Jun 24, 2004
John W. Dean's Book on Harding
How did I miss this? John W. Dean of Watergate fame had a book this year on Warren G. Harding. It is a short but generallly effective defense of Harding. It is a part of a Times Books presidential series edited by Arthur Schlesinger Jr. no less! Dean begins,"Warren G. Harding is best known as America's worst president. A compelling case can be made, however, that to reach such a judgment one must ignore much of the relevant information about Harding and his presidency."
Dean favorably discusses Harding's successful promotion of disarmament through the Washington Naval Conference, his relatively good record on civil rights, and the background of his clemency for Eugene V. Debs. He also argues, as I do, that the scandals of Harding's administration have been greatly overblown. Dean, grew up in Marion, Ohio, and remembers many stories about Harding and his presidency from people in the community.
Although Dean relies almost wholly on secondary sources, he writes well and makes a strong case. I have never had a high opinion of Dean but this little book has encouraged me to rethink that assessment.