What qualities do modern presidents need to fulfill their many roles?
April 28, 1975, was a day like many others for President Gerald Ford. He rose early and had his breakfast. By 7:30 A.M., he was hard at work in the Oval Office. He met with advisers and other officials that morning and later gave a speech at the annual meeting of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.
More appointments filled Ford's afternoon schedule, including a brief photo opportunity with Lisa Lyon, the Miss National Teenager of 1974-1975. Later the president attended a meeting on the economy and energy policy in the White House Cabinet Room.
But no day, however typical, is ordinary for the president of the United States. In the spring of 1975, the Vietnam War was entering its final days. The communist forces of North Vietnam were advancing on Saigon, the capital of U.S. -backed South Vietnam. It was clear that South Vietnam could fall at any moment. When that happened, the remaining Americans in Saigon would have to evacuate the city.
Just after 7:00 P.M., President Ford learned that the North Vietnamese were shelling the U.S. air base at Saigon, making evacuation by plane impossible. He convened a meeting of the National Security Council to discuss the unfolding crisis.
By 11:30 P.M., the shelling had stopped. But there was another problem, as Ford later wrote about in his autobiography:
With the crisis resolved, Ford retired to his upstairs White House residence. It was 12:05 in the morning.
As this day in the life of President Ford illustrates, the job of president involves many tasks and responsibilities. Some are routine, while others are immensely challenging. All require the skills of an effective leader. This chapter examines the qualities necessary in chief executives, along with the main features of the bureaucracies they run.