Jimmy Carter the 39th President of the United
States has become one of the world's most
prolific and respected humanitarians whose
work through The Carter Center sees him travelling
the globe fostering peace, fighting disease
and promoting democracy.
It was this unwavering belief in peaceful
resolution that cost him his Presidency.
Sir, do you feel there were any choices you
would have made differently?
I think I would have been re-elected easily
if I had been able to rescue our hostages
from the Iranians.
And everybody asks me what would do more,
I would say I would send one more helicopter
because if I had one more helicopter
we could have brought out not only the 52
hostages,
but also brought out the rescue team,
and when that failed,
then I think that was the main factor that
brought about my failure to be re-elected.
So that's one thing I would change.
I would say 'do something, anything' and he
said and then have them take a hostage out
one at a time one day and execute them in
front of the world? Y'know he was firm, but
it was tough. …We knew he would probably
not, probably not, be re-elected, he didn't
give in. I was proud of him…Peace is very
difficult war is popular in our country.
Even your wife Rosalyn was encouraging you
to take action, was it hard to not take everyone's
advice around you, even your wife's?
Yes. well I could've been re-elected if I'd
taken military action against Iran, shown
that I was strong and resolute and, manly
and so forth.
But, I think if I could have wiped Iran off
the map with the weapons that we had,
but in the process a lot of innocent people
would have been killed,
probably including the hostages
and so I stood up against all that
all that advice,
and then eventually my prayers were answered
and every hostage came home safe and free.
And so I think I made the right decision in
retrospect, but it was not easy at the time.
I think he was incredibly unfairly judged.
I mean he was ahead of his time when he was
in the White House….
I think if it hadn't been for the Iran Hostage
situation
he would have had a second term and I think
most likely would've
been as well-respected for his time in office
as for his time outside the office.
Do you feel the American people have accepted
that now, that it was the right decision?
I think increasingly they have as more facts
are known and as people look back on those
times.
But there's still a strong inclination in
our country to take military action when I
think it's not necessary.
You left office sir, as you have said, involuntarily,
if you had been re-elected what would you
have liked to accomplish?
I don't have any doubt that if I'd had another
term in office I could have implemented very
firmly the peace agreement that I negotiated
with Israel and its neighbours.
That was never fully implemented.
So now 35, 40 years later we still have Israel
not at peace with its neighbours…
But my successors were not very interested
in the Mid East peace process, not as deeply
as I was, and that's one of the things I could
have done differently.
