The edited, annotated diary of President
Jimmy Carter—filled with insights into his presidency, his
relationships with friends and foes, and his lasting impact
on issues that still preoccupy America and the
world
Each day during his presidency, Jimmy
Carter made several entries in a private diary, recording
his thoughts, impressions, delights, and frustrations. He
offered unvarnished assessments of cabinet members,
congressmen, and foreign leaders; he narrated the progress
of secret negotiations such as those that led to the Camp
David Accords. When his four-year term came to an end in
early 1981, the diary amounted to more than five thousand
pages. But this extraordinary document has never been made
public—until now.
By carefully selecting the most
illuminating and relevant entries, Carter has provided us
with an astonishingly intimate view of his presidency. Day
by day, we see his forceful advocacy for nuclear
containment, sustainable energy, human rights, and peace in
the Middle East. We witness his interactions with such
complex personalities as Ted Kennedy, Henry Kissinger, Joe
Biden, Anwar Sadat, and Menachem Begin. We get the inside
story of his so-called “malaise speech,” his bruising battle
for the 1980 Democratic nomination, and the Iranian hostage
crisis. Remarkably, we also get Carter’s retrospective
comments on these topics and more: thirty years after the
fact, he has annotated the diary with his candid reflections
on the people and events that shaped his presidency, and on
the many lessons learned.
Carter is now widely seen
as one of the truly wise men of our time. Offering an
unprecedented look at both the man and his tenure, this
fascinating book will stand as a unique contribution to the
history of the American presidenc