For five and a half tumultuous years, I had the honor of serving first as National Security Advisor and then as Secretary of State under President Richard M. Nixon. Subsequently, I was invited to continue my service during the presidency of Gerald R. Ford.

This volume includes a narrative about the period when Gerald Ford healed the wounds of the nation and set it on a course that, during subsequent administrations, culminated in the victory of the Cold War and the dominant role of the U.S. in shaping the structure of the world.

In the brief span of thirty months that he had the privilege to be in power, Ford navigated the country amid a series of extremely significant events that included: Ethnic conflicts in Cyprus and Lebanon. A decisive step towards peace in the Middle East. An important agreement on military arms control. The end of American involvement in Indochina. A global energy crisis. The signing of the final act of the Helsinki agreements during the first European Security Conference, which is now generally recognized as the turning point of the Cold War.

The depredations of the Soviets and Cubans in Africa. The transition to the implementation of the rule of majority in South America. A new permanent arrangement for the Panama Canal. And the first summit of the Group of Seven developed industrial democracies on economic issues.

Because of all this, the Ford presidency will be remembered as the harbinger of the era of renewal.

[Excerpt from the text of the preface]