Follow The Yellow Line

Showcasing more than 80 high-resolution, mostly never-before-published, official White House photographs and documents, Bill Brockett’s memoir, Follow The Yellow Line,  tells a unique story of a Vietnam-era Army draftee who became a trusted confidante of the President of the United States.

Assigned to the White House Communications Agency near the end of the Nixon presidency, Bill soon became President Ford's dog trainer, friend, and then unofficial personal advisor. The stories Bill shares are heartwarming, sometimes funny, deeply personal, and, in most cases, have never been told before.

Russian interpreter Pavel Palazhchenko says it best: "Fascinating. Fun to read. For presidential historians, dog lovers, and all the rest of us."

Long Bio

Bill Brocket grew up in the San Diego area during the 1950s and 60s. Swimming was a big part of his early life, and he won eight Junior Olympic medals, including two gold, by the time he was then years old. After his father's death when he was just fourteen, Bill took up gundog training after acquiring his first Springer Spaniel puppy in 1966.

At the age of sixteen, Bill was hired as a part-time trainer at Warcon Kennels, where he worked with field trial retrievers on weekends and during the summers for several years. During this time, he owned and competed with his own Chesapeake Bay Retrievers, one of which was the National High Point Chesapeake Derby Dog in 1970.

In September of 1970, at the height of the Vietnam War, Bill was drafted into the Army. During basic training, he was involved in an accident that resulted in a severe traumatic brain injury. Because of this, Bill was assigned to a HAWK surface-to-air missile unit in Germany rather than deploying with the rest of his unit to Vietnam.

Bill reenlisted and returned to the states for additional training at Fort Monmouth, New Jersey. While there, he was chosen to be assigned to the White House Communications Agency, arriving in Washington, D.C. on July 1, 1974, as the Watergate scandal was rapidly reaching its climax.

In his role on the White House Military Staff, Bill provided communications support to Presidents Nixon and Ford, as well as both first families and senior White House staff. He eventually took over the training of President Ford’s Golden Retriever, Liberty, and soon became Mr. Ford’s youngest personal advisor.

Today, Bill travels all over North America, handling his English Springer Spaniel in AKC field trials—basically competitive pheasant hunting. In late 2025, he began book signings and speaking engagements to promote his new memoir, Follow The Yellow Line.

Bill can be followed at www.Follow-The-Yellow-Line.com and reached at bill.brockett1968@gmail.com.

Short Bio

On July 1, 1974, Bill Brockett was assigned to the White House Communications Agency. He witnessed President Nixon's resignation and the swearing in of Gerald Ford. Within three months, Bill became President Ford’s dog trainer and by January of 1975, his youngest personal advisor.

Today, Bill travels across North America, handling his English Springer Spaniel in AKC field trials and promoting his new memoir, Follow The Yellow Line.

Bill can be followed at www.Follow-The-Yellow-Line.com and reached at bill.brockett1968@gmail.com

Publishing Info

• Publication Date: 10/7/25
• Publisher: 48 Hour Books
• Casebound ISBN: 979-8898522072-4
• Paperback ISBN: 979-8900305588-2
• Images and Documents: 87
• Pages: 245
• Dimensions: 9.00(h) x 6.00(w) x 0.75(d)

Two former members of the White House Communications Agency, Bill Brockett and Mike Ebbing, will take you through Bill’s remarkable journey, which began in 1974. His new 64,000-word memoir, Follow The Yellow Line, showcases more than 80 high-resolution, mostly never-before-published, official White House photographs and documents. In this thought-provoking presentation, Bill will tell the story of a Vietnam-era Army draftee who became a trusted confidante of the President of the United States.

Bill attended all four major events at the White House on August 8th and 9th, 1974—Mr. Nixon’s resignation speech, his farewell address to the White House Staff the following morning, the Nixon’s final South Lawn helicopter departure, and the swearing in of the new president, Gerald Ford.

By November of 1974, Bill had taken on the additional duty of training the president’s new Golden Retriever puppy named “Liberty.” In early 1975, the president called Bill at home, very excited about breeding Liberty and raising a litter of puppies in the White House. Bill emphatically told the president “No” when asked if he would help, insisting that Liberty was far too young to be bred. Three days later, Bill met privately with Mr. Ford and was offered the position of unofficial personal advisor to the president.

Six months later, Bill accompanied Liberty to Oregon, where she was bred to a stud dog of Bill’s choosing. On September 1, Bill and his wife moved into the White House to assist with the birth and raising of Liberty’s nine puppies. During that time, two assassination attempts were made on the president. Bill discusses these events using facts that have never been made public.

Bill's experiences, and the often conversational way he shares them, make for a compelling read for anyone interested in the White House, the “unseen” presidency, and a great man's love story with his dog.

Download 1:45 Audio File here.
Download .pdf here

These images are low-resolution (72 dpi) and suitable for most online projects. Click on the thumbnail to launch the main image, then right-click the image to download. Unless otherwise indicated, please use the following photo credit: "Courtesy of the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library."

Contact Bill Brockett at bill.brockett1968@gmail.com for information regarding high-resolution images suitable for print projects.