Carter reflects on ‘full, gratifying’ life

Trude B. Feldman

Saturday, Oct. 9, 1999 | 10:16 a.m.

ATLANTA -- Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter turned 75 last week, and he says he is in good shape and determined not to let aging get the better of him.

America's 39th president, he lost his re-election bid in 1980 to Ronald Regan 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."

It was in August at the Carter Center in Atlanta that President Clinton 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 said. "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. And in a real sense, also a continuation of the Carter presidency because the work he did in his four years (1977-1981) 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 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."

'My health is fine'

In an exclusive interview to mark his milestone birthday, Carter says: "my health is fine. I have had a full and gratifying life but now is the best time of all." Here are Carter's responses to other questions:

Trude B. Feldman: You look hearty and energetic. Do you feel 75 years old?

President Carter: No, not really. I feel young. I'm still doing the same things I did 20 years ago. 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't feel I'm growing old. But I do know what the calendar says.

Q: If your 75 years were yours to live over, what would you have done differently?

A: As for my life in the White House, the one thing I would have handled differently is the hostage crisis. 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.

I often think about that ordeal. 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.

Q: In your personal life, what would you have done differently?

A: My marriage to Rosalynn has been the best thing that happened to me. So, even though she didn't accept my first proposal, I would not have married any differently. She 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 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.

Q: What is it that drives you to care about other human beings to the extent that you now do?

A: 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. I find it 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.

As aggressive as ever

Q: Are the satisfactions that good?

A: 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.

Q: In your view, what were the misconceptions of you?

A: First, when I was a presidential candidate, I think many people underestimated my tenacity and determination. There were some formidable candidates, including (former Sens.) 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 Mideast 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.

Presidential qualities

Q: What qualities should a president have?

A: 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. 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, but so are other important, worthwhile positions that involve much pressure, effort and conscientiousness.

Q: What specifically did you learn from your presidency?

A: One thing I learned is that an incumbent president discovers that there are no answers that make everyone happy. And sometime there are no answers that make anyone happy.

You know, if I had merely wanted to get rich, I 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 people in our country and the world. I wanted to make a difference in people's lives and wanted to change -- for the better -- the world situation.

Q: How do you want history to regard your presidency?

A: 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.

Q: Your 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 your support of the president's clemency. What is your reaction?

A: I consider the pardon a correct decision, but I am surprised at the attention focused on my support. I did not personally contact President Clinton on the matter. I wrote two letters -- two years ago -- to Attorney Janet Reno about it.

Perhaps some of the interest in President Clinton's pardon of the Puerto Ricans has been heightened by the fact that his pardon power has rarely been exercised during his presidency.

I might add that for some six years, I have pursued -- directly with President Clinton -- a presidential pardon for Patty Hearst, the newspaper heiress. As president, I commuted her sentence for bank robbery to the approximately two years she had served. I have 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.

Q: What are your current views on the chaos and violence in East Timor?

A: I 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.

Also, the Carter Center was involved, at Indonesia President B.J. Habibi's invitation, in monitoring the August election on independence in East Timor. And I believe my recent personal involvement has contributed to the United Nations peacekeeping mission to East Timor.

Human rights emphasis

Q: What was your most important foreign policy achievement?

A: I would single out international human rights. Before I was president the only president who had emphasized human rights to any degree was Harry Truman. Now, much attention is paid to global human rights ... so I hope my legacy as president will include protection of human rights.

Q: How have you made a difference -- in the U.S. and abroad?

A: I am convinced that I 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. 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.

Q: What difference have you made in Latin America, where your popularity is among the highest in the world?

A: The primary difference is the result of my commitment to human rights. If you note the history of most of the Latin American countries, including Guatemala, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Panama, Columbia, Ecuador, Argentina, Chile, Brazil and Paraguay, 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 every one 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.

In all humility, Argentina's Ambassador to the U.S., Diego Ramiro Dueler, has often publicly credited me 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. And no one yet knows what happened to them. My 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.

Again, in all humility, it is often that 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. To me, that is really moving as well as gratifying.

Q: What are some of your other foreign policy achievements?

A: On a par with human rights, I would say that another achievement 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 (September 1978), I 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.

By the way, few people know this, but Rosalynn gave me the idea for that summit; and it 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).

When the history books are written, one thing I hope to see is that I, an American President -- representing the United States -- contributed successfully to the security of Israel on a permanent basis and to peace in the Mideast between Israel and all her neighbors.

Q: Today, as you approach your 75th birthday, what is your vision for America and the world for the next century?

A: 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. We should be known by everyone as dedicated to the peaceful resolution of disputes, both involving ourselves and others. If two antagonist 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 nongovernmental organizations to help. For instance, take note of 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. This issue should be on the table when our leaders have discussions with others. As a nongovernmental organization, and with no authority al all, the Carter Center has many such requests each year, and is able to respond only to a few of the most compelling.

Consistent policy needed

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 an international environmental meeting (held in Rio de Janero) in eradicating land mines, in eliminating nuclear arsenals, in protecting the rights of children, or in establishing an effective international Criminal Court.

And I am convinced that 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.

Q: All in all, does aging bother you?

A: Aging doesn't really bother me -- yet. 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.

You know that for about 17 years, I have been a professor at Emory University in Atlanta, where I spend one week a month during the academic year. I lecture on theology, medicine, journalism, creative writing, business, political science, history and anthropology. I also meet with undergraduate and graduate students, adding a different kind of rigor to doctoral examinations. And at times, I deal with current history -- history that I have helped to make.

archive