THE WHITE HOUSE: The Pardon: Questions Persist

The actors and props were assembled for an occasion of high drama. For the first time in the nation's history, a President was appearing on Capitol Hill to submit himself formally to the questions of a congressional committee.

What was more, President Ford was there to discuss an intensely controversial and emotional subject—his pardoning of Richard Nixon for any offenses he had committed while in the White House. But despite the setting and expectations, last week's event was something of a disappointment—nearly as inconclusive as the soap operas it displaced in two...