| Book Review | The Michigan Historical Review, 34.2

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| Book Review | The Michigan Historical Review, 34.2 | The History Cooperative

Book Reviews

Barry Werth. 31 Days: Gerald Ford, the Nixon Pardon, and a Government in Crisis. New York: Anchor, 2007. Pp. 348. Bibliography. Index. Notes. Paper, $l5.95.
This interesting book chronicles the first thirty-one days of Gerald Ford's presidency, a term of office that lasted only thirty months. Ford took the oath of office at a unique time in the history of the United States. On August 9, 1974, Ford's predecessor, Richard M. Nixon, became the first president to resign. The previous autumn Nixon had nominated and Congress had confirmed the appointment of Ford as vice president, following the resignation of Spiro Agnew. Ford, therefore, became the first American president who had never run for office nationwide.	1
The book's subtitle outlines the major subjects that the author weaves through the narrative from day one to day thirty-one. Werth skillfully shifts from the media image of the new president; to the White House where Ford was establishing his own team while simultaneously dealing with his presidential duties; to Nixon's state of mind, health, attitudes, and actions; and finally to depicting the gradual process by which Ford decided to grant a pardon to the former president. On day thirty-one of his presidency, Ford granted Nixon "a full, free, and absolute pardon ... for all offenses" that he "committed or may have committed or taken part in while president" (p. 321).	. . .

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