Gerald R. Ford by Douglas Brinkley - 2007

New York: Times Books International, 2007. U2 - A first edition (stated with complete numberline) hardcover book SIGNED by author on the title page in very good condition in very good dust jacket that is mylar protected. Book has remainder mark on the bottom, dust jacket and book have some light discoloration and shelf wear. The "accidental" president whose innate decency and steady hand restored the presidency after its greatest crisis. 8.5"x5.75", 199 pages. Satisfaction Guaranteed. When Gerald R. Ford entered the White House in August 1974, he inherited a presidency tarnished by the Watergate scandal, the economy was in a recession, the Vietnam War was drawing to a close, and he had taken office without having been elected. Most observers gave him little chance of success, especially after he pardoned Richard Nixon just a month into his presidency, an action that outraged many Americans, but which Ford thought was necessary to move the nation forward. Many people today think of Ford as a man who stumbled a lot - clumsy on his feet and in politics - but acclaimed historian Douglas Brinkley shows him to be a man of independent thought and conscience, who never allowed party loyalty to prevail over his sense of right and wrong. As a young congressman, he stood up to the isolationists in the Republican leadership, promoting a vigorous role for America in the world. Later, as House minority leader and as president, he challenged the right wing of his party, refusing to bend to their vision of confrontation with the Communist world. And after the fall of Saigon, Ford also overruled his advisers by allowing Vietnamese refugees to enter the United States, arguing that to do so was the humane thing to do. Brinkley also offers keen analysis of the Mayaguez incident and the Helsinki Accords, where Ford's steady and focused leadership played a key role in advancing American interests. Brinkley draws on exclusive interviews with Ford and on previously unpublished documents (including a remarkable correspondence between Ford and Nixon stretching over four decades), fashioning a masterful reassessment of Gerald R. Ford's presidency and his underappreciated legacy to the nation.. Signed by Author. First Edition. Hard Cover. Very Good/Very Good. 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall. Remainder.