Iowa Public Television (IPTV), as part of its 50th Anniversary celebrations in 2019, is posting historic clips and reports from its history in programs, interviews, and more. On February 5, 2019 IPTV featured coverage of Gerald R. Ford’s visit to West Branch, Iowa on October 18, 1989. Ford was sharing history with students from across Iowa at a conference focused on the role of former U.S. Presidents in American society.
This clip features a student’s question to Gerald R. Ford: “Mr. President (Ford), why did you pardon President (Richard) Nixon?” Ford dives into the question reflecting on the background of the decision, his reasons for issuing the pardon of Richard Nixon, and firmly concluded with “…it was absolutely the right decision, and in the passing of time I’m more convinced now than I was then that it was the right thing to do.”
The conference was sponsored by the Herbert Hoover Presidential Library and Museum, and the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library and Museum.
