This is a challenging question, to say the least. Gerald Ford was only President for three years (1974-77) and so had little opportunity to make his mark in the White House. As he freely admitted in one of his few pithy quotes, he was a Ford, not a Lincoln, and so understood more than anyone else his numerous limitations.
Nevertheless, it would be churlish to suggest that there were no accomplishments in Ford's short period in office. Overall, his Administration's economic policy, for example, proved fairly successful. Ford is credited with reviving the flagging American economy through implementing a tax cut aimed at families on low and moderate incomes. Ford's defenders argue that this fiscal measure stimulated economic growth to such an extent that it took the United States out of recession.
On the international front, Ford lessened tensions with the Soviet Union by signing the Helsinki Accords, which acknowledged Europe's post-war borders while at the same time promoting human rights and cooperation in a number of vital areas such as technology and scientific research.
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