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Write It When I'm Gone: Remarkable Off-the-Record Conversations With Gerald R. Ford

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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 of his party and the man who occupied his former seat. During that time, Ford refrained from speaking about the personal problems of the Bill Clinton, instead focusing on trying to end the national nightmare without further embarrassment to the nation and to the presidency. But now his true feelings are on display. He speaks of Clinton in a manner similar to a judge sentencing a sex offender, using harsh, pronouncing language that suggests Ford was uncomfortable being in his presence. He draws upon his experiences with his wife's own addictions to alcohol and drugs, claiming that Clinton's problems may result less from poor decisions than from a disorder beyond his control.

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 recommend it and thank the author for this lasting contribution in helping us better to understand President Ford.

Tom DeFrank has written a fine memoir of his 30-plus years of covering Gerald Ford. Read this volume with DeFrank's caveat in mind: this slender work is neither a definitive biography of Jerry Ford, nor an authoritative history of the Ford presidency. Rather, it is an account of DeFrank's reporting on Ford, much of it derived from off-the-record conversations recounted here for the first time.

The Gerald Ford who emerges from the pages of Write It When I'm Gone is an acute and prescient observer of matters political. He is privately critical of the intellectual laziness of his long-time rival, Ronald Reagan, but concedes Reagan's outsize communications skills. He predicts difficulties in justifying the 2003 invasion of Iraq on the dubious basis of weapons of mass destruction, recommending instead that George W. Bush base the rationale for invasion on the dangers embodied in the unstable person of Saddam Hussein. As this advice suggests, Ford remains, throughout his retirement, an avid and astute consumer of the intelligence briefings to which he is entitled as a former President.

Especially interesting is Ford's take on Bill and Hillary Clinton. He admires Bill Clinton's communications and campaigning skills, putting Clinton above even Reagan in this regard. But it is Ford's assessment of Hillary Clinton that seems especially prescient. In an interview conducted before the end of the Bill Clinton presidency, Ford terms Mrs. Clinton tougher than her husband and predicts that she will earn a place on the Democratic ticket in 2004 or 2008.

Ford also emerges as a shrewd businessman who works hard during his retirement, earning substantial wealth for his family. This portrait of Ford is altogether sharper-edged and more fully realized than the stereotype of an amiable dunce often repeated during his presidency.

Ford's fundamental decency is, of course, at the heart of Write It When I'm Gone. The media presidencies that followed the Ford years make the plain-spoken straightforwardness of Gerald Ford something to treasure.

To enjoy an extended. enjoyable and revealing visit with Gerald Ford, you owe it to yourself to read this book.

Given to me as a Christmas present I read it in two sittings. A good read. Nothing new or startling about the past;showed some of Ford's likes and dislikes, and also that he was probably a nice guy, although a party man through and through. (Nixon probably picked him never thinking he himself would resign, and that Ford wouldn't get in his way.) (Ford's big mistake, as it turns out, was having Cheney as his Chief-Of-Staff.)
Ford apparenlty overrated himself in thinking he could have been re-elected, which I don't belive would have happened. Ford did seem to have a tendency to say one thing to please people while actually thinking something else...not a very good trait....His biggest strength probably was that he didn't do anything. He was also the right man for the right time, because the country just wanted sanity for a moment. I would recommend the book.

Thomas DeFrank compiled a number of off the record interviews with Gerald Ford and published them in "Write it When I'm Gone." Ford's reflections on his time as VP under Nixon and President are interesting but there is not much new here that is not covered in James Cannon's "Time and Chance" or even John Robert Greene's "The Presidency of Gerald R. Ford". The book also has Ford's thoughts on politics since then. No surprise considering Ford's electoral history, he was bitter towards Reagan and thought Carter was incompetent. He thought Clinton was competent but a cad and held the first George Bush in high regard. While there are some nuggets of interest to Ford scholars, where the book shines is Ford's take on politics after his fall. Ford really shows a staggering lack of loyalty in these interviews. Ford's dumping of Nelson Rockefeller as VP is more understandable since Ford hoped George W. Bush would drop Cheney (former Chief of Staff of the Ford White House) in 2004 and even actively lobbied Bush 41 to cast aside Dan Quayle in 1992. Ford never quite realized the full impact of Reagan's shaping of the Republican Party. Even in 2004, Ford hoped that Bush would replace Cheney with a pro-choice New Yorker (either Giuliani or Pataki). Ford was also convinced that the war in Iraq was badly handled and sold to the American people. While not quite remarkable, the book is highly recommended to Ford scholars and political buffs though the average reader may not find it interesting. One minor flaw: DeFrank uses full quotations in his writing making it seem like a conversation between DeFrank and Ford but it is hard to identify who is saying what sometimes. DeFrank would have been better served inserting a few more names or even pronouns.

The premise of this book is that the author, a journalists, conducted a number of off-the-record interviews with Gerald Ford after he left the White House. The deal was that Ford would be extremely candid, but nothing could be published until after his death.

I noticed some of the other reviewers were disappointed that there were no bombshell revelations. This is really an absurd expectation (if there were any, they would have been released in the news, right?) but it should not discourage you from buying this book.

This is a fascinating glimpse into Ford's post-presidential life, his views on and relations with other presidents, and his death. For students of history and politics, many of Ford's revelations are really interesting. This book emphasizes just how genial and forgiving Ford was as a person: he was a good man.

The end of the book is a bit awkward, not really fitting with the rest of the book, but it is obviously an emotional account of his death by a journalist who came to be a true friend of Ford's. Overall, a quick, insightful read.

Like many baby boomers,I was grateful Gerald R. Ford was there when the nation needed him. After the god-awful Watergate mess revealed a President at his worst, it was comforting to have Ford, a man widely liked and respected, assume the Presidency. Ford's reputation as an earnest, unpretentious and decent individual able to laugh at himself survived and even thrived in subsequent years when compared to those who followed him into the White House. That image is borne out in WRITE IT WHEN I'M GONE, Thomas DeFrank's touching memoir based on years of private interviews with Ford. DeFrank's book gives us a much deeper and illuminating portrait of both the man and the politician.

While Ford's take on the American political scene from the 1970s on made for interesting reading and confirms him as an astute analyst, I was much more taken with the insights on the man. Though he loved politics and was an ardent spokesman for the Republican Party, Ford's values and innate courtesy caused him to be circumspect in his public comments. Unlike today's slash-and-burn politicians, Ford viewed his Democratic colleagues as friendly adversaries worthy of respect. If he had critical or harsh views of others, he kept them largely to himself...that is until he talked with DeFrank.

Over the course of the book's 250 pages, I grew to like and admire Ford far more than I had in the past; the Nixon Pardon still rankles! DeFrank shows us a normal guy who loved to laugh and toss down a few with the boys; a genuine and genuinely kind man who never lost the common touch; a straightforward, old-fashioned ex-football jock appalled by the underhanded machinations of various politicos; a devoted family man who never cheated on his wife. Yet Ford has his moments of anger and pique as documented in the book. Likewise DeFrank doesn't shy away from some questionable aspects of Ford's life such as his merchandising of himself after he left the Presidency. After all is said and done though, you like Jerry Ford; reading of the decline of such a gregarious, active individual in the closing chapters is hard. He was a good man.

Though I enjoyed DeFrank's book, I thought it could have been more tightly edited. Various redundancies occurred throughout the book.

Whether you're a Jerry Ford fan or not, you'll want to read WRITE IT WHEN I'M GONE. It offers an unvarnished look at the unique life of a kind and decent man who gave America hope and stability during the worst of times. Historians will have the final say on Gerald R. Ford but, for me, I can only echo DeFrank's closing line: 'Thank You, Mr. President.'

A wonderful read about a good and great man. If only this country had more such men, then maybe there would not be the huge political schism in Washington today. Ford was a healer, who could be bipartisan and establish a rapport with his political enemies. Maybe, that was because he had no real enemies, and many on both side respected him for what he was: a smart, honest politician who did not have a huge ego.

In this short book, DeFrank shows that Ford was really who he said he was. He loved the Republican Party and would not tear it apart for his personal ambition. He loved his country and tried to find common cause with some polical opponents like Carter and Clinton. He loved his home city of Grand Rapids, Michigan. He was like most people: an average man thrust into the leadership of the free world.

This is a nice read about a true American Gerald R. Ford. His presidential service was short and his life long, but he made a difference in American political life. DeFrank captures the true spirit of Jerry Ford.

Write It When I'm Gone: Remarkable Off-the-Record Conversations With Gerald R. Ford originated in an interview Newsweek's Thomas DeFrank had with then Vice President Gerald Ford in 1974 as the Watergate scandal was coming to a head. Ford made a political misstep, referring to a time when he would be president before that decision had been made by Richard Nixon. Ford and DeFrank made agreement at that moment that Ford's words would not be published until after Ford's death. This interchange began a series of interviews DeFrank conducted after Ford left office that covered much political ground, including some Watergate reflections and thoughts on the contemporary political world.

DeFrank paints a friendly portrait of Ford, and he gives some genuine insights, like Ford's conversation with President Bill Clinton during some of Clinton's scandals. But these conversations do not give a lot of new information, and DeFrank has a way of repeating material and contexts that becomes wearisome. Certainly, DeFrank delivers what he promises: conversations. This is not intended to be an exhaustive study on Gerald Ford or his presidency. They are a window into Ford's thinking on politics and the men who preceded and then succeeded him in office.

DeFrank shows a genuine affection for Ford without coming off as fawning. This was interesting because although I remember the Ford presidency, I wasn't paying attention to politics at the time. My main complaint is the DeFrank could have used a good editor. He jumped around without making clear or cohesive points to his organization.