
Write It When I'm Gone
Remarkable Off-the-Record Conversations with Gerald R. Ford
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Narrated by:
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Scott Brick
About this listen
In 1974, the award-winning journalist and author Thomas M. DeFrank, then a young correspondent for Newsweek, was interviewing Ford when the vice president blurted out something astonishingly indiscreet related to the White House, came around his desk, grabbed DeFrank's tie, and told the reporter he could not leave the room until he promised not to publish it. "Write it when I'm dead," he said - and that agreement formed the basis of their relationship for the next 32 years.
During that time, they talked frequently, but from 1991 to shortly before Ford's death in 2006, the interviews became something else: conversations between two men in which Ford talked in a way few presidents ever have. Here is the real Ford on his relationship with Richard Nixon (including the 1974 revelation which, in DeFrank's words, "will alter what history thinks it knows about the events that culminated in Ford's becoming president"); his experiences serving on the Warren Commission; his complex relationships with Ronald Reagan and Jimmy Carter; his startling, never-before-disclosed discussions with Bill Clinton during the latter's impeachment process; his opinions about both Bush administrations, the Iraq war, and many contemporary political figures; and much more. Here, also, are Ford's unguarded personal musings: about key cultural events; his own life, history, and passions; his beloved wife, Betty; and the frustrations of aging.
In all, it is an unprecedented audiobook - illuminating, entertaining, surprising, heartwarming, and, in several cases, historic.
©2007 Thomas M. DeFrank (P)2007 Penguin Audio, a member of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.Listeners also enjoyed...
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The Real VP Ford
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Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?
Maybe, if they are a fan of presidential history.Which scene was your favorite?
The man seemed to play alot of golfWas there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?
Not reallyAny additional comments?
Good storyGood background story
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An easy historical listen...
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Jerry Ford reevaluated
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I truly enjoyed this nostagic account of great leadership and how fortunate we were to have the right man in the right place at the right time.
More than I expected more than I remembered
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Repeats
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Thoughtful and poignant
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never really knew...
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Not what I expected
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Who knew?
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