Jimmy Carter

:For the submarine, see USS Jimmy Carter (SSN-23).

Presidency

The Carter Administration's foreign policy is most remembered for the Iran hostage crisis, for the peace treaty he brokered between the states of Israel and Egypt with the Camp David Accord, for the SALT II treaty brokered with the Soviet Union, for the Panama Canal treaty which turned the canal over to Panama, and for an energy crisis. He was much less successful on the domestic front, having alienated both his own party and his opponents, through what was perceived as a lack of willingness to work with Congress — much as he had in his term as Governor.

Related Topics:
Iran hostage crisis - Peace treaty - Israel - Egypt - Camp David Accord - SALT II - Soviet Union - Panama Canal - Panama

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A small blow to his reelection campaign came on April 20, 1979, when he was attacked by a "killer rabbit" while fishing in a pond from a small boat. The swimming rabbit, perhaps ill or fleeing from a predator, attempted to board the presidential yacht. Carter flailed at the rabbit with his paddle, splashing water at it, and the rabbit turned and swam away. A White House photographer captured the scene on film.

Related Topics:
April 20 - 1979 - Killer rabbit

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The story broke months after the attack, during the slow news month of August, when White House Press Secretary Jody Powell described the incident to reporter Brooks Jackson over tea; shortly thereafter, it was on the front page of The Washington Post with a cartoon take-off, "Paws", of the poster from the movie "Jaws".

Related Topics:
Jody Powell - Brooks Jackson - The Washington Post

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On July 15, 1979, Carter gave a nationally-televised address in which he identified what he believed to be a "crisis of confidence" among the American people. This has come to be known as his "malaise" speech, even though he never actually used the word "malaise" anywhere in the text:

Related Topics:
July 15 - 1979 - Crisis of confidence

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:I want to talk to you right now about a fundamental threat to American democracy.... I do not refer to the outward strength of America, a nation that is at peace tonight everywhere in the world, with unmatched economic power and military might.

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:The threat is nearly invisible in ordinary ways. It is a crisis of confidence. It is a crisis that strikes at the very heart and soul and spirit of our national will. We can see this crisis in the growing doubt about the meaning of our own lives and in the loss of a unity of purpose for our nation.

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Carter's speech, though viewed by some as too much like a sermon, was well-received. The country was in the worst recession since the 1930s, with inflation and unemployment at record levels. But many who had hoped for more inspired leadership after the Ford Administration, found themselves disappointed. Two days after the speech, Carter asked for the resignations of all of his Cabinet officers, and ultimately accepted five. With no visible efforts towards a way out of the malaise, Carter's poll numbers dropped even further.

Related Topics:
1930s - Inflation - Unemployment

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On 1 October 1979, President Carter announced before a television audience the existence of the Rapid Deployment Forces (RDF), a mobile fighting force capable of responding to worldwide trouble spots, without drawing on forces committed to NATO. The RDF was the forerunner of CENTCOM.

Related Topics:
1 October - 1979 - Rapid Deployment Forces - NATO - CENTCOM

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Amongst Presidents who served at least one full term, Carter is the only one who never made an appointment to the Supreme Court.

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Domestic policies

A major issue for President Carter was inflation, caused especially by the rising price of imported oil, which was the major source of energy for many industries. Carter added the United States Department of Energy as a new cabinet-level department. The first head of the department was James R. Schlesinger. To encourage Americans to conserve energy during the 1979 energy crisis, Carter once appeared in a sweater and urged citizens to turn down their thermostats. He also installed solar power panels on the roof of the White House, and a wood stove in the living quarters; his successor, Ronald Reagan, later removed the solar panels and the wood stove.

Related Topics:
Inflation - United States Department of Energy - James R. Schlesinger - 1979 energy crisis - Sweater - Thermostat - Solar power - White House - Wood stove - Ronald Reagan

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Carter's government reorganization efforts also separated the Department of Health, Education and Welfare (HEW) into the Department of Education and the Department of Health and Human Services.

Related Topics:
Department of Health, Education and Welfare - Department of Education - Department of Health and Human Services

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The inflation caused interest rates to rise to unprecedented levels (above 12 percent per year). The rapid change in rates led to disintermediation of bank deposits, which contributed to the beginning of the Savings and Loan crisis. Investments in fixed income were becoming less valuable (both bonds, and pensions being paid to retired people). With the markets for U.S. government debt coming under pressure, Carter appointed Paul Volcker as Chairman of the Federal Reserve Board; Volcker replaced G. William Miller who left to become the Secretary of the Treasury. Volcker took actions (raising interest rates even further) to slow down the economy and bring down inflation, which he considered his mandate. He succeeded, but only by first going through a very unpleasant phase where the economy slowed down, causing a rise in unemployment, prior to any relief from the inflation. The stagnant growth of the economy (causing unemployment), in combination with a high rate of inflation, has often been called stagflation, an unprecedented situation in American economics.

Related Topics:
Disintermediation - Savings and Loan crisis - Paul Volcker - Federal Reserve Board - G. William Miller - Secretary of the Treasury - Stagflation

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Foreign policies

President Carter initially departed from the long-held policy of containment toward the Soviet Union, as first articulated in the Truman Doctrine and held to by all subsequent American presidents, both Republican and Democrat. In its place Carter promoted his foreign policy as being one that would place human rights at the forefront. This was intended to be a break from the policies of several predecessors, in which human rights abuses were often overlooked if they were committed by a nation that was allied to the United States. The Carter administration ended support to the historically U.S.-backed Somoza government in Nicaragua, and gave millions of dollars in aid to the nation's new regime, following a Sandinista coup.

Related Topics:
Containment - Soviet Union - Truman Doctrine - Human rights - Somoza - Nicaragua - Sandinista - Coup

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Carter continued his predecessors' policies of imposing sanctions on Rhodesia, and, after Bishop Abel Muzorewa was elected Prime Minister, protested that the Marxists Robert Mugabe and Joshua Nkomo were excluded from the elections. Strong pressure from the United States and the United Kingdom prompted new elections in what was then called Zimbabwe Rhodesia. Carter was also known for his criticism of Alfredo Stroessner, Augusto Pinochet, the apartheid government of South Africa, and other traditional allies.

Related Topics:
Rhodesia - Abel Muzorewa - Marxists - Robert Mugabe - Joshua Nkomo - United States - United Kingdom - Zimbabwe Rhodesia - Alfredo Stroessner - Augusto Pinochet - Apartheid - South Africa

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Carter continued the policy of Richard Nixon to "normalize" relations with People's Republic of China granting full diplomatic and trade relations, thus ending official relations with the Republic of China (though the two nations continued to trade and the U.S. unofficially recognized Taiwan through the Taiwan Relations Act).

Related Topics:
Richard Nixon - People's Republic of China - Republic of China - Taiwan Relations Act

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The main conflict between human rights and U.S. interests came in Carter's dealings with the Shah of Iran. The Shah had been a strong ally of America since World War II, and was one of the "twin pillars" upon which U.S. strategic policy in Middle East was built. However, his rule was strongly autocratic. Though Carter praised the Shah as a wise and valuable leader, when a popular uprising against the monarchy broke out in Iran, the Carter administration did not intervene.

Related Topics:
Shah of Iran - World War II - Middle East

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The Shah was deposed and exiled. Many have since connected the Shah's dwindling U.S. support as a leading cause of his quick overthrow. Carter was initially prepared to recognize the revolutionary government of the monarch's successor, but his efforts proved futile.

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In 1979, Carter reluctantly allowed the deposed Shah, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi into the United States for political asylum and medical treatment. In response to the Shah's entry into the U.S., Iranian militants seized the American embassy in Tehran taking some 100 Americans hostage. The Iranians demanded 1.) the return of the Shah to Iran for trial, 2.) the return of the Shah's wealth to the Iranian people, 3.) an admission of guilt by the United States for its past actions in Iran, plus an apology, and 4.) a promise from the United States not to interfere in Iran's affairs in the future. Though later that year the Shah would leave the U.S. and die in Egypt, the Iran hostage crisis continued, and dominated the last year of Carter's presidency, even though almost half of the hostages were released. The subsequent responses to the crisis, from a "Rose Garden strategy" of staying inside the White House, to the unsuccessful attempt to rescue the hostages, were largely seen as contributing to defeat in the 1980 election.

Related Topics:
1979 - Mohammad Reza Pahlavi - Iranian militants seized - Tehran - Egypt - Iran hostage crisis - Rose Garden - White House - 1980

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Nevertheless, the 1980 election results were not even close. Carter managed to win just six states, 49 electoral votes and 41% of the popular vote, barely beating the dismal record of Senator Barry Goldwater in 1964, who managed to win six states, 52 electoral votes and 38.5% of the popular vote against an incumbent president. Many political analysts have said Carter performed very poorly in his debates with Ronald Reagan. Reagan almost seemed to be making fun of the President. At one point he said "there you go again". Carter hurt himself in the debates when he talked about asking his young daughter Amy what the most important issue affecting the world was. She said it was nuclear weaponry, and the control of nuclear arms. Carter said that the point he was trying to make was that this issue affects everyone especially our children. However, the way he phrased it led many to ridicule him.

Related Topics:
1980 election - Barry Goldwater - 1964

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Although the Carter team had negotiated with the hostage takers for release of the hostages, an agreement trusting the hostages takers to abide by their word was not signed until January 19, 1981, after the election of Ronald Reagan. The hostages had been held captive for 444 days, and their release happened just minutes after Carter left office. However, Reagan asked Carter to head to Germany to greet the hostages.

Related Topics:
January 19 - 1981 - Ronald Reagan - Germany

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In December 1979, the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan, evidently fearful that the Muslim uprising that had swept Iran would spread to the millions of Muslims in the Soviet Union. (The pro-Moscow government in Afghanistan—placed by a coup in 1978—was unable to suppress the Muslim insurgency.) After the invasion, Carter announced the Carter Doctrine, which stated that the U.S. would not allow any outside force to gain control of the Persian Gulf. Also in response to the events in Afghanistan, Carter prohibited Americans from participating in the 1980 Summer Olympics, which were held in Moscow, and he reinstated registration for the draft for young males.

Related Topics:
1979 - Invaded Afghanistan - Moscow - Carter Doctrine - Persian Gulf - 1980 Summer Olympics - Draft

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In order to oppose the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan, Carter and Zbigniew Brzezinski started a $40 billion program of training Islamic fundamentalists in Pakistan and Afghanistan. In retrospect, this contributed to the collapse of the Soviet Union, but is also often tied to the resulting instability of post-Soviet Afghani governments, which led to the rise of Islamic theocracy in the region. Some even tie the program to the 1996 coup that established the Taliban regime in Afghanistan and to the creation of violent Islamic terrorist groups. At the time, and continuing into the Reagan and G.H.W. Bush presidencies, Islamic fundamentalism as a political force was not well understood.

Related Topics:
Zbigniew Brzezinski - Fundamentalist - Pakistan - Afghanistan - Soviet Union - Theocracy - 1996 - Taliban - Terrorist

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Interest in extraterrestrial life and UFOs

President Carter claims to have witnessed a UFO in 1969. He filed a report with the International UFO Bureau in Oklahoma City after a request from that organization. http://www.presidentialufo.com/carter_ufo_report.htm During his presidential campaign, Carter promised to release the truth about any alleged UFO cover-up.

Related Topics:
UFO - 1969 - International UFO Bureau - Oklahoma City

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Through Stanford Research Institute, Mr. Alfred Webre was Principal Investigator for a proposed civilian scientific study of extraterrestrial communication presented to and developed with interested Carter White House staff. This took place during the period from May 1977 until the fall of 1977.

Related Topics:
Stanford Research Institute - Alfred Webre - Carter White House

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President Carter, official statement placed on the Voyager spacecraft for its trip outside our solar system, June 16, 1977:

Related Topics:
June 16 - 1977

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"We cast this message into the cosmos . . . Of the 200 billion stars in the Milky Way galaxy, some - - perhaps many - - may have inhabited planets and space faring civilizations. If one such civilization intercepts Voyager and can understand these recorded contents, here is our message: We are trying to survive our time so we may live into yours. We hope some day, having solved the problems we face, to join a community of Galactic Civilizations. This record represents our hope and our determination and our goodwill in a vast and awesome universe."http://www.presidentialufo.com/jimmy.htm See also Voyager Golden Record.

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Controversies

Members of the Reagan-Bush campaign and administration (most notably Barbara Honegger, in her contribution to Gary Sick's book October Surprise), and the president of Iran in 1980 (Abu Al-Hasan Bani-Sadr, My Turn to Speak: Iran, the Revolution and Secret Deals With the U.S.) have alleged that a secret agreement between the Reagan campaign and the Iranians (orchestrated by George H. W. Bush) was responsible for destroying a deal between the Carter administration and the hostage takers that may have lead to their release a month before the election. With the November election approaching, the Reagan team had reason to believe a second rescue attempt was being prepared or, absent that, a diplomatic deal to gain an election-eve release of the 52 American officials held in Tehran. http://www.globalsecurity.org/intell/library/congress/1992_cr/h920205-october-clips.htm Such a scenario was termed "the October surprise" by the Reagan team.

Related Topics:
Reagan - Bush - Gary Sick - October Surprise - 1980 - Abu Al-Hasan Bani-Sadr - George H. W. Bush

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In 1977, Carter stated that there was no need to apologize to the Vietnamese people for the damage and suffering caused by the Vietnam war as "the destruction was mutual."

Related Topics:
1977 - Vietnamese - Vietnam war

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During Carter's administration, diplomatic recognition was switched from the Republic of China to the People's Republic of China, a policy continued into the 21st century. In response, Congress passed the Taiwan Relations Act.

Related Topics:
Republic of China - People's Republic of China - 21st century - Taiwan Relations Act

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Some have accused Carter of ordering a cover-up of the events at Three Mile Island following the near meltdown of that nuclear plant. He has also been criticized for not doing enough to promote his stated human rights foreign policy stance in his administration, such as continuing to support the Indonesian government even while it was implicated in the commission of acts of genocide in the occupation of East Timor.

Related Topics:
Cover-up - Three Mile Island - Meltdown - Nuclear plant - Human rights - Indonesia - Genocide - East Timor

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See also Bert Lance for the 1977 scandal involving Carter's director of the Office of Management and Budget, whose past banking practices in Georgia were questioned by the U.S. Senate, forcing him to resign.

Related Topics:
Bert Lance - 1977 - Office of Management and Budget - U.S. Senate

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Cabinet

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