needs to find a Vice President who can be confirmed. And in the Political Climate of that time there were very few people. If he had left to his druthers he would have picked john conley but he could not have been confirmed. Negotiate could Ronald Reagan or Richard Nixon. And democrats on the hill, the speaker and majority leader told the white house if you want someone who can be confirmed easily pick jerry ford. And thats what the president did. Their time as Vice President ial couple was very short. December of 1973 until that day in august 1974 when president nixon resigned and they moved to the white house. Much of that time, the country was consumed with the unfolding water gate scandal so the fords didnt do much. He hit the road. He got out of town. What did she do . She was back at the house . She was back at the house but she had for the first time now, she realized for the first time in her life she had to be on time. That was a life long issue. She was not the most punks youll of people. There are those who think it was a passive aggressive. It was one of the few things in their marriage she could control. But in any event all that changed once she became the Vice President s wife. She also had causes she was involved with. She had been involved from an early age with disabled children, the washington Childrens Hospital was something she was involved with. But in addition to that, she also had a Vice President ial residence that had never been occupied before that had to be decorated. And they never got to it. Two days what was it . A few days before Richard Nixon resigned, the Vice President agreed to accompany his wife to the house that he by then knew they were never going to live in because if he didnt the press would have sensed that were in the end game and he didnt want to give that away. He finally said no her betty were never going to make it to that Vice President ial house. They we want to a dinner party and august 1, he had been told by general hague, the white house chief of staff about what became known as the smoking gun tape. And it was pretty clear what the consequences of that would be. After midnight that night he said betty, were never going to live in that house. Lets reason to robert from florida for our next question. Caller enjoying everything. Betty ford wrote wonderful ought doe biographies and are they in print p. Are they in print . Well show them both on screen. The first was betty ford the times of my life which was co written with chris chase. And the second was the one we showed earlier, betty a glad awakening. Are they Still Available . I think a glad awakening is. I dont think the first volume is and sadly chris chase who worked on both of those volumes sadly passed away within the last month. Which is the better of the two . A glad awakening is a very candid sometimes almost painfully candid but its much more mrs. Ford. There is also this wonderful dry sense of humor and you can experience her rebirth in print. Were going to listen to betty ford herself just one month after they were sworn in as first couple. She held a News Conference at the white house. Were going to listen to one question that was asked of her and her response. How would you like to be remembered, for what . Id like to be remembered in a very kind way. Also as a constructive wife of a president. I dont expect to come anywhere near living up to those first ladies who have gone before me. Theyve all done a great job and i admire them a great deal and its only my ambition to come close to it. Out of the blue we were talking and she said to me i dont even know what prompted it but she said i dont know why everyone thought it was a bad thing i admired Eleanor Roosevelt. Eleanor roosevelt was one of her heroes. I dont think it was her life in the white house as it was the private challenges that Eleanor Roosevelt confronted along the way in becoming Eleanor Roosevelt. But she was a role model. And Lady Bird Johnson was a very good friend and a role model for mrs. Ford. The ford presidency was 865 days but this was a difficult time in our countrys history. We chose a few events of the ford years beginning with the pardon of Richard Nixon. In 1976 the country celebrated buy centennial. Rising inflation was the hall mark of his years in office. And the vietman war ended with the fall of saigon and you remember the scenes of the helicopters leaving the embassy as the city fell. History accelerated in those two and a half years and all of it by no means pleasant. Just a couple of months after they came into office mrs. Ford discovered she had Breast Cancer. This was the indelible moment she first impressed herself on the American People or maybe the whole ford family. It is really hard 40 years late tore conceive of the degree to which people didnt talk about this disease. I mean euphemisms were employed. Even obituaries people didnt die of cancer, they died of a wasting illness. What mrs. Ford did was to bring this out into the open and over night transform the way women in particular looked at this disease. For her it was also a lesson. It was her first baby and most important lesson in the influence that a first lady could have by being herself, by shining the light on a dark corner, by educating the public. Next up well listen to president ford himself announcing the results of her surgery. I just returned from the hospital where i saw betty as she came from the operating room. The doctor assured me that she came through the operation all right. \[applause] its been a difficult 36 hours which our faith will sustain us and betty would expect me to be here. In a few weeks i will complete my chemotherapy treatments and that will be another milestone for me. Since that first year i have not talked much about the difference of my experience with cancer. But my mastectomy and the discussion about it, i was glad to see it because it prompted a large number of women to go and get checkups in their local communities. It made my recuperation easier because i knew that i was helping others. I make this Progress Report to help cheer up those who have just had an operation for cancer and to encourage them to keep up their good spirit. Part of the battle against cancer is to fight the fear that accompanies the disease. And of course one of those women who was inspired by her example was Happy Rockefeller the wife of the Vice President who two weeks after mrs. Fords surgery was diagnosed herself with the disease and went on to have surgery of her own. When you see president ford making the announcement you can see his lips quivering. Terribly emotional for the family. He said that night when he went home alone to the white house the night before that was the loneliest night of his life. Gary on twitter wants to know what it was result of her candor, was there anything else, more people got checkups, anything about the way we treat people with Breast Cancer in this country . I think it initiated what had been missing. It initiated a National Conversation among women and between women and their doctors. When it comes to Womens Health issues, literally history is divided into two periods before betty and after betty. We have a photograph of the fords in her hospital room looking at a card from get well wishes from across the country as she begins her recuperation. Next is james. Caller i grate you on a wonderful series ive been watching since mrs. Jackson and it is wonderful. President ford was a member of the Warren Commission and i was wondering what mrs. Ford thought of his involvement on that commission and the results and the continue verse sis that have since occurred about the commission results. Thats a great question. Im sorry to say i wish i had but i never had a conversation with her. I never heard her discuss it. He felt very strongly he was once trapped on an airplane i shouldnt tell this but i will. The movie was john f. Kennedy and he was not happy. He really worried that young people, people who were not alive at the time of the assassination would see this and conclude it was in fact history. We had a number of conversations about the Warren Commission. He and his congressional members, remember dick was on bonds. The members of congress who were on that commission were very careful in the language that they chose. They rewrote as i understand it the staffs initial report to say we have found no evidence of a conspiracy which is a little bit different in a subtle way from saying flat out there was no conspiracy. Speaking of assassinations gerald ford had two attempts on his life in short order. Is he the only president to have assassination attempts carried out by women . Thats a good question. I cant think of any. I think youre right. The first was la net. Its a classic instance of the times. Swiggi who was a member of the man son family and sara moore who was a bay area housewife on the fringes of radical politics. Only in the 1970s would either of those characters have emerged in public. And what about the ford familys reaction to these assassination attempts and how did the president take it . Did security increase . Were they greatly concerned about his life . I think the secret service did change things there after. He wore a bullet proof vest. The day in zach, he was there among other things to meet with governor jerry brown who is still governor jerry brown today. And the remarkable thing and this is so typical of jerry ford. He went in and had his meeting with Governor Brown and never mentioned what happened outside. He thought it would be ungracious to tell the governor well some lady tried to shoot me in your front yard. There we have the photograph of him being escorted by the secret Service Agents away from the scene. Today with twitter and the instant news he couldnt have kept it from the sitting governor as he did then. That is true but its unlikely he would be out strolling through the grounds as they decided on the spur of the moment that morning in september 1975. Tim in denver. Whats your question . Caller hi. This is a very good film. I saw Ford Campaign in 1976 and one asked what are you for and he said may the best team win. I hear the relations between the fords and reagans were [indiscernible] let me answer that this way. Certainly in 1976 there were rather frosty. They were running a very intense, very close really uncertain battle for the republican nomination. I think the Ford White House underestimated Ronald Reagan and almost paid the ultimate price for doing so. But in fact in later years, crazy as it sounds n 1980 president reagan very seriously thought about having gerald ford on his ticket as his running meat and i also know that in the 1990s particularly after president reagan wrote his letter to the American People revealing his alzheimers, i know president ford visited him more than once after that. And whatever old animosities there may have been were long since evaporated. Of course even more so with jimmy carter. Were going to talk about her interest in issues. Was she simply a supporter of her husbands beliefs and values . Publicly she was arguably the most political first lady since Eleanor Roosevelt. She was the most outspoken advocate. She publicly disagreed with her husband on the row v. Wade case which she discussed on the 60 minutes interview and other venues. So she was very much an independent force. And initially that terrified people in the white house. After the 60 minutes interview, the president said jokingly youve lost me 20 million votes. It was only a few days later when the first polls came in and the people in the white house were astonished that in fact there was an overwhelming 70 of those who were polled sympathized with the first ladys candor and views. Here is her talking about the equal rights amendment. The equal rights amendment when at fide will not be an instant solution to womens problems, it will not alter the fabric of the constitution or force women away from their families. It will help knock down those restrictions that have locked women in to the old stereo types of behavior and opportunity. It will help open up more options for women. But it is only a beginning. The debate over era has become too emotional because of the fears of some both men and women about the changes already taking place in america. Within the Republican Party itself, this party that had had bare gold water and the early 1960s and there was the split that was developing in the party, how did the republicans feel about betty fords Public Statement on these and abortion rights issues and the like . Was it going over well within the base . There is no doubt she was a polarizing figure. When i said 70 voiced approval, that meant 30 disapproved. You can be sure that that 30 was disproportionately the republican base, certainly conservative republicans, traditionalist if you will. So there was a legitimate debate. Its interesting, i would recommend to readers john robert green who wrote a book on the ford presidency as part of the university of kansas series also did a book on mrs. Ford. Its very well researched and really a great read. And he makes the case stronger than i would that she was on balance detrimental to her husbands reelection prospects. Particularly within the Republican Party but not exclusively within the Republican Party. Youve mentioned this 60 minutes interview, how significant was her sitting down with the most popular news and Public Affairs program to the public view of her and the partys view of her . I think it defined her for millions and millions of people who first of all was the first time they had seen her in that kind of setting. But i also think for millions remember how americans were accustomed to seeing their first ladies on television. We had seen mrs. Kennedys unforgettable white house tour but it was a very orchestrated presentation. People were not accustomed to a first lady being asked or answering as i say the kinds of questions her view was people are talking about these around their dinner tables all over america. Why shouldnt the first family have the same privilege. And they covered issues such as divorce, use of marijuana. Her daughters dating and sex before marriage, things of that nature. She also talked about her use of pillow talk to get a woman in the cabinet. She mentioned she was working on getting a woman on the supreme court. John paul stevens is safe to say probably would not have been her first choice but she wasnt doing the choosing. Youre on the air. Caller thank you very much. I love this show. I read somewhere that mrs. Ford was older than president ford and i wonder if that was true. No, actually he was five years her senior. Weve talked in the series about the use of the white house for entertaining but that entertaining has hey political purpose. To start that were going to go to the ford museum in grand rapids where there are elements of her style and how she approached that aspect of her job. Lets watch. Hand in hand with mrs. Fords love for dance was her love for design and fashion as well. Particularly she wanted to promote American Fashion. These are some of her dresses and gowns from her first ladies period this. Is a gown that she wore to her first head of state event. King hussein of jordan. It was designed by a lady named Frankie Welch who had a boutique in virginia. This also next one also is a welch dress and this she wore for her official portrait as first lady. This is a dress that next one that some people right recognize. Its by lou estevez and she wore this gown for a portrait that was taken of the family and featured on the cover of Time Magazine. But she loved practical design as well. And a fellow from new york designed a number of dresses and gowns for her, very practical and inexpensive but for her very functional. She would wear these out fits both of which are albert pieces to arrival ceremonies for dignitaries and to the hair dresser and church, on trips for campaign events. They were the ones she could get the most comfortable n. This is a piece that she wore for the 60 minutes interview and so she faced morley while wearing this dress as she fielded his many questions. We know a lot of this because one of the things mrs. Ford was careful about as organized as she was is she kept secretary cards for each of these dresses and there would be notations on where she wore them and when she wore them and she wore many of them multiple times. Some of this is in her handwriting herself and many of these extend beyond the first ladies period into her post first lady ship. She would wear these into the early 1980s. And her love for design, her promotion of American Fashion led to in 1976 her receiving the Parsons School of design award. And this is the accolade she received for her promotion of american designers in fashion. Do have you a comment . She loved clothes and people forget she had been a model in her early days. One of the ways she supported herself in new york was as a professional model. Back to twitter. Here is a question how did betty ford balance being first lady and being a mother . She said its funny one reason why i said that i thought Lady Byrd Johnson was a role model is mrs. Johnson is exhibit a in exactly how to do that. Mrs. Ford said she thought that being a good housewife and mother was a much tougher job than going to the office and getting paid for it. So she was both a traditionalist and a trail blazer. As weve already said she had not only balanced the job but before they were in the white house she was in a sense mother and father. During that very brief presidency they hosted 33 state visits. The reason it was so concentrated is it was the by centennial year. In addition to being this hotly contested republican relation and then of course the fall campaign, it played out against the backdrop of the american by centennial. Bicentennial. She loved entertaining. This is why i think, when steve talked about her blossoming, this is what he meant. I said earlier, this was a woman who was acaucus tomed to being on the stage. As first lady, she was back on the stage. She really enjoyed entertaining. The entertainments were really personalized. The president of egypt was a great fan of the american west. She rounded up original remington sculptures to decorate every table in the dining room. The guests, pearl bailey became not only a great favorite as an entertainer, but they referred to each other as sister. They became very, very close friends. Marietta, georgia, you are up next. Caller hi. How did you feel en ford lost to jimmy carter and established the betty ford center. Host you sound like one of our younger viewers weve had every week. How old are you . Caller im 8 years old. Host and why are you watching our program tonight . Caller my family is really interested in president s and first ladies. Host are you interested too . Caller yes. Host do you have a favorite president or first lady . My favorite first lady is michelle obama. Have you ever been to warm springs, georgia . Yes. I am impressed. Gus, thank you for your call. It was about the 1976 campaign. Of course she felt badly. There are people who still remember, he lost his voice at the end of the campaign. So it was left to the first lady to this is another first, i think, to read the concession statement and the telegram of congratulations that had been sent to president elect carter. At the same time, he promised she wouldnt miss life in politics. He had promised her long before watergate that they were going to retire in 1976. Once he concluded that he would never be speaker of the house, she exacted a promise. After 1976, they would leave washington and go back to grand rapids. He would practice law. Make a little money for the kids, so on and so on. Of course, intervening events played havoc with that. In the end, they still left washington, but they went to a different destination. We talked about her struggles with alcohol and pills when he was in the house of representatives. Heres what she wrote about this during the white house years. The neck problem got worse so my pills were always with me. Still, i did not drink alcoholcally in the white house, there was too much at stake. She says, the pills were always with me. How big a problem was this for er in her white house years . I do not know how to answer that. There is anecdotal evidence to suggest she is a circumstantial alcoholic, if there is such a thing. As far as the pills are concerned, you mentioned 33 state dinners. She was at all of them. Y all accounts, a very vital hostess. So im not sure that the roblem really erupted when they left washington. I mean, it was a significant problem before the presidency, and it was an almost lethal roblem after the presidency. Ironically, those two and a half years in the white house, i think it was much less of a problem than at either end. Speaking of state dinners, the fords welcomed Queen Elizabeth during the bicentennial. Well go become to the ford museum and learn more about hat visit. On august 9, 1974, Vice President ford was sworn in as president of the United States. This is the dress she was wearing at the ceremony. She was less than excited about coming first lady, but president ford encouraged her. She resolved, if i have to do this, im going to have fun doing it and the fun started almost immediately. Within 10 days she had a state dinner to entertain king hussein of jordan. Had had to prepare for it as first lady and hit the ground running. She had a number of opportunities to entertain because the administration overlapped the bicentennial. Some of the most coveted events at the white house were held during that year and people wanted these invitations, wanted to receive these invitations. This is for the may 17, 1976, event when they entertained the president of france. But there were a number of notable people who came to the white house. Among them, the emperor of japan. This is a letter received from him in appreciation for hosting him in 1975. The first time an emperor left japan. But here are some of the invitations, dinner menus, from probably the biggest event, and that is when we hosted Queen Elizabeth in july of 1976. This is the gift the queen of enge lant presented to president and mrs. Ford and the people of the United States. Its a guilded and enameled soup due rein. On its face, a hand painted image of the white house. Nd it was the official gift of Great Britain to the United States celebrating the 200th anniversary of the United States. She wrote a nice letter back to the fords thanking them for their hospitality and for their friendship they extended to the queen and to the people of england. In this letter, the queen writes to the president and mrs. Ford, it was the greatest pleasure for us to visit the United States and to be able to join in the bicentennial celebrations. And she signs it, we send our warm good wishes to you and mrs. Ford, your sincere friend, elizabeth. We have a couple of questions that follow from that, this one from facebook. The cherry trees and pandas have been mentioned as gifts to the nation, please comment on any other gifts in the white house and how the rules developed for the nation that were considered personal gifts. And what gifts have first lady, in this case, mrs. Ford, given to foreign dignitaries . Im not sure when a law changed that made all gifts in effect federal property. If you go to the Woodrow Wilson house here in washington, for example, you can see all sorts of gorgeous things that president wilson was given by his european travels toward the end of his presidency. I think i think it begins with the kennedy presidency. Regina on twitter asked, did betty start any white house traditions . Youre thinking hard there. I know. You know, its interesting. She broke the mold more than she started traditions. In some ways i think weve regressed in terms of what we expect a first lady to address, what issues, what controversies, and the like. So no, thats a tradition she didnt start. Would this be this is Sheldon Cooper on twitter asks, how did the Ford White House differ from other administrations . It differed in a number of ways. Some are fairly cultural, for example, she restored the round tables at dinner. She thought it was a much more informal, led to conversation. One other thing she did, she did not, for example, go on a decorating but there is, on the second floor, a private family dining room and mrs. Kennedy had located some spectacular and historically wallpaper, ench portrayed in the american portraying the American Revolution in graphic military terms and mrs. Ford, who had the us most respect for mrs. Kennedys taste said, i cant sit there and watch these people shooting each other on battlefields and so she had the paper removed. I think Rosalind Carter had it put back. Before we leave the white use, they lived in veil, colorado, for a while, the places associated with the ford family. Washington, d. C. , grand rapids, 3467, veil, colorado, and palm springs, california. Thats right. At the time the president passed away, when we were planning his funeral, there were a number of personal touches and one was, when they there was no cason, no horse drawn procession caisson, no horse drawn procession through the streets of washington. Instead thes her drove through their Old Neighborhoods the hearse drove through their Old Neighborhood in zand reand stopped at the world war ii memorial to recognize his service in the war. 1976, the bicentennial and a hotly contested president ial election. The campaign included a slogan, vote for bettys husband. How was she used in the campaign . Theres debate about that. There are people who think she was misused, overused, that she delicate r fragile, figure. She was certainly very active in the primary campaign. In the fordreagan race. There are people who remember at the convention, sort of the dueling candidates wive the entrance of mrs. Reagan to the convention hall, the entrance of mrs. Ford who had the great good fortune in her mind to be introduced by carey grant, which is by cary grant, which is pretty impressive. In the fall campaign, again, theres this school of thought that she wasnt used as well as she might have been. Dan is watching us in michigan. Hi, dan. Hi. Appreciate this, i want to say the museum in grand rapids, been there a couple of times, its a great place to visit and enjoy and if you havent gone there. Im curious, their postwhite house years, how much time did they spend in grand rapids and where did they go after they left the white house to end up in california . Good question. They had been out to the area around palm springs in the past , they had vacationed out there. And the weather was perfect for her health. Her arthritis. Which was a significant issue in addition to her other health problems. So you know, they decided, they changed their plans, which originally envisioned going back to grand rapids. The president came back to grand rapids very often, i know, because i was director at the library for 60 years. He would come back, we started every year at christmas time he would come back and turn on the christmas tree. He would come back we did a series for the 25th anniversary of his inauguration and we had John Paul Stevens and Alan Greenspan and he would fly from california, he would come back just to introduce those people he felt so honored that they would make that effort. Mrs. Ford came less frequently. They had a running gag, they divided the country in half for fundraising purposes. He had america east of the mississippi, she had the United States west of the mississippi. A. J. Is in alexandria, virginia, one of the homes to the ford family. Hi, a. J. Hi, a. J. Im curious. Is there a specific reason why the first lady invited king hussein for the first dinner she hosted at the white house . You know, its interesting. The president became president on august 9. On august 10, she was informed, almost matter of factly, by the way, you do know that king hussein is coming in a weeks time . She had nothing to do. This was something that had been arranged during the Nixon Administration and she literally was in her first within her first 24 hours was kind of thrown in, sink or swim, to organize a state dinner for the king of jordan. 1976 campaign, there was a big challenge in the party from Ronald Reagan. A lot of work in the primary when president ford had the nomination, a Hard Fought Campaign against jimmy carter, the governor of georgia. By the time Election Night came and the fords had lost, the president had lost his voice. He asked the first lady to give his concession speech. Well watch some of that now. The president asked me to tell you that he telephoned president elect carter a short time ago and congratulated him on his victory. The president also wants to thank all those thousands of people who worked so hard on his behalf and the millions who supported him with their votes. Its been the greatest honor of my husbands life to have served his fellow americans during two of the most ifficult years in our history. The president urges all americans who join him in giving your united support to president elected carter as he prepared prepares to assume is new responsibles. The emotions on their faces there. Remember, they had come from so far behind. Every candidate believes theyre going to win. But he had never lost an election. And you can see the look on the kids faces. He went into history in American History to serve as Vice President and president of the United States without ever having faced the public and won the electoral vote. It wasnt much longer after that that the intervention, as weve talked about, with the family members occurred. Were going to listen to steve ford tell the story of that intervention as the family realized the extent of betty fords problem with alcohol and with drugs. You know, i think we sensed something during the presidency because she had legitimate pain from several pinched nerves and she was getting medication for that. What we didnt know is that the combination of, you know, alcohol and those pain medications, produce a cocktail that at times took away some of her sharpness and those kinds of things. But eventually it had to play out. It had to get to the other side of the presidency where i think it created a time for mom after the presidency where she wasnt first lady anymore, she was out in california, dad was traveling again a lot, they were building a new home, kids, we were all gone. And slowly over months and months and months she developed a me lan kolly and eventually a melancholy and eventually turned into depression. Pulled back from life. Started canceling appointments, not showing up, sleeping in late, slurred speech. All those things. But that takes months. We didnt know what we were looking at. We were like millions of other families, whats wrong with mom . There was not the education about alcoholism and drug dependency that there is now. So it took finding dad searched through several doctors before he finally found a doctor that would maybe have the courage to say, i think your wife is an alcoholic. That was just not the image anybody accepted. Finally found the right doctor, dad excuse me he had the courage to say were going to do this intervention, the whole family went in, we did the intervention with mom. At that time, i had never heard the word intervention. Now youve got tv shows about it. So it was a different time. We did it, dad led that intervention. You know, my memory of that is very clear. We walked in the door that morning, all the kids and dad, surprised mom, and he took her hand and said, betty, were here because we love you and the kids want their mother back, i want my wife back. Those interventions are tough. That is tough, hard, hard, hard work. A lot of tears, a lot of crying, a lot of raised voices, a lot of hugs and then more raised voices and denial and it goes back and forth. Its a tug of war. Dad just never gave up. He said betty, we love you, trust us. And we woke her up, she did the work. As many of you probably know, 16 years ago this april, i participated in a Treatment Program for prescription drugs and alcohol depends. Dependence. Today im a very grateful recovering alcoholic. And i know firsthand that treatment does work. We see her talking about her successful treatment. Her command of speech making versus the other clips is markedly different. After she became sober. Thats true. It may surprise people, seing this confident, commanding figure from 1994, at the end of her life, she had butterflies before she went on stage. She was terrified. And part of that is the perfectionism that i think was bred in her by her mother. One thing we talk about is, we talk about a genetic disposition to alcohol. There was in some ways an emotional disposition as well. You know, she writes, particularly in a wide awakening, about the emptiness and low selfesteem. She was sensitive about the fact that she didnt have a college degree, for example. I think, again, at a time when earlier in her life, her husband his career was taking off, by the time they came back to southern california, he was out on the road and he was out on the road almost as often as he had been before and now the kids were gone. So that emptiness in effect became everything. And it was easier for her to slip back into the old habits. We should just tell you that what you just herd was Richard Norton smiths cell phone going off. Im a technological illiterate. We have a lot to cover in a short time. Would you tell us how her treatment at a facility in california led to the establishment of the betty ford clinic. After the intervention, she was taken to long beach hospital. It shouldnt be sentimentalized or romand sized, it was a very gritty, very demanding, somewhat risky period. She didnt want to be there she made it very clear, for example, that she didnt want to share a room with three other patients. Reads the age, she statement that she was there because she was overmedicated, which was true but not the whole truth. They had to push her and push her to in effect reveal the full truth that she had an alcohol problem. She was defox fi detoxified there and that was not pleasant. T within a week, she was toasting the future in fruit juice. And, well, it was the beginning f a whole new life in a lot of ways. Her neighbor in ranchomy raj was a man named Leonard Firestone. A successful businessman, had been ambassador to belgium, he was an alcoholic as well. About a year after her successful intervention, the fords and their friends staged one with the firestones. To make a long story short, Leonard Firestone and betty ford decided together to go to the Eisenhower Medical Center with the idea for what became the betty ford center. And it was cofounded in 1982. How long did she serve as chair . 2005. Il, i want to say, she was in her late 80s. Yes. And was an active chairperson, raising money. Very active. Very hands on. She said her friends hated to see her coming because they knew she was going to put the touch on them for fundraising. She was a phenomenally successful fundraiser. Do you have any sense of how many people have been successfully treated . Thousands. I dont know. They used to have, every year and they may still, they would have an alumni event. The president was so proud of her. At the alumni event you could find her holding court. He was cooking hot dogs for the alumni. He also said about 10 years ago that when history books were written, her contribution to america would be considered greater greater than his own. Suzy in eugene, oregon. Youre on. Suzy, you there . All right, were going to move on. Samuel in ashburn, virginia. Hi, provesor smith, this is samuel. Ive enjoyed being a student in your class this semester at george mason. Thank you. Great oto see you on television. Professor, in class you talked about how the president ford and president carter became friends in 1981ed on the way to sadats funeral on the plane. I wanted to ask, you didnt talk about how betty ford and Rosalind Carter became friends. I wanted to know how that transpired. Im glad you asked. Just as the unlikely friendship developed between the two former president s, likewise mrs. Ford and mrs. Carter discovered they had a whole lot in common. They teamed up, for example, to become a pretty formidable lobbying pair. They would testify before congress for funding, for example, for Mental Health programs, which had been a special interest of mrs. Carters, and for the work that on alcohol doing and drug dependency issues. Kyle wants to know what kind of relationship did the fords have the nixons after leaving washington . I think perfectly friendly. I think to be perfectly honest with you, you couldnt go through watergate and the pardon and have it not affect the kind of old casual friendship that they had enjoyed but i remember seeing them together at the time that the Nixon Library was dedicated in 1990. Gerald ford post presidency, very active in corporate boards, in party politics. He lived until the age of 93. He is the longest lived american president to this date. We have some video of his funeral. His casket in state. In the cap tl building. Capitol building. Can you talk about her role in planning the Funeral Service . She was very much a part of it. We had a number of meetings that began actually several years out and of course involved the military district of washington, the professionals at this. And said the one thing he was adamant, he did not want a horse drawn caisson through the streets of washington. And she kept say, keep it simple, keep it simple, and think of the kids. Because to her, this was only partly a national, a public event. This was first and foremost a family event. And there you see the family together. Jeff wants to know, did any of the ford children entertain political careers themselvess . Jack was interested for a while. Gave serious thought to running for office. But i dont think any of the others have. How long after her husband died did betty ford herself die and how did she die . She died on july 8 of 2008, which is about 4 1 2 years, and she died of being 93. We have a photograph of their grave sites, can you tell us about this site and what their design was for it . This was something that was always in effect built into the plan. The ford museum is located on the banks of the grand river in downtown grand rapids. From the beginning, it was planned, as of course is the case with many recent president s, that they would be interred at the site of their libraries or museums. Very simple design as you can see, built into the hillside there. Its a really pretty spot. D they chose the words themselves. I will say very quickly, right after the president passed in 2005, yeah, mrs. Ford had the house in ranchomy raj, there were olive trees out in front. For christmas they put white lights in the trees. Nd she left them on that year, past the christmas and someone asked her why. She said thats how she knew jerry was ok. Five years separates them in age. So she was a widow for the last five years of her life. We ask our guest about the legacy of the women were profilingful profiling. In 1999 gerald and betty ford received the congressional gold medal. At that ceremony, president bill clinton spoke about betty fords legacy with helping people with drug and alcohol addiction after she left the white house and well close with that. Perhaps