[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 131 (Friday, October 1, 1999)]
[Senate]
[Pages S11809-S11813]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             HONORING THE 75TH BIRTHDAY OF PRESIDENT CARTER

 Mr. LIEBERMAN. Mr. President, I rise to recognize a milestone 
in the extraordinary life of one of America's most distinguished 
statesmen, former President Jimmy Carter, who celebrates his 75th 
birthday today.
  Twenty-three years ago, in the turbulent aftermath of Watergate, 
Americans yearned for a leader of honesty and integrity who would 
steward the country into an uncertain future. We found that man in 
James Earl Carter, Jr., a submariner and farmer-turned-Georgia-Governor 
who we elected our 39th President.
  President Carter served very honorably and ably during his term in 
office, earning distinction for diplomatic successes such as overseeing 
in the signing of the Panama Canal Treaty and the Camp David Accords. 
And in his 19 years since leaving office, President Carter has 
demonstrated himself to be one of the world's great humanitarians.
  In 1982, he founded the Carter Center--a nonprofit, nonpartisan 
center dedicated to promoting democracy, human rights, and conflict-
resolution throughout the world. The center's work has been remarkable. 
In the past two decades--whether fighting to eradicate Guinea worm 
disease, thwarting conflict in Haiti, or helping to free political 
prisoners across the globe--President Carter has carved out a deserved 
reputation as one of the most active, humane, and accomplished ex-
Presidents in American history.
  President Carter talked candidly about his Presidential legacy and 
his gratifying years after office in a profile recently written by 
White House correspondent Trude B. Feldman to commemorate his 75th 
birthday. To pay tribute to one of America's eminent leaders, I ask 
that Ms. Feldman's article be printed in the Record.
  The article follows:

            [From Los Angeles Times Syndicate International]

                         President Carter at 75

                         (By Trude B. Feldman)

       Atlanta, Ga.--Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter turns 75 
     on October 1st and says he is in good shape and determined 
     not to let aging get the better of him.
       In an interview to mark the milestone, he adds: ``My health 
     is fine. I've had a full and gratifying life, but now is the 
     best time of all.''
       Does the energetic Carter feel 75 years of age?
       ``Not really,'' he tells me. ``I feel young. I'm still 
     doing the same things I did twenty years age. I haven't given 
     up active sports, although I cut back on some. I run fewer 
     miles a day and play less tennis. In softball, my pitch is as 
     accurate as ever, but I have little power in my drives, and 
     base running is slower. Still, I don't feel tired and worn 
     out. I continue to explore new opportunities, so I don' feel 
     I'm growing old. But I do know what the calendar says.''
       Twenty years ago when Carter turned 55, October 1st, by 
     striking coincidence, fell on Yom Kippur, the holiest day in 
     Judaism. Reflecting on that unusual concurrence in 1979, then 
     President Carter told me: ``Reassessment of the past and 
     plans for the future are important on one's birthday. So all 
     the more important when a birthday falls on the same day as 
     Yom Kippur--a supreme moral and spiritual moment, a time to 
     take stock of one's personal life as well as to evaluate 
     one's role in society . . . We all need a new spirit, a new 
     heart . . . and we can do better by reviewing our past . . . 
     to discover where we went wrong.''
       America's 39th president, Jimmy Carter lost his re-election 
     bid in 1980 to Ronald Reagan, and was ``devastated, 
     disappointed and frustrated'' at not being able to complete 
     his goals.
       Two years later, with his disappointment diverted by the 
     writing of his memoir, Carter reverted to his passion for the 
     power of positive thinking, and established, with his wife 
     Rosalynn, The Carter Center, within which he could pursue 
     some of the programs and interests that ``were interrupted 
     when I was forced into involuntary retirement.''
       The Carter Center, located on 30 acres of a now landscaped 
     hill in Atlanta, from which General William Tecumseh Sherman 
     watched the fledgling city burn in 1864, consists of The 
     Carter Presidential Library and Museum and The Carter Center 
     in four linked circular pods. It is governed by an 
     independent Board of Trustees and yet is a part of Emory 
     University. It brings people and resources together to 
     resolve conflict, promote peace, democracy, and human rights, 
     as well as to fight disease, hunger, poverty, and oppression 
     worldwide.
       It was at The Carter Center that President William J. 
     Clinton last month presented, separately to Rosalynn and 
     Jimmy Carter, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, America's 
     highest civilian honor. ``They have done more good things for 
     more people in more places than any other couple,'' Clinton 
     stated. ``The work they do through this extraordinary Center 
     to improve our world is unparalleled in our Nation's history 
     . . . Their journey is one of love and faith, and this Center 
     has been their ministry.''
       Clinton also remarked that to call Jimmy Carter the 
     greatest former president in history, as many have, doesn't 
     do justice either to him or his work. ``For, in a real sense, 
     this Carter Center . . . is a continuation of the Carter 
     presidency,'' he said. ``The work he did in his four years 
     (1977-81) in the White House not only broke important new 
     ground, it is still playing a large role in shaping today's 
     world.''
       In accepting the Medal, Carter told the assembled guests--
     family and friends--that President Clinton's words made him 
     ``almost speechless with emotion,'' and he described the 
     event as ``one of the most beautiful of my life.''
       Carter went on to say that he and Rosalynn find much 
     satisfaction in The Carter Center, and that it has given 
     them, in effect, a new life, a life of pleasure, challenge, 
     adventure, and unpredictability. ``We have formed close 
     relationships with people in small villages in Africa, and 
     those hungry for freedom and democracy in Indonesia, Haiti, 
     Paraguay, and other countries,'' he stated. ``We try to bring 
     them the blessings of America in an unofficial, but personal 
     way.''
       He added that he and Rosalynn visited some 115 foreign 
     countries and learned about the people--their despair, 
     hopelessness and lack of self respect. ``We also learned that

[[Page S11810]]

     close relations are necessary between governments throughout 
     the world and civilian organizations--non-governmental ones 
     like The Carter Center.''
       During his birthday interview, I asked Carter if his 75 
     years were his to live over (again), what would he have done 
     differently?
       ``As for my life in the White House, the one thing I would 
     have handled differently is the hostage crisis,'' he says. 
     ``From a human aspect, it was the most infuriating experience 
     of my presidency. And had I been successful in rescuing the 
     52 American hostages in Iran, I believe I would have been re-
     elected president.
       ``I don't feel grieved that I lost the second term, but 
     what I would have done differently during that ordeal is to 
     send one more helicopter to the desert, one which would have 
     likely resulted in a successful rescue operation.''
       In Nov. 1979, after the Islamic Revolution in Iran, and one 
     year before Carter's defeat for re-election, radical students 
     seized the U.S. embassy in Tehran and took some 66 Americans 
     as hostages. Although some were subsequently released, 52 
     were held captive for 444 days--till the end of Carter's 
     presidency.
       On April 24, 1980, he ordered a covert snatch operation to 
     pluck them out of the embassy. During the operation, two 
     aircraft collided in a desert staging area, killing eight 
     servicemen. In Nov. 1980, the militants relinquished the 
     hostages to the Iranian government. With Algeria acting as an 
     intermediary, a deal was finally struck as 
     Carter's presidency was ending. The hostages were released 
     at noon--U.S. time--on Jan. 20, 1981, just as Carter 
     turned over the U.S. government to its 40th president, 
     Ronald Reagan.
       When the freed hostages arrived in Wiesbaden, Germany, 
     Carter was there to greet them; and today, he still remembers 
     each of their names, knows their whereabouts and remains in 
     touch with most of them. And they still show their 
     appreciation to him, emotionally, for the political toll that 
     his ``wisdom and patience'' meant for their ultimate safe 
     release.
       ``I often think about that ordeal,'' Carter says. ``From 
     the outset I felt responsible for their well being. And I 
     remain convinced that the wisest course for a strong nation, 
     when confronted with a similar challenge, should be one of 
     caution and restraint.''
       As to what he would have done differently in his personal 
     life, Carter says his marriage to Rosalynn has been the best 
     thing that happened to him. ``So, even though she didn't 
     accept my first proposal, I would not have married any 
     differently,'' he adds. ``Rosalynn is the only woman I ever 
     loved. We married 53 years ago and are still bound together 
     with increasing bonds as we grow older and need each other 
     more. When we're apart for even a day, I have the same hollow 
     feeling of loneliness as when I was at sea (in the Navy) 
     early in our marriage. Now, in our golden years, our primary 
     purpose is not just to stay alive, but to savor each 
     opportunity for fulfillment.''
       Carter admits that, yes, they still argue, but are mature 
     enough not to dwell on disputes, and after a cooling off 
     period, they either ignore their differences or reason with 
     each other.
       They are close to their three sons, Jack, 52; James Earl 3d 
     (Chip), 49; and Jeffrey, 47; and daughter, Amy. Their ten 
     grandchildren are ``an indescribable blessing . . .''--the 
     most recent one born July 29 to Amy and her husband.
       Carter muses: ``You remember Amy. She was like a separate 
     family for us because she was born when our youngest son was 
     15 years old. I think that made her special in the minds of 
     people around the world who knew her as a nine year old child 
     in the White House. Now they see her as a 31 year old mother 
     and realize they, too, are now 22 years older. So Amy is a 
     kind of measuring stick for about how much we all have 
     aged.''
       Also remembered for having brought a child's book to read 
     at a State Dinner, Amy Carter told me that celebrating her 
     dad's 75th birthday means a lot to her because she looks up 
     to him as ``very special'' and one who has always been there 
     for her.
       ``Dad has always made me feel like I was his priority,'' 
     she says. ``When we lived in the White House, there wasn't a 
     door I couldn't open or a meeting I couldn't interrupt, if it 
     was important that I talk with him.
       ``He is also wonderful at telling people that he cares 
     about them. That trait is what I hope I have inherited from 
     him.''
       She adds: ``I'm also grateful that when I was young, he 
     shared with me his love of books because reading has been 
     such a pleasure, and I intend to pass that on to my son. I 
     have fond memories of sitting on my dad's lap while he would 
     help me sound out words in the newspapers.
       ``There are other nice memories, but one of the least well-
     known things about my dad is one of the greatest--he has a 
     hilarious and unflinchingly sarcastic sense of humor . . . 
     often directed at himself. Days later, I will suddenly 
     remember something he said, and I laugh out loud. He is still 
     a lot of fun.''
       Amy's grandmother, Allie Smith, who will celebrate her 94th 
     birthday on Christmas, has known Jimmy Carter since he was 
     born. (The Carters lived next door to the Smiths until the 
     Carters moved to a farm when Rosalynn Smith was one year 
     old.) ``I've watched Jimmy as a boy and as a man, and 
     especially when he began courting Rosalynn,'' Mrs. Smith told 
     me. ``He was a handsome midshipman, and I was pleased when 
     they married.
       ``At first, he was pretty dominant, but over the years, he 
     and Rosalynn developed into equal partners. Now they share 
     almost everything. Watching them grow older together has been 
     a blessing to me. Jimmy is a fine son in law, just like one 
     of my own sons. He has always worked hard and has been a 
     success in whatever he did.''
       What is it that drives Jimmy Carter to care about other 
     human beings to the extent that he now does?
       ``What I do now is what I've done most of my life--to take 
     my talents, abilities, and opportunities and make the most of 
     them,'' he responds. ``It is exciting, challenging, and 
     adventurous. I try new things, go to different countries, 
     make new friends and take on various projects for The Carter 
     Center. I don't consider my activities a sacrifice because 
     they are all personally satisfying.''
       Asked if the satisfactions are that good, he says, ``Yes, 
     they really are. I am not exaggerating. And what also drives 
     me to stay busy is that I know the time will come--because of 
     health reasons or because of deterioration, physically and 
     mentally--when I will have to somewhat back off. For now, I'm 
     still as aggressive, active, and innovative as I was years 
     ago, and this is the kind of life I enjoy.''
       Rosalynn Carter, who joins her husband in most of his 
     activities and travels, and shares his work at The Carter 
     Center, says that several things drive him. ``As a boy, Jimmy 
     worked on the family farm with his father, who was a 
     taskmaster,'' she recalls. ``Later, in the Navy, he worked 
     for Admiral (Hyman) Rickover, who had a major influence on 
     him. The Admiral was a driving force, demanded long hours and 
     perfection, and wouldn't waste a moment.
       ``With that background and the Navy discipline, Jimmy 
     always tried to make his life count for something. He has 
     been given extraordinary opportunities, and he wants to use 
     them . . . As a governor and president, he saw the enormity 
     of the world's problems, and has been driven by his faith and 
     his belief that he needs to help less fortunate people.''
       Terrence B. Adamson, Senior Vice President for Law, 
     Business & Governmental Affairs of the National Geographic 
     Society, met Carter in 1968 when Terry was a high school 
     senior and Carter was a State Senator in the Georgia General 
     Assembly.
       Now a close confidant, Adamson says that Carter's love of 
     humanity and of God is what drives him. ``His basic Judaic 
     Christian underpinning is at his core,'' he adds. ``Awards 
     and accolades and wealth aren't important to him. He has 
     grown comfortable with The Carter Center as his legacy--as a 
     viable ongoing institution pursuing advances in health and 
     democracy.''
       Asked what has motivated Carter in his post presidency, 
     Adamson's response is that Carter is no different now in his 
     core beliefs and values from when he was president. ``Of 
     course, he has matured and grown wiser,'' he says. ``But in 
     1976, he was a sudden entrant on the national scene, not 
     well-known. Over the past 18 years, he has validated, by his 
     conduct, the values he espoused during his presidency. At the 
     time, they were too frequently seen by a cynical public 
     soured by the Watergate scandals as just the mouthings of 
     another politician.''
       Perhaps Jimmy Carter, an idealist and a realist, was 
     President of the United States before his time. In his final 
     Oval Office interview in Jan. 1981, President Carter told me 
     that he agreed with President Kennedy that no matter what you 
     expect before you become president, there is nothing that 
     prepares you for the difficulties, complexities, or 
     satisfactions of the job.
       ``Sitting and working in this office is awesome, but I 
     never felt overcome by it,'' he then said. ``I tried to 
     minimize the trappings so that people would be comfortable 
     and not intimidated. I always wanted frank assessments of 
     what was going on around me so I would be aware of the 
     attitude people had towards me and my administration. I liked 
     this job of being President. I didn't find it toilsome. I 
     discovered that when problems were the most severe, that is 
     when my advisers were most often split 50-50 with their 
     advice. And the solution was left to me, as President.''
       Regarding the qualities a president should have, Carter 
     says: ``A willingness to work hard, a sense of the importance 
     of the office historically and a sense of the common good and 
     general welfare, above and beyond specific interests and 
     pressures.''
       He adds that a president's responsibilities are constant 
     because something is always happening in some part of the 
     world with which he must concern himself. ``In an emotional, 
     intellectual, and, in some ways, a physical sense, the job is 
     very taxing,'' he relates. ``But so are other important, 
     worthwhile positions which involve much pressure, effort, and 
     conscientiousness.''
       What specifically had Carter learned from his presidency?
       ``One thing I learned is that an incumbent president 
     discovers that there are no answers which make everyone 
     happy,'' he replies. ``And sometimes there are no answers 
     that make anyone happy.''
       Carter went on to say that, had he merely wanted to get 
     rich, he would have remained in the peanut warehouse business 
     or pursued other business opportunities.
       ``But I've never cared about financial gain. I've always 
     cared about the people in our

[[Page S11811]]

     country and the world,'' he says. ``I wanted to make a 
     difference in people's lives and wanted to change--for the 
     better--the world situation.''
       When asked how he wants history to regard his presidency, 
     Carter puts it this way: ``As one who did my best to act in 
     the long-term interest of America, and one who did so with an 
     understanding of--but without too great a consideration of--
     whatever adverse political consequences might flow from it . 
     . .
       ``You know, the presidency has enriched my life in that I 
     am a better man for having served. And in all humility, I 
     hope that America will consider itself a better place because 
     of my service as president.''
       In Carter's view, what were the misconceptions of him?
       ``First, when I was a presidential candidate, I think many 
     people underestimated my tenacity and determination,'' he 
     reflects. ``There were some formidable candidates, including 
     (former Senators) Hubert Humphrey, Henry Jackson, Mo (Morris 
     K.) Udall, Edmund Muskie, Frank Church, and Birch Bayh. They 
     too, underestimated how hard I would work and my desire to 
     win. That was one misassessment of me.
       ``As President, some people got the impression that I was 
     weak because I didn't send armed forces into battle and 
     didn't bomb or fire missiles at anyone. When there was a 
     serious problem, I tried to work it out through negotiation 
     and mediation, and peaceful, patient policies. I spent much 
     time working on the Panama Canal Treaties, the Mid East Peace 
     process, normalizing relations with China, and helping 
     Rhodesia become an independent nation in southern Africa.
       ``So, because I was working for peace, emphasizing human 
     rights and not launching missile attacks, the perception was 
     promoted by some that I was weak and not a strong, macho 
     president.''
       However, former President Gerald R. Ford, who in 1976 lost 
     the Presidency to Jimmy Carter, told me that President Carter 
     had earned high marks in foreign diplomacy in his White House 
     years. ``Today, he should be highly complimented for his 
     continuing leadership in foreign policy under the auspices of 
     The Carter Center,'' Mr. Ford adds. ``America has had an 
     excellent diplomat in Jimmy Carter on a global basis.''
       And President Clinton recently stated that Carter's 
     noteworthy foreign policy accomplishments include the Panama 
     Canal treaties, the Camp David Accords, the Treaty of Peace 
     between Egypt and Israel, the Salt II treaty with the Soviet 
     Union, and the establishment of U.S. diplomatic relations 
     with the People's Republic of China.
       ``. . . And I was proud to have Carter's support when we 
     worked together to bring democracy back to Haiti and to 
     preserve stability on the Korean Peninsula,'' Clinton 
     observed. ``I'm grateful for the detailed incisive reports he 
     sent me from his trips to troubled nations all across the 
     globe, always urging understanding of their problems and 
     their points of view, always outlining practical steps to 
     progress.''
       Further citing Carter's influence, Clinton said, ``Any 
     elected leader in Latin America today will tell you that the 
     stand Jimmy Carter took for democracy and human rights in 
     Latin America put America on the right side of history in our 
     hemisphere. He was the first president to put America's 
     commitment to human rights squarely at the heart of our 
     foreign policy. Today, more than half of the world's people 
     live in freedom, not least because he had the faith to lend 
     American support to brave dissidents like Andrei Sakharov, 
     Vaclav Havel, and Nelson Mandela. And there were thousands of 
     less well known political prisoners languishing in jails in 
     the 1970's who were sustained by a smuggled news clipping of 
     Carter championing their cause.''
       Rosalynn Carter concurs with her husband about the 
     misconceptions of him, namely that working for peace and 
     human rights gave the impression of weakness. ``War is 
     popular,'' she notes, ``but peace takes time, often with an 
     appearance of inaction.''
       Another misconception, she adds, is that he was not an 
     affective president, ``But I think so much attention was paid 
     to problems that were not of his making, that people were 
     unaware of how much was accomplished,'' she says citing, for 
     instance, the oil crisis that caused the inflation that he 
     inherited and that only began to improve as he left the 
     presidency.
       ``Yet,'' Mrs. Carter concludes, ``despite the 
     misconceptions, history will treat him well . . . as one of 
     America's best presidents.''
       Jimmy Carter's clout continues to span some of today's 
     headlines. In the controversy surrounding President Clinton's 
     conditional commutation of the sentence of the Puerto Rican 
     activists, White House aides defend his decision by singling 
     out Carter's support of the President's clemency.
       Carter considers the pardon a correct decision, but is 
     surprised at the attention focused on his support. He says 
     that he did not personally contact President Clinton on the 
     matter, but that 2 years ago he wrote letters about it to 
     Attorney General Janet Reno.
       He points out that some of the interest in Clinton's pardon 
     of the Puerto Ricans has been heightened by the fact that his 
     pardon power ``has rarely been exercised'' during his 
     Presidency.
       For some 6 years, Carter has pursued--directly with 
     President Clinton--a presidential pardon for Patty Hearst, 
     the newspaper heiress. As President, Carter commuted her 
     sentence for bank robbery to the approximately 2 years she 
     had served. But he has long believed that Hearst, who was 
     kidnapped and brutalized by radicals in 1974 as a college 
     student, should receive a presidential pardon because of the 
     ``model'' life she has led for the 20 years since her prison 
     release.
       Of special concern to Carter today is the chaos and 
     violence in East Timor. He had traveled to Indonesia twice 
     this year, as recently as in July, to lead an international 
     delegation to observe the national election after 38 years of 
     military dictatorship in the world's most populous country--
     striving to be the third most populous democracy.
       He says that The Carter Center was also involved, at 
     Indonesia president B.J. Habibi's invitation, in monitoring 
     the August election on independence in East Timor. And his 
     recent personal involvement has contributed to the United 
     Nations peacekeeping mission to East Timor.
       Even while a resident in the White House, Carter was not 
     impressed with the trappings of pomp and circumstance that 
     surrounded the presidency. He brought informality to the 
     Executive Mansion. He would often carry his own luggage to 
     and from helicopters. Also, when he saw how members of the 
     media were ``contained'' behind ropes while covering his 
     events, he would often walk over and remove the iron chain 
     or untie the ropes.
       Yet, Carter's National Security Adviser, Dr. Zbigniew 
     Brzezinski, now Counselor at The Center for Strategic & 
     International Studies (CSIS), says that the mass media were 
     extremely unfair regarding President Carter's tenure . . . 
     his performance as former President should generate a 
     reassessment of his presidency.''
       Thomas P. (``Tip'') O'Neill, former Speaker of the House of 
     Representatives, once said that when it comes to 
     understanding the issues of the day, Jimmy Carter is the 
     ``smartest pubic official I knew--the range and extent of his 
     knowledge are astounding. He can speak with authority on 
     almost any topic.''
       Carter, who has been knighted in Mali and made an honorary 
     tribal chief in Nigeria and Ghana, singles out international 
     human rights as his greatest foreign policy achievement.
       ``Before I was president, the only president who had 
     emphasized human rights to any degree was Harry Truman,'' 
     Carter notes. ``Now, much attention is paid to global human 
     rights . . . so I hope my legacy as President will include 
     protection of human rights.''
       Secretary of State Madelein Albright, who worked in the 
     Carter White House as a staff member of the National Security 
     Council, told me that President Carter created an outstanding 
     foreign policy record. ``He put human rights at center state, 
     and the principle has stood the test of time,'' she says. 
     ``Those who worked for him reflect those achievements with 
     great pride. And not only does he have the respect of 
     Americans, but of citizens throughout the world.''
       Today, Jimmy Carter says he is convinced that he made a 
     difference--in the U.S. and abroad--a difference that is 
     reflected in the work of The Carter Center, now in 35 
     different nations and Africa. ``In most of the 35 countries, 
     the people see America as a country that may well be on a 
     different planet--a rich, strong, arrogant, and self-
     satisfying country,'' he says. ``I represent The Carter 
     Center at villages in backward nations in Africa and let the 
     people know that the U.S. really cares about them; that they 
     don't need to suffer from a particular disease, or that they 
     can increase their production of coal, rice and wheat, or 
     that they can find peace . . . for the first time.''
       What difference has Carter made in Latin America, where his 
     popularity is among the highest in the world?
       ``The primary difference is the result of my commitment to 
     human rights,'' he responds. ``If you note the history of 
     most of the Latin American countries, including Guatemala, El 
     Salvador, Nicaraqua, Panama, Columbia, Ecuador, Argentina, 
     Chile, Brazil, and Paraquay, each had military dictatorships. 
     When I became President, we impressed on the political 
     leaders and private citizens the significance of basic human 
     rights, democracy and freedom. Now, almost everyone of these 
     countries is a democracy. America's commitments, public and 
     private, are to promote human rights and demand them--not 
     only for Americans but also for others.''
       Argentina's Ambassador to the U.S. Diego Ramiro Dueler, has 
     often publicly credited Carter for having saved his life, as 
     well as the lives of many current leaders of Argentina.
       ``During my presidency, thousands of people in Argentina 
     were imprisoned, disappeared while in jail, or were 
     executed,'' Carter says, ``and no one yet knows what happened 
     to them.''
       He adds that his administration put pressure on the 
     military dictators in Argentina, Chile, and others in Latin 
     America that ultimately forced them to honor human rights and 
     led to the development of democracy in the Americas.
       ``Frequently,'' Carter humbly notes, ``someone, now in 
     business or government in Latin America, will approach me to 
     say that he owes his life to my emphasis on human rights--and 
     that's quite moving and gratifying.''
       Robert M. Gates, former Director of the CIA under President 
     George Bush, points out in his book, ``From the Shadows'' 
     (Simon & Schuster, 1996) that Jimmy Carter's contribution to 
     the collapse of the Soviet Union

[[Page S11812]]

     and the end of the Cold War had been under appreciated. 
     ``Carter was the first President during the Cold War to 
     challenge publicly and consistently the legitimacy of Soviet 
     rule at home,'' Gates writes. ``His (Carter's) human rights 
     policy, building on the important and then largely 
     unrecognized role of the Helsinki Final Act, by the testimony 
     of countless Soviet and East European dissidents and future 
     democratic leaders, challenged the moral authority of the 
     Soviet government and gave American sanction and support of 
     those resisting that government. . .''
       Five years ago at The Carter Center, Richard H. Solomon, 
     President of the U.S. Institute of Peace, presented Jimmy 
     Carter its first Spark M. Matsunaga Medal of Peace.
       The Institute recognized his ``efforts to advance the cause 
     of human rights by making it a cornerstone of U.S. foreign 
     policy'' and his ``leadership, determination, and personal 
     diplomatic skills in concluding the Camp David Accords.''
       On a par with his human rights accomplishments, Carter 
     believes that another of his achievements was initiated at 
     Camp David, the presidential retreat in Maryland's Catoctin 
     Mountains, which he made a household name.
       There, for 13 days and nights in Sept. 1978, Carter 
     provided the mechanism by which Israel's Prime Minister 
     Menachem Begin and Egypt's President Anwar Sadat came 
     together . . . ``to realize their own commitments and 
     hopes.''
       The intense summit--originally suggested by Rosalynn 
     Carter--resulted in two agreements: establishing a framework 
     for peace in the Mideast; and a framework for the conclusion 
     of a peace treaty between Egypt and Israel. Premier Begin and 
     President Sadat were subsequently awarded the Nobel Peace 
     Prize for their joint achievement.
       Harold Saunders, then Assistant Secretary of State for Near 
     Eastern and South Asian Affairs, says that the agreement at 
     Camp David and the Peace Treaty ``could not have been 
     achieved without President Carter's tenacity, his personal 
     command of the issues and the relationships he developed with 
     the two leaders and key members of their teams.''
       On the second anniversary (1980) of the Camp David Accords, 
     Carter told me that when the history books are written, one 
     thing he hopes to see is that he, an American President--
     representing the United States--``contributed successfully to 
     the security of Israel on a permanent basis and to the peace 
     in the Mideast between Israel and all her neighbors.''
       Now, as Jimmy Carter reaches his 75th, birthday, I asked 
     him about his vision for the next century.
       ``My vision for America is that, as the only unchallenged 
     superpower in the world, it will become a true champion of 
     the moral values that have made ours a great nation--
     involving peace, freedom, democracy, human rights, 
     environmental quality, and the alleviation of human 
     suffering,'' he tells me. ``We should be known by everyone as 
     dedicated to the peaceful resolution of disputes, both 
     involving ourselves and others. If two antagonists are 
     willing, especially among the poorer and more ignored 
     nations, we should be ready and eager to provide assistance, 
     in mediation or negotiation, and our government should reach 
     out to non-governmental organizations to help.''
       Carter notes, for instance, what the Norwegian government 
     did with an academic group of social scientists to achieve 
     the Oslo peace agreement between the Israelis and 
     Palestinians.
       ``America should be just as eager to promote freedom and 
     democracy among people now afflicted with totalitarian and 
     abusive regimes,'' he adds. ``This issue should be on the 
     table when our leaders have discussions with others.''
       He adds that as a non-governmental organization, and with 
     no authority at all, The Carter Center has many such requests 
     each year, and is able to respond only to a few of the most 
     compelling.
       Carter went on to say that the U.S. should always ``raise 
     high the banner of human rights,'' and be as consistent as 
     possible in the application of this policy.
       ``No other nation can take an effective lead in carrying 
     out commitments made at the international environmental 
     meeting (held in Rio de Janeiro) in eradicating land mines, 
     in eliminating nuclear arsenals, in protecting the rights of 
     children, or in establishing an effective international 
     Criminal Court.''
       He concludes: ``The most important single issue to be 
     addressed in the next century is the widening gap between 
     rich people and poor people, both within nations and between 
     the richest and poorest countries. Few Americans know that 
     all other industrialized nations are more generous than we in 
     giving development assistance to the most needy people in the 
     world. In fact, whenever a Norwegian gives a dollar, one of 
     our citizens gives a nickel. To be generous to others would 
     not be a financial sacrifice for us, but a great investment 
     that would pay rich dividends.''
       Born James Earl Carter, Jr. of English heritage on October 
     1st, 1924 in Wise Hospital, in Plains, Ga., Jimmy Carter was 
     the first president to be born in a hospital.
       There was no running water or electricity in his home 
     during his early childhood. At age 5, he was selling boiled 
     peanuts to neighbors and friends.
       His father, a stern disciplinarian, often spanked him for 
     wrong doings, like taking a penny from his church's 
     collection plate, and for shooting his sister with a BB gun.
       Nicknamed ``Hot Shot,'' and then ``Hot,'' Jimmy Carter's 
     behavior in elementary school was excellent. He was eager to 
     learn almost anything, but his interests then were history 
     and literature.
       At age 12, when a teacher told him about a book named WAR 
     AND PEACE, he thought it was about cowboys and Indians. With 
     his mother's urging, he became a book enthusiast, and has 
     long been a speed reader.
       While in the Navy in 1951, Carter began to work for Hyman 
     G. Rickover, who was leading America's nuclear submarine 
     fleet. Carter had responsibility for building the nuclear 
     power plant that would go into the second atomic submarine, 
     the U.S.S. Sea Wolf. ``Admiral Rickover had a tremendous 
     effect on my life,'' Carter says. ``He led the program that 
     developed the world's first use of atomic power for peaceful 
     uses, the production of electricity, and the propulsion of 
     ships.''
       When Rickover was past 80 and still in charge of the Navy's 
     nuclear power program, President Carter awarded him the 
     Presidential Medal of Freedom. And recently the Navy 
     recognized Carter, a graduate of the Naval Academy, by naming 
     a Seawolf-class submarine for him.
       Jimmy Carter cites three turning points in his long, 
     dynamic and fruitful life: (1) In 1953, when he resigned from 
     the Navy because of his father's death and returned home to 
     run the family peanut warehouse business. (2) In 1962, when 
     he first ran for public office--the State Senate in Georgia. 
     And (3), in 1981, when he left the White House after one term 
     as President of the United States.
       Looking back, does he still have regrets about losing his 
     re-election bid?
       ``Well, yes, I do,'' he tells me. ``Anyone who is once 
     elected President of the U.S. certainly prefers to have a 
     second term. At first, there is the disappointment about the 
     unfinished promise of your goals. When my four years ended, I 
     was disheartened. I had not expected to be defeated and I had 
     no plans, at a relatively young age, of how to utilize my 
     time and be productive.''
       Rosalynn Carter describes his defeat as a startling regret, 
     adding: ``Although I now know that Jimmy is pleased that he 
     had the opportunity to establish The Carter Center--because 
     through it, much has been accomplished--he also believes that 
     if he had been re-elected president, the Center, which has 
     exceeded all of our expectations, probably never would have 
     come into being.''
       Reflecting on the changes--over the years--in his 
     philosophy, Carter says, ``I think I've become more tolerant 
     of opposing views, and I have learned to accommodate the 
     opinions of people who disagree with me. One reason is that 
     I'm not now in a competitive world. I can live side by side 
     with those who think and act differently from me. I'm not 
     competing with anyone for money, political office, or 
     publicity.''
       Carter, a lay preacher, adds: ``I'm also more broadminded 
     about things not so narrowly defined in my religious 
     philosophy. As you know, my basic religious faith has never 
     changed. It has been fairly constant. As a Christian, I 
     remain devout, and I read and teach the Bible. I feel an 
     inner peace, an inner sense of commitment and calm that comes 
     from my religious beliefs.''
       In 1976, then Chicago's Mayor Richard Daley remarked: 
     ``Jimmy Carter talks about true values. He also has a 
     religious tone in what he says . . . and maybe we should have 
     a little more religion in our communi-
     ties. . . .''
       The Rev. Billy Graham--who remembers that Jimmy Carter 
     predicted that he would be President before he even became a 
     candidate--describes Carter as ``a man of faith and sterling 
     integrity . . . who was one of our most diligent presidents--
     persistent and painstaking in his attention to his 
     responsibilities.''
       In his book, JUST AS I AM (Harper Collins, 1997), Rev. 
     Graham also writes that he respects Jimmy Carter's 
     intelligence and his genuine and unashamed Christian 
     commitment. ``After the disillusionment of Watergate, 
     Americans were attracted by Carter's summons to a moral 
     revival,'' Rev. Graham states . . . ``And other political 
     leaders would do well to learn from his moral and spiritual 
     ideals.''
       Rosalynn Carter says that her husband has mellowed and is 
     now more relaxed than she has ever seen him. ``Yet,'' she 
     adds, ``I notice that he has become more concerned about the 
     various problems in the world--more so than even before he 
     was elected governor of Georgia (1970).''
       One issue that Carter continues to be genuinely concerned 
     about is the moral and spiritual crisis that has gripped 
     America since before he was in the White House.
       ``In today's world, the main difference is that what was 
     then referred to as `political malaise' is much worse,'' he 
     says. ``As I stated twenty years ago in a speech on the 
     crisis of confidence, that is even more relevant and 
     pertinent today. Together, we need to commit ourselves to a 
     rebirth of the American spirit. There is still a crisis of 
     confidence, a crisis that strikes at the heart and soul and 
     spirit of our national will. We see this crisis in the 
     growing doubt about the meaning of our lives and in the loss 
     of unity of purpose for our nation. The erosion of our 
     confidence in the future is threatening to destroy the social 
     and political fabric of America.''
       How has the presidency evolved since Carter left the White 
     House?
       ``There are major changes,'' he emphasizes. ``The 
     presidency was once respected as a

[[Page S11813]]

     place of honor. I think our political community has 
     deteriorated tremendously since Gerald Ford and I served as 
     presidents, and we often talk about our concerns and those 
     changes. Rather than politics as usual, strong leadership and 
     honest answers are needed.''
       He says that, for instance, as President, he had gotten 
     along with the Republicans in the House and Senate; that he 
     had often gotten the support of many Republicans on major 
     legislation, sometimes even better than with the Democrats. 
     ``Now, the two parties are bitterly divided, with little 
     cooperation between them,'' he adds. ``Also, nowadays, the 
     success of many political campaigns is predicated on how well 
     you can damage the reputation of your opponent. That turns 
     off the average citizen, and leads to a partisan and 
     personally destructive situation.
       He also points out that Congress continues to be pulled in 
     all directions by well financed and powerful special 
     interests. ``But we cannot change the course until we face 
     the truth,'' he says. ``Restoring faith and confidence to 
     America is now still our most important task . . . and now it 
     is a solid, significant challenge.''
       In recent years, Carter has given a lot of thought to the 
     virtues of aging, especially as it relates to Social 
     Security. He notes that in 1935, when Social Security 
     legislation was passed, its purpose was to give older people 
     a subsistence income.
       ``Today,'' he says, ``because of improvements in health and 
     health care, many senior citizens are still in a position to 
     contribute to society. We elderly should be allowed to work 
     as long as we wish--or are able to.''
       However, Carter voices concerns about the future of Social 
     Security. ``The oldest baby boomer will start to receive 
     Social Security in the year 2010,'' he notes. ``By the time 
     my newest grandson, now two months old, is a middle aged wage 
     earner, one in four Americans will be over 65.''
       Emphasizing that our Social Security system is in trouble 
     and that something will have to change, he recalls that when 
     Social Security was established there were about 40 wage 
     earners supporting each retiree with tax contributions. ``By 
     2010, only two persons will be paying for the retirement and 
     medical expenses of one senior citizen,'' he says.
       ``We should be more vigilant and forceful in protecting 
     those who are in need of financial assistance. Today, there 
     are numerous senior citizens who cannot afford health care 
     and many older citizens with little money, or whose savings 
     are expended before their lives end.''
       Carter says he tries to practice what he preaches. In his 
     book, ``The Virtues of Aging'' (Times Books, 1998), he notes 
     that the virtues of aging include the blessings that come as 
     one grows older and what we have to offer that might be 
     beneficial to others.
       ``Each of us is old when we think we are,'' he writes. 
     ``When we accept an attitude of dormancy, dependence on 
     others, a substantial limitation on our physical and mental 
     activity, and restrictions on the number of people with whom 
     we interact. . . . As I know from experience, this is not 
     tied closely to how many years we live.''
       He cites, as one example, his mother--a compassionate woman 
     who always tried to help others. She joined the Peace Corps 
     at age 68 in 1996 and served for two years in the village of 
     Vikhroli, near Bombay, India. In Feb. 1977, Lillian Carter as 
     First Mother revisited that village when she represented the 
     U.S. at the funeral of India's President Ali Ahmed 
     Fakhruddin. And during hundreds of speeches about her 
     experiences in the Peace Corps, she encouraged others not to 
     allow old age to put a limit on their lives.
       ``You know,'' Carter says, ``There is a huge difference 
     between getting older and growing old.'' When my father died, 
     my mother was 55 years old, past retirement age for most 
     registered nurses. Yet she continued to age for 30 more 
     years, but she never grew old. Until she died of cancer at 
     age 85, she was full of life and determined to make each day 
     a new adventure.
       ``Mother had the most influence over me, and was an 
     inspiration for me. Except for Rosalynn, she affected my life 
     more than any other person.''
       If there is any secret to Carter's looking and feeling 
     younger than his years, he reveals that perhaps it is because 
     Rosalynn is a stickler for nutrition and an expert on 
     ``exactly what we should or should not eat . . . and how much 
     and when. . . .
       ``Then, I'm always exercising,'' he adds, ``and luck could 
     also be a factor.''
       For exercise and recreation, Carter keeps fit and trim by 
     hiking, bicycling, cross-country skiing and bowling. He also 
     jogs, fly fishes, does woodworking, cabinet making and plays 
     tennis. Behind his home he built--by himself--a tennis court. 
     (It was the topic of conversation with network commentators 
     when he attended the recent Women's Finals of tennis' U.S. 
     Open in New York).
       He also says that, so far, he and Rosalynn have been 
     blessed with good health--``perhaps because of our various 
     activities--living a diverse life, with different elements to 
     it--that kind of life is less likely to be afflicted with 
     illness.''
       He adds: ``Today, we combine taking care of our farm with 
     other activities. One nice aspect about having been president 
     is that we have an unlimited menu because different people 
     invite us to join in their projects, and now we are free to 
     do what gives us pleasure.
       ``We have climbed mountains in Nepal, to the tops of 
     Kilimajaro and Mt. Fuji. We visited game preserves in 
     Tanzania and have become bird watchers.''
       And as a hunter, Carter says he still tries to harvest two 
     wild turkeys each year for his family's thanksgiving and 
     Christmas meals.
       Jimmy Carter, the most visible member of Habitat for 
     Humanity, also says that every year he goes to a different 
     site to help build at least one house for a poor family. For 
     one week, he works with the family and other volunteers. 
     They start with a concrete slab and by week's end, they 
     complete the job as a finished landscaped house. ``Habitat 
     and I get a lot of publicity for each other even though I 
     only work one week a year,'' he explains. ``But the 
     satisfaction is great.''
       Last year, he chose the Philippines, where he and two 
     former and a current president of the Philippines joined 
     together to build one house for a large family. In the same 
     week, 293 other houses were built in the Philippines by some 
     10,000 volunteers.
       Asked if he considers himself a role model for other senior 
     citizens, Carter says he believes that we all can learn from 
     one another. ``With few exceptions,'' he says, ``anyone can 
     find an exciting and fulfilling life after reaching 
     retirement age. I think senior citizens who have setbacks or 
     a surprising retirement--as I had--ought to analyze what they 
     have and decide how to live a meaningful life. Sometimes, an 
     unanticipated life, one you thought would be a 
     disappointment, can turn out to be even better than the one 
     you wanted to cling to.
       Carter sums up: ``As we get older, senior citizens need to 
     avoid mental dormancy and keep our minds occupied. Mental and 
     physical activities strengthen us and give us a foundation 
     for successful aging. Even though my health is now good and 
     I'm still active in sports, I am often reminded that I face 
     inevitable changes in health as I grow older.''
       All in all, does aging bother Jimmy Carter?
       ``Aging doesn't bother me--yet,'' he replies with a wry 
     smile, ``but I'm already preparing for a reduced capacity. I 
     expect to cut the time I devote to overseas work--from peace 
     negotiations; to monitoring elections; to eradicating 
     disease, to eliminating suffering . . . and then I can spend 
     more time at home in Georgia.
       ``There is a leadership succession plan for The Carter 
     Center, but any transition is a high priority of mine.''
       For some 17 years, Carter has been a ``distinguished 
     professor'' at Emory University, where he spends one week 
     each month during the academic year. He lectures on numerous 
     topics, including theology, medicine, journalism, creative 
     writing, business, political science, history, and 
     anthropology.
       He also meets with undergraduate and graduate students, 
     adding a different kind of rigor to doctoral examinations. At 
     times, he deals with current history--history that he himself 
     helped to make.

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