"Part of the Job"

Should Ronald Reagan, once he recovers, change his style and mingle less with the public to minimize the risk of possible future attempts on his life? Certainly not, says a man who should know: former President Gerald Ford. Within a span of only 17 days in 1975, two women, Lynette ("Squeaky") Fromme and Sara Jane Moore, tried to shoot Ford in California. Last week he shared his thoughts on the dangers of the presidency with TIME West Coast Bureau Chief Ben Cate. After the two incidents in 1975, said Ford, "I didn't change my style, and I don't think any President should." To do so, he said, would be to "capitulate to the wrong forces in the country."

The ever-present threat of assassination is "part of the job--the peril of the profession, if you will," said Ford. "There's no way you can get 100% security unless you sit in the White House immunized. But you can't isolate yourself. The job entails certain responsibilities. One of those responsibilities is moving around seeing people and appearing in public.

If you're in the job, you have to accept that gamble."

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