President Gerald Ford (1913-; see entry in volume 5) was in office for slightly less than a month when he granted a pardon to former president Richard Nixon (1913-1994; see entry in volume 5). The pardon protected Nixon against prosecution for any crimes he committed during his presidency. Ford intended the gesture to help the nation move ahead following the Watergate scandal that had led to the first resignation by a president in office in the nation's history.

After taking the oath of office a month earlier, Ford proclaimed that "our national nightmare is over" and "the Constitution worked" (through a peaceful transfer of power from one president to another). The pardon a month later was welcomed by many as an end to the scandal—a view shared as well by many historians.

At the time, however, the pardon was extremely...