was gerald ford right in forgiving nixon?

I think this is what our government is built upon in the new era. Unforntunatly Nixon just happened to get caught, or pissed off the right person. Our government is very decieving and corrupt. It is not at all like what it began as!

It's hard to tell - possibly yes, as trying a president in court would have been hugely damaging, especially for a superpower at the height of the cold war. And compared to later presidents, eg Bush, Nixon comes off as not bad. His fault was paranoia, which led him to authorise an illegal break-in of opposition offices. On the other hand he did some very important things such as the raprochment with China, which isolated the Soviet Union and left them without allies when their economy started to tank. And the relationship with China is important today still (cheap chinese imports keep US inflation low). I think history will judge Nixon to be merely a flawed president on the lines of Ulysses Grant. Bush Jr pn the other hand will be judged as catastrophic, not least for reducing America's influence on the world.

I always thought it was very noble of Ford to pardon Nixon. I have to confess that I don't know that much about it. I was very young when it was happening, and I haven't studied it. But the way I became aware of it as an adult it seemed to be a very healing thing. And, indeed, forgiveness does much to heal the person who forgives. I have always thought that Ford did that to try to help the nation heal. This is all my feelings and not based in fact, though.