Gerald Ford came to the Presidency very surprisingly. Before and after Richard Nixon’s resignation following the Watergate affair, he did not have a lot of time to create his own policies or structure his own administration within the White House. Three transition groups were working on the structural preparation for the Presidency, one of them started secretly several months before Ford had to take over the office - just in case. But they were all facing the problem that they did not have the amount of time normally given to a future President between the election and the inauguration to develop a plan for the advisory structure. Ford and his Vice-presidential staff jumped into a running government which was created for the personal needs and around the work style of a President Nixon. They could not fire the whole Nixon staff at the same time without the risk of leading the country into an incapability of action until a new staff system had been built up. And they could not keep all the Nixon people who were loyal to the former President and were probably not able to work the way the new President wanted them to. Ford and his advisers decided to go a middle way which will be analyzed later.
This paper will focus on how the advisory structure Ford chose, or was forced to choose, influenced him in his decision making process. The main source will be the biography of John Robert Greene, The Presidency of Gerald R. Ford. The thesis will be that Ford’s way to make a decision, as he was used to from his congressional career, did not match with the structure the Presidency forced him to use and led him too often to ineffective decisions.
Inhaltsverzeichnis (Table of Contents)
- 1. Introduction
- 2. Ford's managerial style
- 3. The Transition Teams
- 4. The First Decisions: Clemency and Pardon
- 5. Restructuring
- 6. Staff Rivalries
- 7. Conclusion
Zielsetzung und Themenschwerpunkte (Objectives and Key Themes)
This paper aims to analyze how the advisory structure chosen by President Gerald Ford influenced his decision-making process. The primary source is John Robert Greene's biography, The Presidency of Gerald R. Ford. The analysis focuses on the period from May 1974 to November 1975.
- Ford's managerial style and its compatibility with the presidential office
- The formation and influence of the transition teams
- The impact of early decisions, such as the pardon of Richard Nixon
- The dynamics of staff rivalries and their effect on governance
- The restructuring of the Ford administration and its implications
Zusammenfassung der Kapitel (Chapter Summaries)
1. Introduction: This chapter introduces the unexpected nature of Gerald Ford's ascension to the presidency following Richard Nixon's resignation. It highlights the limited time available for Ford to establish his own administrative structure and policies, inheriting instead a system designed around Nixon's needs. The chapter establishes the central research question: how did Ford's chosen (or imposed) advisory structure impact his decision-making? The chapter lays the groundwork for analyzing Ford's approach to building his administration and the challenges he faced in adapting his congressional management style to the demands of the presidency. The limited timeframe between Nixon's resignation and the need to immediately govern is stressed as a major constraint on Ford’s efforts.
2. Ford's managerial style: This chapter explores Ford's collegial management style developed during his congressional career, characterized by open communication and compromise. It contrasts this approach with the more hierarchical structures typical of the presidency. The chapter uses the example of his vice-presidential staff, initially ineffective, to illustrate how Ford's preferred style clashed with the demands of a larger, more complex organization. The introduction of L. William Seidman and the implementation of a "spokes-of-the-wheel" system attempts to reconcile Ford's preferences with the presidential context, highlighting the inherent vulnerabilities created by ambitious individuals vying for power within the system.
3. The Transition Teams: This chapter details the establishment of transition teams, beginning secretly in May 1974, to prepare for a potential Ford presidency. The initial team advocated for a complete removal of Nixon's staff, acknowledging the practical difficulties of such a move. The chapter discusses the compromise reached, adding more individuals to the team, leading to a decision to retain key figures from the Nixon administration, particularly Alexander Haig, who despite not holding the title of Chief of Staff, retained significant power and influence over access to the President, hindering the intended "spokes-of-the-wheel" model.
4. The First Decisions: Clemency and Pardon: This chapter focuses on the early critical decisions facing President Ford, particularly regarding the issue of draft dodgers during the Vietnam War. It sets the stage for analyzing how Ford's chosen advisory structure and his management style influenced his response to this politically charged issue. The significance of this decision as a pivotal moment in Ford's presidency, shaping his public image and political trajectory, is implicit in the chapter title itself. This chapter emphasizes the immediate challenges and pressures surrounding Ford's early days in office.
Schlüsselwörter (Keywords)
Gerald Ford, Presidency, Decision-making, Advisory Structure, Transition Teams, Managerial Style, Watergate, Pardon, Staff Rivalries, Political Strategy.
Frequently Asked Questions: Analysis of President Gerald Ford's Decision-Making Process
What is the main focus of this paper?
This paper analyzes how President Gerald Ford's chosen advisory structure influenced his decision-making process during the period from May 1974 to November 1975. It uses John Robert Greene's biography, The Presidency of Gerald R. Ford, as its primary source.
What are the key themes explored in the paper?
The key themes include Ford's managerial style and its compatibility with the presidency; the formation and influence of his transition teams; the impact of early decisions, such as the pardon of Richard Nixon; the dynamics of staff rivalries and their effect on governance; and the restructuring of the Ford administration and its implications.
What is the structure of the paper?
The paper is structured into seven chapters: an introduction, a chapter detailing Ford's managerial style, one on the transition teams, one on his early decisions (including the Nixon pardon), a chapter on restructuring, a chapter on staff rivalries, and a conclusion. The paper also includes a table of contents, objectives and key themes, chapter summaries, and keywords.
How does the paper describe Ford's managerial style?
The paper describes Ford's managerial style as collegial and based on open communication and compromise, developed during his congressional career. This is contrasted with the more hierarchical structures typical of the presidency. The paper notes challenges in adapting this style to the presidential context, particularly regarding managing ambitious individuals vying for power.
What role did the transition teams play?
The transition teams, established secretly in May 1974, played a crucial role in preparing for a potential Ford presidency. The paper discusses the challenges of removing Nixon's staff and the compromises made, resulting in the retention of key figures like Alexander Haig, which impacted the intended "spokes-of-the-wheel" system.
How did early decisions, such as the Nixon pardon, affect Ford's presidency?
The paper highlights the pardon of Richard Nixon as a pivotal early decision, significantly impacting Ford's public image and political trajectory. It emphasizes the immediate challenges and pressures surrounding Ford's early days in office and how his advisory structure influenced his response to politically charged issues like the pardon and the treatment of draft dodgers.
What role did staff rivalries play in Ford's administration?
The paper explores the dynamics of staff rivalries and their effects on governance within Ford's administration. It suggests that these rivalries, stemming from competing interests and ambitions within the "spokes-of-the-wheel" system, presented significant challenges to effective decision-making.
What are the key takeaways from the paper?
The paper aims to provide an in-depth understanding of how the advisory structure and managerial style employed by President Ford impacted his decision-making process during a critical period of American history. It underscores the complexities of adapting a congressional management style to the demands of the presidency and the significant influence of political context and staff dynamics on presidential governance.
- Quote paper
- Patrick Buck (Author), 2006, The presidency of Gerald Ford, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/229527
