An unprecedented lens on the White House

On August 9, 1974, Richard Nixon resigned in the face of Watergate investigations and impeachment hearings, and Gerald R. Ford became the 38th President of the United States. Ford's hand-picked official photographer was 27-year-old Pulitzer Prize-winner David Hume Kennerly, who was granted unheard-of access to the first family. Correspondent Jim Axelrod talks with Kennerly about his remarkable time in the Ford White House; and with Ford's son, Steven, who remembers his father's close relationship with the photographer.
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[@philosopher1967]

Segments like this are why CBS Sunday Morning is one of the best programs on TV.

[@yasisoufi]

Fact!

[@trixiebeldon579]

That was fabulous!!!! I could watch for an hour or two longer!!! I was 18 in 1975. Too young to appreciate or comprehend the the gift President and Mrs. Ford gave to our country just by being in the White House and in the press, now it’s 63, I am truly grateful.

[@reneemoreno8030]

Mrs. Ford was a pillar of strength...she was fragile in appearances. She overcame main obstacles both in her private and public life. Ford was a necessary and genuine good person in our countries history.

[@mlfeathers7527]

Yes she was!

[@arcanondrum6543]

She drank, she did drugs, her husband was a 2 time Liar: Watergate and Warren Commission. She founded the Betty Ford Clinic 1st for herself and so that he could hang out with wealthier addicts instead of counsel alongside "losers".

[@shahrulamar5358]

@@arcanondrum6543 😮😮😮

[@TheLordOfNothing]

Do you ever look on the bright side?

[@stevethomas2285]

What a wonderful, human perspective leaving out the politics. Sometimes we forget they're just people, too.

[@lisab9541]

Loved this story especially hearing from the Ford's son. I respect his parents so much. They were truly fine people.

[@JL-fs9wh]

We need leadership like that again!!

[@pablocruise678]

Minus the pardon that Ford gave Nixon

[@defensivefob3477]

@@pablocruise678 we don't talk about that 😬

[@patriciahenry262]

Thank God for the Fords.....the Betty Ford Center & the strongest advocacy for breast cancer. She saved a lot of our lives.

[@larrystaples1842]

Thank you for your very astute comment. Mr. Ford was the salve that the country needed....very underrated in my humble opinion....so thanks Patricia.

[@MothGirl007]

@@larrystaples1842 Very underrated, I totally agree.

[@curbsideseat9794]

THAT WAS SIMPLY BEAUTIFUL! How far WE'VE FALLEN in this regard during the covid-19 pandemic.

[@jenniferwells3557]

What an amazing man and his wife. How sad they would be now to see what has happened to their America.

[@chuckbuckbobuck]

You got that one right!

[@MothGirl007]

I'm not a Republican but I have so much respect for President Ford.

[@jamesinbaltimore5487]

Gerald and Betty Ford were decent, caring people. He had a thankless job that he performed with grace and humility and her courage in publicly facing cancer and addiction helped millions of people.

[@arcanondrum6543]

Maybe that "courage" was what made her found the Betty Ford Clinic. Or MAYbe it was only because previously, she had to Counsel alongside "losers" who "should be in jail " for their, for THEIR drug use (losers).

[@RHTeebs]

Wow. I never knew Betty Ford stood on the cabinet table. Now's that's awesome.

[@anders1715]

really could use a decent family man to redeem our country right now

[@defensivefob3477]

And biden is your answer? Pfft

[@jaynemar1]

This was the year I graduated from High School... Hard to believe so much time has past, but here we are again with a corrupt Man in the oval... With a country yearning to have faith, stability and an honorable President.

[@amillioromine6314]

As someone who wasn’t alive during this era, I really enjoy learning about Nixon, Ford, Reagan, LBJ, etc... even though their views may be different from mine in most cases. Personally the picture of Nixon holding up the peace signs while smiling is my favorite presidential picture, no matter how ironic it may be.

[@robertyates9500]

Those are actually V for victory symbols, although they do look like peace signs.

[@schroederscurrentevents3844]

“Gerald Ford was your wingman” the president of the United stayed was you wingman. How many people can say that?

[@NiekKuijpers]

He denied Ford being his wingman

[@bronxbearbud272]

Nixon's worst, most disgrace-ridden day in office seems more noble than what Trump does on your average Tuesday afternoon

[@schroederscurrentevents3844]

Dang you gotta rethink priorities if you think stupid tweets = literally fuckint rigging an election

[@graemef8594]

Nixon.. President who became a criminal Trump.. Crriminal who became a President

[@bronxbearbud272]

@@graemef8594 if not for the current days awareness of the unfortunate tragedy of being addicted to tobacco, I would said " buy that guy a cigar"which is probably bad because I don't even know if you are a guy let alone a smoker. So please accept my thanks for such a cutting quip by observing how I will now use it as often as I can myself!

[@graemef8594]

@@bronxbearbud272 I will accept your cigar Sir and i cant take credit for the comparrison.. Go for it and take care-.....

[@zurdoremi]

what we have today is a disrespectful con man.

[@bfun4615]

what running for the Democratic ticket?

[@shackdaddy7106]

The last really great thing that Richard Nixon did while in office was appoint Gerald Ford as his vice president. Ford was just the person we needed in office after Nixon resigned. It’s too bad his image got tarnished by the Nixon pardon which took place exactly 30 days after Nixon resigned. Of course that was part of the deal.

[@arcanondrum6543]

"Part of the deal"?? Ya think?! Oh it's all so clear now. "THANK" you Ford, for your role at the Warren Commission. "THANK" you Ford for not letting this country dig further for the truth. NOW, they'll never break our laws again!

[@arcanondrum6543]

@@shackdaddy7106 "...if [I'm] talking about the Warren Commission..." well, your first clue was that I wrote "Warren Commission" but how is it tha Republicans can be both "awesome" yet "not responsible" while holding a job?

[@lisarice4402]

Being born in 1970, I do remember what angst Nixon put the country through. My relatives were up in arms with Nixon - the Fords were a whole different family and treated the presidency and all of the things that came along with that as respectful as they possibly could. I noticed members of my family relaxing, finally, because they understood that The Fords were the nation’s healers in a sense.

[@lisarice4402]

That is what the Bidens will have to be if they are elected, and I hope and pray they are. Not only does the nation need healing, but the world does too.

[@jmissle]

Political leanings aside we were super lucky to have President Ford for those two and half years so the nation could heal its wounds over watergate and we could refocus for the future

[@nancyhopkins389]

Yeah, too bad he pardoned a criminal and set a very dangerous precedent.

[@donaldintlekofer8448]

Let a traitor go free, really?

[@jmissle]

@@donaldintlekofer8448 Oh like you were alive back then jesus christ lol.....and besides.....Because of the Pardon we got Carter for four years.....how did that work out lol

[@jmissle]

@@nancyhopkins389 So you would have been willing to let it go forward well into the late 70s and i mean really.....Nixon gets pardoned he goes to club fed for like a year......Best to cut him loose and lets move on and i dont know what precendent you talking about cause we havent had such a thing like watergate since watergate.....the closest maybe being Iran-Contra and even then i seriously doubt how much Reagan knew the last two years of his Presidency anyway......

[@nancyhopkins389]

jmissle Yes! Criminals should be punished. If it’s good enough for the average citizen it’s good enough for the president. Maybe if there had been a consequence this large, there would be fewer criminals in government. I’m talking about Trump, of course. He needs to be held accountable for the crimes he’s committed.

[@donaldintlekofer8448]

Always like Ford, but couldn't vote for him because he pardoned Nixon. Ford, and Carter referred to each other as my distinguished opponent, and my learned colleague in their debates, and George Herbert Walker Bush called Al Gore, captain Ozone. Quite a change in very little time.

[@SiVlog1989]

It's almost like Lyndon Johnson, holding meetings in unconventional places. He was skinny dipping in the White House pool for example when he called his advisors in to hear about his "Great Society," idea

[@JoshMaxPower]

This photographer helped my father (also a newsman) and my three brothers get a private White House tour in fall 1974. Thank you, Dave, even though you don't remember my Dad!

[@emilybetz8662]

Why are we not talking about Betty Ford in history? I had no idea she was so amazing, strong, and had such a sense of humor!

[@MM-tx7gi]

Excellent report!

[@leahryan5560]

This is a lovely piece. Nixon resigned on my dad’s 9th birthday. I laughed at the picture of Mrs. Ford on the cabinet table. Apparently a family friend said that when Ford saw the photo, he “about fell off his chair.”

[@emmgeevideo]

Jane has an iconic way of holding her hands in these intros.

[@arcanondrum6543]

I heard she is QUITE the Bee-Yatch, if you watch enough video where she drops the facade, yeah. Don't waste your time on corporate media, watch Democracy Now!

[@sanmarino8605]

@@arcanondrum6543 u ok bro

[@arcanondrum6543]

@@sanmarino8605 I'm not sure why I'm getting "CBS Sunday Morning" recommendations after watching one, very old segment. Go to my Channel and browse my Playlists for non-corporate content. Jane Pauley BTW,; evil and self absorbed.

[@JasonAlan]

Wonderful piece!

[@reneeparker7475]

An Eagle Scout is always an Eagle Scout. I was a Scoutmaster and am the proud mother of my own Eagle. Eagles are forever.

[@christopherthorkon3997]

Wonderful report.

[@travismester]

That’s was a great piece

[@mlfeathers7527]

The Ford children were gorgeous!!

[@JohnRoland]

President Ford was an under appreciated & outstanding POTUS! #POTUS38

[@arcanondrum6543]

You didn't even mention the Warren Commission, he found no fault there either. Maybe he could have sat on the Jury for the OJ Trial, oh wait, they didn't need him that time...

[@joseluischunda9844]

Fun fact: this photographer is also the guy who took the photo of Michelle Obama hugging George W. Bush that went viral.

[@tropicalblum]

That was Wonderful

[@lordvoldemort5725]

I love these presidential history segments

[@chuckbuckbobuck]

They were both very good people. There really isn't much more to say beyond that

[@oogrooq]

Biden 2020 (We'll get Dr. Jill Biden too.)

[@mtnmaniac8406]

Yikes🤪

[@chuckbuckbobuck]

Yikes to the nth power.

[@sanmarino8605]

I like reading comments like these because he has been the president for 45 days now and it makes these types of comments to feel like they were made over 10 years ago

[@loonybynature9907]

OMG. I forgot about the assassination attempts

[@charlescoleman5509]

Nice to see Steven Ford. Apparently he had an affair with the bottle 30 years ago. Good to see him in good shape now.

[@johnnystir9796]

Ford didn't flinch. 6:22

[@kayzeaza]

This really got me more interested in Ford

[@heidehmadjzoub398]

❤❤❤❤❤

[@deniporter3321]

If you ever have the opportunity to visit the Gerald R. Ford Museum in Grand Rapids, Mi, I highly recommend you jump at the chance. I learned things I never knew, before. President Ford was a good man.

[@arcanondrum6543]

I'm guessing his slaughter of Indonesians wasn't mentioned? Did they show his "no conspiracy" Vote from the Warren Commission?

[@mlfeathers7527]

You had a booming career at the time Jane.

[@samanthab1923]

Quick, who was VP under Ford?

[@brycepeterson1969]

Nelson Rockefeller

[@samanthab1923]

Bryce Peterson bingo 😀

[@arcanondrum6543]

@@brycepeterson1969 If that doesn't say "insider" nothing will.

[@user-vm5ud4xw6n]

Pretty cool photog! Love the Air Force 1 joke! Wouldn’t that have been something to pick up a date in? Too bad Jerry only did 2 years. I think he, like Reagan, might have done good for this country!!

[@leonardwharris]

He did pardon Nixon

[@jmissle]

Yea but had he not,Nixon’s trial would have hung over the White House and the nation for another 2 or 3 years.....Hindsight being what it is I think it was the right move so the country could move on and Nixon had to give up the one thing he probably loved as much as his wife Pat....Presidential power I bet that ate him up the rest of his life

[@alanh1406]

He put his country and his duty above himself. I do not see a lot of that in DC these days.

[@arcanondrum6543]

@@jmissle "so the country could move on"? Or so that the guilty could not be named but continue with business as usual? No wonder his wife drank.

[@jmissle]

@@arcanondrum6543 Hey brightside....Because of that Pardon we got President Carter...................and four years of malaise

[@dflf]

You’ll never see these kind of candid pictures of Trump. I think he sleeps in a business suit.

[@zackasmrstory4453]

I'm on president Ford birthday on July 14

[@jenniferwells3557]

Fantastic photography, wonderful to see. Does Trump have a private photographer I wonder, which museum will his face appear in, and how soon?

[@jenniferwells3557]

My comment about Trump's photo appearing in a museum, was of course meant to be ironic, As I guess that only past president's photos are put in museums!

[@pollywanda]

Democrats will Make America Great Again --- vote for Biden.

[@debbieschepers5849]

They don't hang people for giggles!!!!

[@pollywanda]

@@debbieschepers5849 Biden will take back America ---

[@debbieschepers5849]

Dem. ruined my life. I hope your as been good . mine was ruined .

[@chuckbuckbobuck]

Poor gal, imbibing in the wacky tobacky are you now?

[@pollywanda]

@@chuckbuckbobuck Democrats are like vultures circling Trump's political corpse

[@misscelanious4788]

Ford actually brought integrity and honor, back to the White House after Nixon resigned

[@gavinbarnes6310]

Why wasn’t he reelected ?

[@siononalundula1699]

He was appointed as Vice President under the 25th Amendment. When the President dies, resigns or is removed from office, the Vice President becomes the President until the end of the term.

[@amillioromine6314]

He wasn’t re-elected mostly because he gave Nixon a pardon after the watergate scandal.

[@wosh253]

because his pardoning of nixon most likely costed him re election, but he still did the right thing to pardon him. the nation needed to move on after that scandal.

[@msbrando]

He wasnt reelected because he was not charismatic,.simple. no one cares about the pardon. He did not have any charisma

[@amillioromine6314]

@@msbrando ah yes, because everyone knows if you don’t have charisma you can’t be president. I remind you that Calvin Coolidge was elected twice, and he is commonly known as the silent president.

[@danielburubeltz8337]

Humble man that even said I know I have not been elected by your votes. Please elect me in your prayers.

[@bronxbearbud272]

Gerald Ford never seemed more dignified and capable. So when is Trump going to tumble down the stairs outside Air Force One?

[@ethanrogers4610]

I'm a Democrat but I know President Gerald Ford was a good man.

[@hollitheexaltedempress6957]

By coolest I refer to demeaner projection only. I don't know anything about him personally

[@homescool3767]

clowns all of them!!! ALL OF THEM!!!!

[@-xl7ep1se3i]

Hแต่พวกคุณใจดำสุดสุดเลยคะรู้ว่าฉันลำบากมากมากแต่พวกคุณทำเป็นทองไม่รู้ร้อนนะคะ

[@-xl7ep1se3i]

Hแล้วจะไห้เชื่อใจว่าเป็นบลิวบิลเลียมใด้อย่างไรละคะฟีด

[@-xl7ep1se3i]

แต่เรื่องโกงใครโกงมากว่ากันละคะ

[@donthepainter480]

Unelected Nixon stooge

[@btrdangerdan2010]

With President Biden in office, I think we have ourselves a Gerald Ford 2.0

[@bendobson216]

CBS Sunday morning, please read the Forbes article about me. This is an ongoing story. Apparently the American way.

[@shangosankofa9560]

Female would be assassins? Interesting

[@rickfrazier1558]

If they did this episode now we would see the "DR" changing Joe's diaper and wiping drool off his chin

[@amillioromine6314]

And they’d see pictures of trump crying like a baby after losing

[@gerardligonde4083]

The ruthless rutabaga wessely slip because egg biophysically request underneath a scattered salary. soggy, sturdy dessert

[@fawazimad1801]

The quarrelsome phone previously contain because temple ipsilaterally yawn midst a gaudy exhaust. devilish, coordinated surfboard

[@stuff4salefromkraigzlist281]

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