Known And Unknown_ A Memoir Part 47

An official White House swearing-in for a member of the president's cabinet is generally a formal occasion. Our three-year-old son, Nick, had other ideas. Joyce held the Bible but kept her eyes on him, wondering what he might do next as President Nixon tried not to laugh.

14.

Director of the Office of Economic Opportunity, c. 1969. Finding myself at the helm of an organization whose founding I had opposed was a challenge. But I believed that properly managed and with more modest goals, OEO could be an effective experimental laboratory for innovative anti-poverty programs.

15.

At a farewell dinner for Bryce Harlow (left) and Daniel Patrick Moynihan (center). Harlow and Moynihan were examples of the varied and outstanding talent President Nixon attracted to his administration. Moynihan stood out as an intellectual giant whose good humor and enthusiasm for life was infectious. Harlow was unquestionably the administration's most seasoned expert on the presidency and the workings of the federal government.

16.

In the Nixon and Ford administrations, Kissinger seemed ever-present.

17.

(Above): During a spring 1972 trip with Bob Finch, we managed a side visit to the legendary El Cordobes. He had come from a poor orphanage outside Cordoba to become the world's greatest matador. We went to his ranch in the countryside, where he invited me into the ring for the testing of the bulls. One newspaper inaccurately characterized my bull as "a small bewildered cow." El Cordobes howled with laughter when I tried to explain my technique-while wearing with good humor the Nixon tie clasp I had given him.

18.

(With left to right) President Nixon, John Mitch.e.l.l, John Erlichman, Charles Colson, Bryce Harlow, Bob Haldeman, and Bob Finch at Nixon's Key Biscayne home. The President was constantly adjusting the members of his administration to a.s.sure he was getting a stream of fresh ideas.

19.

The Taos Indians had been working for years to reclaim the sacred Blue Lake in a forty-eight-thousand acre tract of land in the Sangre di Cristo Mountains near Taos, New Mexico. I was privileged to be present at the ceremony when President Nixon signed the legislation to return it to them.

20.

In Cairo for President Na.s.ser's 1972 funeral with (left to right) John McCloy, who had served as the High Commissioner of Germany after World War II; Robert Murphy, the renowned "diplomat among warriors" and Elliot Richardson. Then-acting President Anwar Sadat impressed us as thoughtful, serious, and ready to open avenues of communication with the West.

21.

President Nixon could be both considerate and generous with his time. When I was preparing to leave for Brussels as the new U.S. amba.s.sador to NATO, he asked me to stop by the Oval Office on my last day in Was.h.i.+ngton and to bring our son, Nick, with me. It was a glimpse of Nixon most people did not see.

22.

With President Nixon and Henry Kissinger when Nixon attended his last NATO meeting in Brussels, just weeks before his resignation.

23.

24.

We had scheduled a family vacation for the beginning of August 1974. Joyce was determined to have some time together. We learned of President Nixon's imminent resignation from the International Herald Tribune. International Herald Tribune.

25.

When I returned to Was.h.i.+ngton to serve as chief of staff in 1974, President Ford was determined to keep the White House involved in big issues. The warm and brilliant Dr. Herman Kahn moved seamlessly from discussing economics to nuclear strategy to future trends. Ford's engagement in the discussion might have surprised his critics.

26.

With Vice President Nelson Rockefeller, March 1975. The feeling was mutual.

27.

On Air Force One with Larry Eagleburger (left), Henry Kissinger (center), and d.i.c.k Cheney (right). Serving as White House Chief of Staff was among my most challenging a.s.signments, but it could also be enjoyable.

28.

Ford's fine sense of humor kept us all coming back day after day. It appears the President won this tennis match with photographer David Kennerly.

29.

President Ford meeting with his advisers on the disastrous economic situation he had inherited (left to right: Bill Simon, Ron Nessen, d.i.c.k Cheney, and Alan Greenspan).