Carter is smiling, while President Sadat’s face is expressionless.
What can be said with certainty about that three-hour
meeting is that things did not go well. Carter later recalled one
particularly tense moment: “All restraint was now gone. Their
faces were flushed, and the niceties of diplomatic language and
protocol were stripped away. They had almost forgotten that
I was there….Begin had touched a raw nerve, and I thought
Sadat would explode. He pounded the table, shouting that land
was not negotiable….About 1:30 p.m., after three solid hours of
argument, we decided to adjourn for a few hours to eat, rest,
and consult with our advisers.”6 After a cooling-off period, they
Menachem Begin, Jimmy Carter, and Anwar Sadat meet in Aspen Lodge,
Camp David, September 7, 1978. (Photo Courtesy of the Jimmy Carter
Library, OPA#181106)
met again at 5 p.m. The arguing resumed, however, and when
on which he could not be flexible. One was land, the other
Day three was the last time that Sadat and Begin would meet
Egypt. According to Carter: “Sadat said there were two points
was sovereignty.”3 They agreed to schedule the first meeting
between all three for 3:00 p.m.
The bottom line for Begin during the afternoon’s gathering
seemed to be that Israel wanted to keep the West Bank, to deal
with the Sinai, and avoid the Palestinian issue. “Both he and
Sadat were somewhat nervous,” noted Carter, “but on their
best behavior at this first meeting.”4
Shown above is a photograph of the three leaders on September
Sadat and Begin indicated they had had enough and were about
to leave, Carter “got in front of them to partially block the way.”7
together at Camp David. During the summit’s remaining 10
days, Carter either walked or bicycled back and forth between
the two leaders’ cabins, striving to negotiate a peaceful
solution to their differences. Over the next four days, the
U.S. president held separate meetings with the Israeli and
6
7
Carter, Keeping Faith, 351-353.
Carter, Keeping Faith, 359.
7, day three of the summit. Beginning at 8:30 that morning,
President Carter held a two-hour meeting in Holly Cottage with
Prime Minister Begin, Ezer Weizman, and Moshe Dayan, Israel’s
ministers of Defense and Foreign Affairs, respectively, to review
the Egyptian document. At 10:30 Begin and Carter left Holly for
Aspen, Carter’s residence, just in time to greet President Sadat.5
Looking at the photo of that meeting, one is struck by the
austerity of the wood-paneled room where they came together.
Carter sits at a desk furnished with basic office supplies—a cup
of pens and pencils, notepad, telephone, clock, and dictionary.
Begin and Sadat face each other, sitting in armchairs not quite
3 feet apart. It is clear that Begin is speaking to Sadat in the
image, although Sadat’s and Carter’s facial expressions provide
no clue about the discussion at that point. Though both men
are listening attentively to the Israeli prime minister, President
Carter, Keeping Faith, 339.
Carter, Keeping Faith, 344.
5
Daily Diary of President Jimmy Carter, September 7, 1978.
3
4
Jimmy Carter on bicycle while meeting with Israeli delegation members
outside cabin, Camp David, September 12, 1978. (Photo courtesy of the
Jimmy Carter Library)
NATIONAL HISTORY DAY 2015
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