Write It When I'm Gone

Who ever knew that Gerald Ford could be so interesting? I read over 70 pages in just the first day I got it and did not want to put it down. This is not a straightforward biography for a change-there are plenty of those out there. This is personal insight into a man that rarely let us see that side of him. He was a man of good morals, was extremely intelligent, and if you can get past the whole Nixon pardon, he really did deserve a second term in office. Even though his presidency was short, those were some very interesting times and Gerald Ford was a big part of bringing the country back together after Watergate and Vietnam. It is great to have the authors perspective of traveling with him for so many years and interviewing him, and even building a friendship with President Ford. You feel like you are along for the ride. I am glad I purchased this as it is a totally different kind of political book than anything else I have ever read. It is an easy and quick read, and I HIGHLY recommend it to anyone interested in US history and/or the Office of The President. My only wish was that it was longer- did not want to get through it so quick !!!!

There are descriptions galore on this book already, I just wanted to add that this was a "can't put it down" book for me also. I was in my early teens when Watergate was coming down. I had no idea just that Ford was such a principled man but also had the ability to get to the heart of a matter in few words and in most cases with no malice. As I was reading the last couple of chapters I felt like I'd really missed out by having neven known this man. He may not have been a Lincoln but he was certainly one Ford that never needed to be recalled. What a great read!!

Jerry Ford was the accidental president. Appointed by Richard Nixon after the resignation of Spiro Agnew, Ford became president at the height of the Watergate crisis when Nixon resigned. As the first unelected president, Ford's first few months were spent trying to bring integrity back to the president's office. This included granting a full and absolute pardon to Richard Nixon for anything he made had done during Watergate. Although Ford was a happy person, he was no Pollyanna. He knew what was happening in Washington, but he took it upon himself to maintain his beliefs as a company man and protect his "beloved Republican Party." Ford did it for the integrity of the nation as well as his integrity. For the outspoken Ford, it was difficult to not speculate and look as if he was waiting for Nixon to resign. Then one day he said something to a young journalist. A young journalist who was intimidated by the vice president and promised he would not write about the conversation until after Ford died. Tom DeFrank kept that promise for over 30 years. Upon Ford's death, DeFrank published this book about that conversation along with the information gathered from over 15 years of private interviews with the former president from his new home in California and summer home in Colorado. The result is a book that offers a unique look into the mind of the person who was the right man for the job when his country needed him most. The book opens with the DeFrank talking about getting the assignment to cover Ford after being appointed as the vice president. DeFrank and a small band of reporters covered Ford and his travels on Air Force 2, a plane that said more about how humble Ford was than about the office. The chapter sets the tone for the rest of the book. Ford was very open with DeFrank and spoke his mind on many issues including how he resented Ronald Reagan for his run in 1976; how he thought Jimmy Carter was wrong for the nation; what he thought about Bill Clinton and both of the Bush presidents; and his rise to the presidency. Ford criticized everyone for various issues including his former chiefs of staff Don Rumsfeld and Dick Cheney. But Ford was a decent man and did not say anything to defamatory against anyone. DeFrank has to be complemented on his treatment of Ford's declining years. The way it was written made me feel sad for Ford but also emphasized how Ford triumphed over life. DeFrank emphasized that Ford was very active to his 90s, which Ford was appreciative of and that Ford did not pity himself as his health declined. It was written in a style that just seemed to close the cover after the final chapter of a wonderful story. This is a book about one man who unexpectedly became President of the United States. This book is about how Ford viewed himself, the world, and others from his perspective as told to Thomas DeFrank, a journalist. It is not a history book, although it may influence history's view of the former president. It is a boo

For those of us who came of age during Watergate and the Nixon and Ford administrations, Gerald Ford's death last December at ninety-three was a particularly sad event. Nostalgia abounded for our nation's thirty-eighth president, who was always looked upon as a man of high moral character and one who had assumed the presidency under the most unusual and difficult circumstances. It was with great anticipation, therefore, that I bought Tom DeFrank's new book on President Ford, "Write It When I'm Gone", and the good news is that DeFrank, who knew the president intimately for many years, presents a terrific portrait of Ford....his own presidency and vice presidency, his views on other presidents, his remembrances of courageous decisions he had to make and those things that guided him through life. It's a wonderful book and one that only a reporter like DeFrank could have written. The title of the book refers to a comment that slipped from Ford's lips when he served under Nixon. Keeping his word not to reveal that comment for more than thirty years, DeFrank soon became a close contact with Ford and the trust that they built up is evident as DeFrank writes glowingly about his subject. The most intriguing chapters, to be sure, are the ones where Ford talks about Nixon, Carter, Reagan, Clinton and the two Bushes. They all come under scrutiny but Ford seemed to despise Carter and Reagan the most. It's understandable as a political rival that Ford would feel that way about his successor but as for Reagan...Ford blamed Reagan's challenge for the GOP nomination in 1976 as the main reason for his (Ford's) defeat to Jimmy Carter that year. One of the best lines in the book comes when Ford is quoted in a public statement shortly after Reagan's death. He said that Reagan "was a first-class president, and I treasured my relationship and association with him". "Baloney", DeFrank counters, uncharacteristically. And Ford and his wife Betty disliked Nancy Reagan even more than they did Ronnie. DeFrank knows his own place in history when it comes to his friendship with the president. They had met in the infancy of Ford's becoming Vice President and the author saw Ford through to the end of his life. That access could only be matched by a very few. One might look at "Write It When I'm Gone" as borderline hagiography and certainly the last chapters of the book are devoted to saying good-bye to his famous friend in a lengthy, spun out manner. But DeFrank never gets overly maudlin about Ford and there's enough good, simple reporting to give this book lift and honesty. As historians recast their ideas about Gerald Ford after his death, the consensus is that Ford's star is on the rise. I have no doubt it is, and this book helps to explain why. Tom DeFrank has given us a look at a man unique to the presidency and whose circumstances for attaining that high office are not likely to be seen again in our lifetime. "Write It When I'm Gone" is a wonderful read. I highly recomm

Tom DeFrank and Gerald Ford had a secret relationship for over thirty years. Ford accidentally told the 28-year-old writer for Newsweek in 1974 that Nixon's presidency was doomed, and after the young writer agreed not to print the slip, a trust was formed that gave DeFrank access to three decades of thoughts of the 38th President of the United States. Ford spoke to him without prejudice not just on Nixon and Watergate, but on other major issues of the past quarter century, often providing opinions that rivaled what Ford himself entered into the public record in his memoir or in interviews. This unparalleled access given to DeFrank came with one condition from Ford: "Write it when I'm gone." DeFrank presents Ford as a politician to the end, a man who realized the true Gerald Ford and the one given to the world were at odds with each other. Ford preferred that the inevitable clash between the two occur only after he was dead. Ford felt an obligation to have his true feelings and remembrances appear in the alterable history of the country, but he did not want to deal with the fallout. Now that the truth is in print, readers can compare it (or at least as much as was given by DeFrank) against what Ford himself carefully allowed himself to say during his lifetime. With these new insights, Ford now seems to be a more complicated and shrewd craftsman than the popular image of him during his life. And so, what are some of the new insights given by the book? Along with the new account of how Ford began to realize he could eventually become the first unelected president and found himself in the conflicting position of being able to help make that happen if he abandoned his loyalty to Nixon, the two bombshells that will no doubt be referenced in the media deal with his true feelings on Reagan and the Clintons. About Reagan, Ford gives as much a lecture in curtsey to America as he speaks about the President. When DeFrank spoke to Ford about the dying Reagan, Ford expressed a reluctance to tarnish the man's image with criticism, believing that someone who served the country in Reagan's capacity deserved to die in peace. Readers who remember Ford interviews during this time will recall the reverence and almost awe he seemed to have for his dying former political rival. But his kind words for Reagan were only meant to be spoken during the difficult times for Nancy and the rest of his family. After Reagan died and enough time passed to begin a true examination of the man, Ford wanted it known that he saw Reagan as "a superficial...intellectually-lazy showman who didn't do his homework and clung to a naive, unrealistic, and essentially dangerous worldview." With those thoughts, Ford is both at odds with the people who danced on Reagan's grave (even before he was in it) and those today who fail to see any faults in the man. Ford was also visible in the media during the Lewinsky scandal, working as a mediator between the flag-bearers