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

by Donald Rumsfeld

Overview

“A personal look behind the scenes” (Publishers Weekly) of the presidency of Gerald Ford as seen through the eyes of Donald Rumsfeld—New York Times bestselling author and Ford’s former Secretary of Defense, Chief of Staff, and longtime personal confidant.

In the wake of Richard Nixon’s Watergate scandal, it seemed the United States was coming apart. America had experienced a decade of horrifying assassinations; the unprecedented resignation of first a vice president and then a president of the United States; intense cultural and social change; and a new mood of cynicism sweeping the country—a mood that, in some ways, lingers today.

Into that divided atmosphere stepped an unexpected, unelected, and largely unknown American—Gerald R. Ford. In contrast to every other individual who had ever occupied the Oval Office, he had never appeared on any ballot either for the presidency or the vice presidency. Ford simply and humbly performed his duty to the best of his considerable ability. By the end of his 895 days as president, he would in fact have restored balance to our country, steadied the ship of state, and led his fellow Americans out of the national trauma of Watergate. And yet, Gerald Ford remains one of the least studied and least understood individuals to have held the office of the President of the United States. In turn, his legacy also remains severely underappreciated.

In When the Center Held, Ford’s Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld candidly shares his personal observations of the man himself, providing a sweeping examination of his crucial years in office. It is a rare and fascinating look behind the closed doors of the Oval Office, including never-before-seen photos, memos, and anecdotes, from a unique insider’s perspective—“engrossing and informative” (Kirkus Reviews) reading for any fan of presidential history.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781501172953
Publisher:	Simon & Schuster
Publication date:	02/13/2024
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	353
Sales rank:	354,123
File size:	55 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.

About the Author

Donald Rumsfeld was the United States Secretary of Defense for Gerald R. Ford and George W. Bush. He served as chair of the Rumsfeld Foundation, which was dedicated to the support of leadership and public service at home and the growth of free political and free economic systems abroad. He is survived by his wife Joyce, their three children, seven grandchildren, and three great grandchildren. He died in 2021.

Table of Contents

Author's Note xi

1 The Long National Nightmare 1

2 "Give Me Hell" 17

3 The Pardon 35

4 Public Enemy Number One 59

5 Choosing Rockefeller 77

6 Morning Coats and Wolf Furs: Ford Abroad 89

7 Neither Confirm nor Deny: The Glomar Explorer and the Crisis in the CIA 107

8 The Reagan Shadow 125

9 The Fall of Vietnam 141

10 Ford at the Helm: The SS Mayaguez Crisis 167

11 Commander in Chief 179

12 Assassins' Target 195

13 The (So-Called) Halloween Massacre 213

14 Rumble from the Right 225

15 Last Campaign 245

Epilogue 267

Timeline 275

Notes 281

Acknowledgments 311

List of Illustrations 317

Index 321

Editorial Reviews

The presidency of Gerald R. Ford feels a world away—not simply in time, but in ethos. In this wonderful contribution to history, Donald Rumsfeld, who served President Ford as White House chief of staff and as secretary of Defense, gives a new generation an absorbing and important reflection on Ford and what the 38th president meant. The vital center in which Ford so deeply believed is facing an existential crisis in our own time, and Rumsfeld's book could not be more relevant or timely.

Jon Meacham

Gerald Ford is one of the most underrated presidents. He steadied the nation after Nixon and made peace in Vietnam. Donald Rumsfeld, who was Ford's chief of staff and secretary of defense, captures the essence of Ford and brings it home. When the Center Held is a magnificent book that should be read by every American.

Jean Edward Smith

As a proud alumnus of the Ford Administration, I can attest that Don Rumsfeld’s skillful and fascinating account of those critical years has done the President justice. This book, based on Don’s real-time memos, is essential reading to anyone seeking to understand the American presidency, as Ford and his team rescued and remade it during unprecedented turmoil.

Dick Cheney

04/16/2018
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)

Publishers Weekly

The presidency of Gerald R. Ford feels a world away—not simply in time, but in ethos. In this wonderful contribution to history, Donald Rumsfeld, who served President Ford as White House chief of staff and as secretary of Defense, gives a new generation an absorbing and important reflection on Ford and what the 38th president meant. The vital center in which Ford so deeply believed is facing an existential crisis in our own time, and Rumsfeld's book could not be more relevant or timely.

—Jon Meacham

Gerald Ford is one of the most underrated presidents. He steadied the nation after Nixon and made peace in Vietnam. Donald Rumsfeld, who was Ford's chief of staff and secretary of defense, captures the essence of Ford and brings it home. When the Center Held is a magnificent book that should be read by every American.

—Jean Edward Smith

As a proud alumnus of the Ford Administration, I can attest that Don Rumsfeld’s skillful and fascinating account of those critical years has done the President justice. This book, based on Don’s real-time memos, is essential reading to anyone seeking to understand the American presidency, as Ford and his team rescued and remade it during unprecedented turmoil.

—Dick Cheney

2018-03-20
A memoir of the presidency of Gerald Ford (1913-2006) as seen from the point of view of Ford's chief of staff and secretary of defense.When Ford became president on Aug. 9, 1974, writes Rumsfeld (Rumsfeld's Rules: Leadership Lessons in Business, Politics, War, and Life, 2013, etc.), he inherited a nation on "the brink of civil and political collapse." In his latest book, the author convincingly argues that Ford successfully restored trust in the presidency and held the country together. Born in Omaha, Nebraska, Ford played center for the University of Michigan football team, studied law at Yale, and fought in World War II before his entry into politics. He served almost 25 years as a Michigan congressman before rising to the vice presidency in 1973. With Richard Nixon's resignation, Ford, who had never run on a national ticket, became president. Although his brief term in office included controversies and missteps such as his pardon of Nixon, the abortive "Whip Inflation Now" campaign, and the appointment of Nelson Rockefeller as vice president, Rumsfeld asserts that Ford oversaw a revival of what had been a moribund economy, responded strongly to the Khmer Rouge's seizure of the U.S. container ship Mayaguez, and contributed to the birth of the modern human rights movement via his signing of the Helsinki Accords. Above all else, Ford's honesty, integrity, and decency helped the nation recover from the Watergate crisis. The author also recalls several forgotten chapters of Ford's presidency, including a Far East trip that featured the first visit of a sitting U.S. president to Japan and a turnout of 2 million people to welcome Ford to Seoul, South Korea. Rumsfeld occasionally confuses dates, and he oversells several of Ford's accomplishments (the Helsinki Accords being a prime example).A few flaws aside, this is an engrossing and informative tribute to a man whom Jimmy Carter rightfully thanked in his inaugural address "for all he has done to heal our land."

Kirkus Reviews