Instead of a conference of 14 heads of government, last week's NATO summit in Brussels turned out to be a one-man show starring Gerald Ford. From 7:45 a.m. Thursday, when the President breakfasted on coffee and croissants with Luxembourg Prime Minister Gaston Thorn, until 6:30 p.m. Friday night, when he ushered out his last guest, François-Xavier Ortoli, president of the European Community Commission, Ford dominated the gathering. He met individually with 13 Western leaders, talking candidly and sometimes bluntly. He made an exceptionally firm speech at the conference's opening session, reaffirming that NATO is the foundation of U.S. policy in...
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