The Gerald Ford oral history project The Miller Center's first presidential oral history project is now available online Photo: White House photo by David Hume Kennerly About the Gerald Ford Oral History Learn more about the Miller Center's Gerald Ford Oral History Restoring the Executive Office In the first-ever Miller Center oral history session, Ford White House insiders discuss the exceptional nature of the 1974 transition between Nixon and Ford with a team of Miller Center scholars Decision-Making in a Presidential Perspective Participants reflect on key differences between Nixon's and Ford's approaches to making decisions and how each president managed the difficulty of creating unified policy among diverse, competing constituencies within the executive branch Effective Coordination at the Presidential Level Miller Center scholars and Ford White House practitioners offer insights into presidential–congressional relations, the importance of White House press relations and news management, and Ford's approach to leadership Listening to the Ford presidency 'He Liked to Make Decisions' President Ford and President Nixon had very different personalities and operational styles; Ford liked to hear from his advisers before he made a decision 'Not a Bad Record' When Gerald Ford assumed the presidency in August 1974, he inherited a fractious political environment. Divisions increased when he made the choice to pardon former president Nixon in September 1974 'Free and Open and Easy Access' President Ford had a long career in the House of Representatives prior to becoming president in August 1974, which informed his leadership style as president 'A Better Feeling' White House morale changed dramatically following President Nixon’s resignation in August 1974; Ford was far more collaborative with West Wing employees than his predecessor
