photo
© Sara Saunders
Jimmy Carter - The "White House Diary" Interview
with Kam Williams
Jimmy Carter: Hi Kam, good morning.
Kam Williams: President Carter. Thanks for the time. I'm honored to have
this opportunity.
JC: It's my pleasure. I've been looking forward to this.
KW: The first time we were supposed to speak, the interview was cancelled
because you fell ill and had to be rushed to the hospital. How are you
feeling now?
JC: I'm getting along fine. I was just sick for one day, but it got a lot of
publicity.
KW: And how's Rosalynn and the rest of the family?
JC: Oh, everybody's fine, thanks, and the family's growing rapidly.
KW: I actually got to shake your hand at a campaign rally in Newark, New
Jersey in 1980. So, when I started to read White House Diary, the first
thing I did was to look at your journal entry for that day to see whether
you mentioned receiving words of encouragement from a bright, young black
man with red hair and freckles who stood out in the crowd and made a lasting
impression on you. But no such luck.
JC: [Laughs] Well, thank you for coming out. I appreciate that very much.
KW: When I told my readers I'd be speaking with you, I received an avalanche
of questions to ask . More than I've ever received before.
JC: Really? Then, let's get going and I'll try to answer all of them.
KW: Yale grad Tommy Russell says: You have been on missions to North Korea
and to Palestine to visit the leaders of countries that traditional
politicians and philosophers shun as unpalatable or useless to negotiate
with, and have discovered that negotiation is possible. What would you say
is the biggest lesson you've learned from meeting with these leaders that
others consider to be on the fringe?
JC: Well, first of all, it's important to meet with the people who can shape
future events, and who might be causing a current problem. And to ignore
them means that the problem will continue. Secondly, I've found that they
really appreciate it when someone who is responsible will meet with them,
and they really go out of their way to try to be accommodating. On both of
my major trips to North Korea, the leaders of the country made it plain that
they want to make progress towards doing away with nuclear weapons and
towards ending the longstanding, official state of war which persists
between North Korea and the United States and South Korea, a war which has
continued since the ceasefire over fifty years ago. That sort of thing
happens quite often when we meet with people who are kind of international
outcasts with whom the government of the United States won't meet. So, when
I get back home, I always give a thorough report to the President and
Secretary of State to make sure that they know what the possibilities are.
KW: Tommy also has a much less serious query: Having started out as a peanut
farmer, do you love a good peanut butter and jelly sandwich?
JC: [Chuckles] Absolutely, Tommy! We have them quite often in our home. And
I think our grandchildren like them even more than we do.
KW: PJ Lorenz asks: Of your many accomplishments, which one is the most
meaningful to you?
JC: I think maybe the peace treaty between Israel and Egypt which ended a
long series of very challenging wars threatening the very existence of
Israel. That would be one. Another that comes to mind right offhand is the
peace treaty turning control of the Panama Canal over to Panamanians. The
profitability and effectiveness of the Canal is now five times as great as
when the United States was in charge of it.
KW: Attorney Bernadette Beekman asks: What do you think of the housing
crisis here in America today, given the escalating number of foreclosures
and your work with Habitat for Humanity?
JC: It just shows the desperate need and desire of people for homes. But it
is also evidence of the greed of those banks which made loans knowing that
borrowers wouldn't be able to repay. The lenders then sold the bad mortgages
to unsuspecting investors so that by the time the foreclosures transpired
they caused a great deal of distress to all the folks who had been taken
advantage of.
KW: Bernadette was also wondering whether you think it will be possible to
end the Cuban boycott in the near future given the current political
climate.
JC: I hope so. I tried to do it thirty years ago, when I was President. We
established diplomatic relations with Cuba to the extent that we have an
"Intersection" in Havana for the United States' diplomats, and one in
Washington for Cuban diplomats. So, I believe that the boycott that we have
against Cuba is counterproductive, and it also makes the twelve million or
so Cuban people suffer unnecessarily just because of a foolish policy of the
United States.
KW: Bernadette's final question is: Have you perceived that race relations
have been affected positively by the election of Barack Obama?
JC: I'm afraid not. The election of Barack Obama was a very wonderful step
forward for the country, which has unfortunately been tainted by the ugly
reaction of some right wing activist who are doing their best to cast
aspersions on his character and to question his religion and citizenship
KW: Jimmy Bayan says: The.Iran Hostage Crisis lasted 444 days. In hindsight,
is there anything you would have done differently that may have ended it
sooner?
JC: I would have sent one more helicopter, which would have meant that we
could have brought out all the hostages and also the rescue team. We had an
unexpected failure of three of our eight helicopters on that rescue attempt
in 1980, so we didn't have enough to get everyone out.
KW: Jimmy also asks, what is your assessment of the current Iranian
President, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad? Do you feel that he's laughing at us?
JC: Ahmadinejad is just a buffoon, sort of a clown on the international
scene who tries to be provocative so he can get his name in the paper and
his face on television.
KW: Editor/Legist Patricia Turnier observes that you've been recognized for
your lifelong commitment to human rights. She asks: What did it mean to you
to win the Nobel Peace Prize?
JC: It was a great honor for me, and for the Carter Center, which has
concentrated its efforts on alleviating suffering among the poorest people
in the world afflicted with disease, particularly those from thirty-five
nations in Africa. So, it was a great tribute to the great work of the
Carter Center.
KW: Patricia adds that you and the late Dr. Martin Luther King are the only
two native Georgians to receive the Nobel Peace Prize, and you are the only
U.S President to receive the Martin Luther King Nonviolent Peace Prize. And
in 2006, you gave a eulogy at the funeral of Coretta Scott King. What did
that mean to you?
JC: The King family and I were very close. They gave me their full support
when I ran for President, and when I was in the White House, Coretta and
Daddy King would come by quite often to give me advice about what I could do
to help African-Americans and the poor.
KW: Hisani Dubose says: Thank you for remaining true to the things you
believe in. That's in short supply these days. How do you finance your great
humanitarian work?
JC: Well, we have about a quarter-million contributors who make modest
donations every year to the Carter Center, and we get some large ones as
well. So, we are always looking for private donors who believe in what we're
doing to make sure that we have the funds available to carry out our
programs.
KW: David "Mr. B" Barradale asks: Do you think about how much less dependent
on fossil fuels we would be if you had been reelected in 1980?
JC: [Chuckles] I think about that often, as a matter of fact. While I was in
office, we were able to cut down the imports of oil from foreign countries
by 50%, from about eight to just four million barrels a day. Now that
figure's up to twelve million. So, yes, David, I often think about how much
better off we'd be.
KW: Leisa Hinds-Simpson says: Given the lower than expected popularity
rating for President Obama, what strategy do you propose to increase the
ratings and to get a feeling of confidence back on track in the Obama
administration?
JC: I believe his popularity's going to increase over the next two years as
he comes out swinging after the Republicans take charge of the House of
Representatives. I think he's going to be much more of a fighter in taking
his case directly to the people than he has been.
KW: FSU grad Laz Lyles asks, how would you want those of us who weren't yet
born during your administration to think of your tenure as president?
JC: I would say two things: One would be human rights, which we've already
covered. The other would be peace. We not only brought peace to many
countries and people around the world, but we never dropped a bomb, we never
launched a missile, and we never fired a bullet while I was in office. Yet
we protected the interests of the American people in a peaceful, but strong
way.
KW: Lester Chisholm says: Knowing what you know about the world's current
state of affairs, with the benefit of 20-20 hindsight, how would you have
led this country differently when you were president?
JC: I think I would have been much more attuned to the concerns of people
who were desperately in need. I was unfamiliar, for instance, with the
plight of those living in the small villages in the deserts and the jungles
of Africa. Now, every day, the Carter Center works among those people in a
very exciting, fruitful and gratifying way. That's definitely one of the
things I wish had been aware of when I was in the White House.
KW: Larry Greenberg recalls that in 1978, you declared a federal emergency
at Love Canal. He asks: How would you characterize progress in our nation's
management of toxic materials since then?
JC: [Chuckles] We passed the Superfund Act the last few months I was in
office, which finally made it possible to fine the large corporations which
were polluting our streams, our soil and our air, and to make them pay for
the cleanup. I'm proud of passing those laws, but I would just hope that
Congress and incumbent Presidents will continue to enforce them.
KW: Rudy Lewis says: Many African nations are celebrating a half-century of
independence. Are you optimistic or pessimistic about those countries'
ability to deal with matters of poverty and self-governance?
JC: Rudy, the Carter Center spends every day in Africa, and I go over
several times a year. We have helped conduct many elections there, for
example, in Ghana, just recently, which had a wonderful election process. We
also did the election in Liberia when the only African female president
[Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf] was elected. So, I've witnessed a very strong move
towards democracy since leaving the White House. But unfortunately, some of
the African leaders employ various nefarious means to remain in office far
beyond what their constitutions permit. I'd say it's a mixed bag, but in
general the 53 countries on the continent of Africa have made great progress
towards freedom and democracy, and in terms of electing good, sound
administrations.
KW: Rudy also says: You have made progressive statements about the
Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Do you think that the parties will sign a
meaningful peace agreement on the proposed Two-State Solution within the
next five years?
JC: They will, if Israel would agree to withdraw from the occupied
territories. I don't think there's going to be peace as long as Israel is
occupying land that belongs to the Palestinians, to Lebanon and to Syria.
So, that's a decision that Israel will have to make.
KW: Wesley Derbyshire says: I have always appreciated your diplomatic
strength. If you were still in office, how would you handle getting us out
of this expensive war in Afghanistan?
JC: I'd get us out as soon as possible. We know definitively that Al-Qaida
isn't all over Afghanistan anymore. According to CIA estimates, there are
less than a hundred Al-Qaida members in the entire country. Most of them are
in Pakistan. So, it's hard for me to understand why we're still fighting
there and sending in more and more troops. I would get out of Afghanistan as
quickly as possible.
KW: Howard Harris asks: Was being President worth it?
JC: It was. For one thing, I enjoyed being President. Secondly, I believe we
accomplished a lot of good things while I was in office. We maintained a
very good working relationship with both Republicans and Democrats during my
tenure. Consequently, we had a very high batting average in dealing with
Congress on some very controversial issues. Plus, we kept our nation at
peace,
we obeyed the law, and we told the truth.
KW: Harriet Pakula Teweles says: Despite the tremendous accomplishments of
your presidency and post-presidency, some people still reflect on the candor
of your Playboy interview admissions about having "lust in your heart." If
you were to do a Playboy interview today, would you be as forthcoming?
JC: [LOL] No, I don't think I would. I was a little bit naïve back in those
days. All I did was quote a Bible verse from the Sermon on the Mount where
Jesus said that people who have lust in their heart as just as guilty as
those who commit adultery. But that landed me in serious trouble. As a
matter of fact, that almost cost me the election. By the way, it was the
best-selling Playboy issue in history.
KW: Children's book author
Irene Smalls asks: What is the most critical
issue facing America today?
JC: I'd say the growing chasm between rich people and poor people not only
in this country but all around the world. That difference between the rich
and poor is growing every month. Giving people equal access to enjoying the
benefits of this great country is the biggest problem that we're not making
any progress in resolving.
KW: Irene is also curious about whether you might like to be President
again.
JC: No, I'm 86, and too old to be President. Moreover, when I ran, I didn't
have any money. Now, it requires raising hundreds of millions of dollars
just to get the nomination, and I don't care to be involved in that process.
KW: Is there any question no one ever asks you, that you wish someone would?
JC: [Laughs] No, I can't think of any, you've just gone through had an
excellent string of them which I've enjoyed tackling.
KW: The Tasha Smith question: Are you ever afraid?
JC: Not really. I have a great deal of confidence in myself and in my faith.
As far as being in dangerous situations around the world is concerned, I
always have a Secret Service detail with me as one of the privileges of a
former President. So, the answer is "No."
KW: The Columbus Short question: Are you happy?
JC: Absolutely
KW: The Teri Emerson question: When was the last time you had a good laugh?
JC: Last night.
KW: Leon Marquis asks: What is your guiltiest pleasure?
JC: [LOL] I have a lot of pleasures but I don't feel guilty about them. One
of my greatest pleasures is being on the farmland that's been in the family
since 1833. I enjoy walking by myself on the same paths where, as a little
boy, I delighted in following my father around. I don't feel guilty about
it, but that's one I don't care to share with anyone else.
KW: The bookworm
Troy Johnson question: What was the last book you read?
Washington Rules: America's Path to Permanent War Click to Order via Amazon Hardcover: 304 pages Publisher: Metropolitan Books; 1 edition (August 3, 2010) "Washington Rules is a tough-minded, bracing and intelligent polemic against some 60 years of American militarism. . . . As foreign policy debates in the run-up to the November elections degenerate into Muslim-bashing bombast, the country is lucky to have a fierce, smart peacemonger like Bacevich." --New York Times Book Review |
Related Links
AALBC.com Author Profile for President Jimmy Carter
Presiddent Jimmy Carter Interview [2012]
Lessons from Life Bible: Personal Reflections with Jimmy Carter - Book Review
White House Diary by President Jimmy Carter Book Review
To donate to or to get involved with the Carter Center