When the Center Held: Gerald Ford and the Rescue of the American Presidency

Rumsfeld, who served as President Ford’s chief of staff and defense secretary, provides a personal look behind the scenes of his close friend’s short presidency, including Ford’s controversial decision to pardon Richard Nixon for his role in the Watergate cover-up and his fight against Ronald Reagan for the 1976 Republican nomination. Rumsfeld, who was a congressional staffer when he first met Ford in 1958, argues that Ford—the only person to lead the U.S. who was not elected either president or vice president—brought the country back from “the brink of civil and political collapse.” He buttresses his case with his review of the public’s distrust of government following the revelations of Nixon’s involvement in a conspiracy to obstruct justice. Despite Rumsfeld’s acknowledged bias, he does not shy away from chronicling Ford’s missteps, such as the misguided WIN (Whip Inflation Now) campaign launched in 1974 in response to a worsening economy, or the flaws of the Ford White House, such as organizational and communication deficits. While other writers with more distance may offer a more nuanced take, Rumsfeld provides a useful introduction to a brief but consequential presidency. Agent: Keith Urbahn, Javelin. (May)