Host: Good afternoon! Scholastic is honored to welcome the 38th President of the United States, President Gerald R. Ford. This honored guest for the special event, “America’s Presidents，” led our country out of the turmoil of Watergate and Vietnam during his presidency (1974-1977). President Ford has continued to serve our country, working for various charitable causes and improved international relations. Scholastic members posted hundreds of questions in advance to President Ford. What do you consider to be the single most important accomplishment of your presidency?
主持人：下午好！学术网有幸请到美 国38任总统杰拉德福特。欢迎！这 位特别的嘉宾，“美国总统”在1974到 1977年的任期内他带领我们国家走出 了越南战争和水门事件的动乱。福特总 统还做了很多慈善事业，改善了国际关 系，继续服务着这个国家。我们网站成 员事先登出了几百条给福特总统的问 题。你认为你任期内最重要的成就是什 么？
Ford: When I became president the country was in turmoil, a result of the Vietnam War and Watergate. We were facing riots in our major cities and many college campuses. There was a serious distrust of the White House and the Federal Government. As president it was most important that I heal the land to restore public confidence in our government. Healing America was the greatest accomplishment in my administration.
福特：我当总统的时候，国家由于越南 战争和水门事件而处于动荡之中。我们 的大城市和许多大学校园里出现了暴 乱。人们对白宫和联邦政府严重不信任。作为总统，重树国民对政府的信心 是最重要的。解除了美国的内忧外患是 我执政时最大的成就。
Host: When you suddenly assumed the role of president after President Nixon resigned and you got to spend your first few moments alone with no one else around, what was the biggest fear that passed through your thoughts?
主持人：你在尼克松辞职后突然担任总 统，前几个 月都没有人 在身边，你 当时脑子里 最害怕的是什么？
Ford: I was not really worried about my capability to handle the responsibilities as president. I had been in the Congress for 25 1/2 years, Vice President for nine months. I had many contacts with previous presidents involving domestic and foreign policy crises, so when I took the oath of office, I had a good feeling about the opportunity to do the job. I did not fret or worry because I was prepared to handle the new challenges and responsibilities.
福特：我并 不真的担心自己是否有 能力负起总统的职责。 我在国会工作了 25年 半了，当了 9个月副总 统。我和之前身陷国内外政策危机的几 届前总统有很多的接触，所以当我上任 后，我乐观地认为这是工作机会。我并 不为此烦恼或担心，因为我准备好应对 新的挑战，承担新的责任。
Host: The decision to pardon Mr. Nixon must have been very difficult. What was it that made that decision the “right one” for you, and have you ever regretted it? Did you remain friends with Mr. Nixon over the years before he died?
主持人：作出原谅尼克松先生的决定一 定很艰难吧。是什么让你觉得这个决定 是正确的？你曾经后悔过吗？他死前的 那么多年里，你们还是朋友吗？
Ford: I have never regretted my decision to pardon Mr. Nixon. It was the right decision when I made it in 1974 and the public today better understands my reasons as a result more than 50% of the American people are supportive of my pardon of Mr. Nixon. Let me tell you why I made this very critical decision. In the first few weeks that I was President, I was facing a serious economic recession in the US, inflation was high, interest rates were going up，and unemployment was getting worse. At the same time I was worried about the attitude of our allies in Europe and our enemies in the Soviet Union. These serious challenges required 100% of my time as president. At the same time, I was called upon to spend 25% of my time in the Oval Office listening to the Department of Justice and my White House Counsel as to what I should do with Mr. Nixon’s tapes and papers. I finally decided the only way to spend 100% of my time on the serious problems of the Federal Government and 30 million citizens was to get rid of the time spent on Mr. Nixon’s tapes and papers. To do that，I pardoned Mr. Nixon, got his problems off my White House desk, so I could spend all of my time on the nation’s problems at home and abroad.
福特：我从来没有后悔作出这个决定。这是我在1974年作的正确决定，今天 的公众更加理解我当时原谅他的理由， 因为50%以上的美国人都支持我原谅 尼克松。我告诉你为什么我作出了这个 重大决定。当总统的最初几周里，美国 正面对着严重的经济衰退，通货膨胀很 严重，利率在上升，失业情况也越来越严重。与此同时，我担心我们欧洲同盟 国和在苏联的敌人的态度。作为总统， 这些严重的挑战需要我拿出100%的时 间来应对。同时我还要拿出1/4的时间待在白宫 办公室听 取司法部 和我的白 宫顾问的 意见，从 而决定如 何处理尼 克松先生 的磁带和 文件。我最后想要能把100%的时间用在联邦政 府和3000万公民的严重问题，那么唯一办法就是不在尼克松先生的录音和文 件上花费时间。所以我原谅了尼克松， 不再处理他的事情，这样就能把所有的 时间用于解决国内外的问题上。
Host: You faced so many problems while in office — inflation, recession，the fall of So. Viet Nam — its refugees，Watergate. What was your worst problem?
主持人：你执政的时候面对着很多问 题，如通货膨胀，经济衰退，越南战争 落败以及难民和水门事件。最糟糕的问 题是什么？
Ford: You have to divide the problems of foreign policy and domestic problems. In foreign policy，it was a major challenge to negotiate with the Soviet Union on how to reduce the nuclear confrontation. At that time, there were two super powers — the US and the Soviet Union. Both nations had huge nuclear arsenals. I negotiated with Mr. Brezhnev of the Soviet Union to reduce the nuclear threat. We made significant results. That was a major challenge and success of my Administration. Domestically, the most serious problem after healing our nation was how to overcome the economic recession that I inherited and restore economic prosperity. In my judgment the Ford Administration was successful in our dealings with the Soviet Union and restoring economic prosperity.
福特：必须得把国外政策和国内的问题 分开。外交上，和苏联就如何减少核对 抗的问题进行谈判是重要的挑战。那 时，世界上两个超级大国是美国和苏 联。两个国家都有很大的核机械库。我 当时和苏联的勃列日涅夫就减少核威胁 的谈判已取得了重大突破。我们达成了 重要的决议。那是我执政期间重要的挑 战和成功。在国内，治愈国家之后的最严重的问题是如何应对遗留下来的经济 衰退状况，重新恢复经济。在我看来， 福特政府在处理苏联问题和重新开始经 济繁荣方面是很成功的。
Host: How do you believe your efforts at “detente” with the Soviet Union influenced our current relations with Russia and the associated countries today?
主持人：你与苏联采取的缓和外交政策 对我们今天和俄国及其他当年的苏联的 同盟国家的关系的影响，你会如何评 价？
Ford: By standing strong and powerful in our confrontations with the Soviet Union, and exposing the failures of Communist economic policy, the Ford Administration was influential in bringing about the downfall of the Kremlin. My Administration (participated in) the Helsinki Accord, where 35 nations on both sides of the Iron Curtain met to expose the lack of human rights in the Soviet Union. We added another blow at the Soviet Union and its satellites. The total collapse of the Iron Curtain and the Berlin Wall came in 1989-1990， but the disintegration externally and internally started during my Administration.
福特：我们在与苏联的抗争中采取强势 的态度，暴露出苏联共产主义经济政策 的失败，福特政府在摧毁克林坶林宫上 有很大的影响力。 我的政府参与签署 了《赫尔斯基条 约》，当时拥护铁 幕政策的35个国 家聚在一起揭露 苏联没有人权。我 们对苏联及其卫星 国给予了又一次回 击。铁幕政策和柏 林墙的全线坍塌 发生在1989年到 1990年，但是我 执政期间就已经 开始内在和外在的瓦解。
Host: What did Betty Ford do to help you out when you were president?
主持人：贝蒂福特在你任总统期间 对你进行了哪些帮助？
Ford: My wife, Betty Ford, at all times during my political career was most helpful with her strong convictions on certain issues. For example, she was an ardent advocate of ERA, the Equal Rights for women. With her support and my own strong convictions, I was able to get the amendment. Unfortunately, the Senate did not take follow-up action. Betty prodded me frequently to make sure that women were treated equitably when positions were open. As a result, I appointed Carla Hills， Secretary of HUD. She was a very effective member of my Cabinet. At the time, I had the opportunity to appoint a member of the Supreme Court. My wife was very active in promoting several women who would be fully qualified for that job as a Justice. There were other issues in which Betty was very active in promoting. I can assure you that she twisted my arm, but did it less visibly than perhaps some successor ladies.
福特：我的妻子，贝蒂福特，一直 以来在我的政治生涯中，她在某些事 情上的坚定信服力对我的帮助最大。比 如，她是男女权利平等问题的热心拥护 者。有了她的支持和我自己的坚持，我 才能够作出修订。不幸的是，参议院没有采取后续行动。贝蒂常常督促我，以 确保女性在有职位空缺的时候能被公正 对待。所以我任命卡拉希尔斯做住 房与城市开发部门的秘书长。她是我内 阁中得力的助手。那时，我有权任命最 高法院的成员。我妻子积极推荐了几名 能胜任法官工作的女性。贝蒂在其他事 情上也起到了积极的作用。我可以告诉 你她改变了我的手腕，但是和后来的第 一夫人相比不是那么明显。
Host: When you were president you had a lot of decisions to make. What was the most difficult one to decide and how did you make your choice?
主持人：你做总统时要做很多决定。你 作出的最艰难的决定是哪个？如何做的 选择？
Ford: As I said earlier, the toughest foreign policy decision was negotiating with Mr. Brezhnev to reduce the nuclear threshold. The most difficult domestic issue was how to get rid of the economic recession and restore economic prosperity. In dealing in foreign policy, I was very fortunate to have the advice and knowledge of Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, who was one of the finest Secretaries of State in the history of the US. On domestic economic policy, I was equally fortunate to have the advice of Alan Greenspan, Chairman of my White House Economic Council, my Secretary of the Treasury, Bill Simon, and others. A President is helped in making good decisions by the quality of his Cabinet. I had an excellent Cabinet.
福特：如我之前所说，最艰难的决定就是和勃 列日涅夫 先生谈判 核门槛问 题。最艰 难的国内 问题是如 何摆脱经 济衰退， 重新振兴 经济。在 外交政策方面，我很幸运能有国务卿亨 利基辛格来给我提出建议，他是美 国历史上最好的国务卿之一。在国内的 经济政策上，我同样幸运的有白宫经济 部主席艾尔格林斯潘，财政部长比 伦西蒙等人的建议。内阁可以帮助 总统作出正确的决定。我有一个出色的 内阁。
Host: Did you ever feel like ripping your hair out because of stress?
主持人：你有没有因为压力而急得搔 头？
Ford: I had lots of problems, but I never tore my hair out. There seemed like a better solution. Besides, I didn’t have that much hair to spare.
福特：我有很多问题要处理，但是从没有急得搔头发。总有一个更好的解决办 法。另外我也没有剩下多少头发可以搔。
Host: What were the sacrifices you made and the things you lost during your presidential term?
主持人：你做了哪些牺牲？你当总统期 间失去了什么东西？
Ford: I don’t believe there were any personal things that I lost while I had the privilege of serving as President of the United States. As you know, I never aspired to be president. My political ambition was to be Speaker of the House, but I got diverted with the resignation of Vice President Agnew. I then became president with the resignation of President Nixon. I considered the presidency a great honor and tremendous challenge. In no way was it a sacrifice to be president. I had many wonderful experiences while in the White House, which I will always cherish during my lifetime.
福特：我想我有幸在当总统的时候没有 失去什么个人化的东西。你知道，我从 来不是野心勃勃要当总统的。我的政治 雄心是成为白宫发言人，但是由于副总 统阿格纽辞职，我当了副总统。后来由 于尼克松总统辞职，又当了总统。我认 为当总统是很大的荣耀也是巨大的挑战。 但是当总统决不是牺牲。我在白宫过很 美好，那些日子我终生都很珍视。
Host: Really, what DID you think of Chevy Chase’s impersonations of you? Did you ever meet him?
主持人：说真的，你对切维切思对 你的模仿有什么看法？你曾见过他吗？
Ford: I enjoyed, up to a point, Chevy Chase’s impersonations. Yes, my wife and I have met and had an opportunity to get acquainted with Chevy Chase. He is a very skillful entertainer who had a sharp and penetrating sense of humor. I have learned over the years in the political arena that you cannot be thin-skinned. You have to take the good with the bad.
福特：从某种意义上说，我很喜欢他的 那种模仿表演。是的，我和妻子有机会 认识了切维切思。他是演技很强的 娱乐演员，有敏锐的、深刻的幽默感。 几年的政治竞技场上的经历让我学到你 不能脸皮薄。你必须能很好的应对夸奖 和批评。