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Sadat was paying a courtesy call on Begin, and later they met me in front of Aspen. We embraced enthusiastically, went to the helicopter and flew to the White House. On the way, we talked about the need for action to bring peace to Lebanon, and Begin promised to help us by giving his full support to the government in Beirut and doing everything possible to minimize bloodshed.
We arrived at the White House at about 10:15 p.m. and went directly to the East Room, where our signing of the documents and some brief remarks pre-empted the new prime-time TV shows. The Framework for Peace in the Middle East and the Framework for the Conclusion of a Peace Treaty Between Egypt and Israel were two major steps forward.
We had no idea how far we still had to go.
The distance turned out to be great indeed. Though the Knesset approved the Camp David agreement and the removal of Israeli settlements from the Sinai on Sept. 28, 1978, the detailed provisions of the treaty between Egypt and Israel still had to be drafted and approved by both nations. Begin's insistence on starting new settlements in the West Bank, contrary to Carter's clear understanding at Camp David, endangered the entire peace process. Begin also refused even to set a date for the start of talks to grant a degree of autonomy to inhabitants of the West Bank and Gaza. Not until Carter had called Begin once more to Washington, then visited Sadat in Cairo and Begin in Jerusalem, were these obstacles overcome. A treaty was signed by Sadat and Begin in Washington on March 26, 1979. Sadat did not live to see his country made whole again. He was assassinated on Oct. 6, 1981; Egypt did not regain full control of the Sinai until April 25, 1982, after the Israelis had bulldozed the last of their settlements to complete their withdrawal. The West Bank-Gaza autonomy talks between Egypt and Israel, which began on May 25, 1979, broke off in February 1982 under the double burden of Israeli intransigence and the refusal of any other Arab leaders to participate.
Looking back on the four years of my presidency, I realize that I spent more of my time working for possible solutions to the riddle of Middle East peace than on any other international problem. I have asked myself many times if it was worth the tremendous investment of my time and energy. The answer will depend on the wisdom and dedication of the leaders of the future. Only history will reveal if my hopes and prayers are to be answered, or if another round of bloody confrontations will ultimately lead to an international tragedy.
Oval Office Flashbacks
When Rosalynn was visiting the White House before moving in, some of our staff asked the chef and cooks if they thought that they could prepare the kind of meals that we enjoyed in the South, and a cook said, "Yes, Ma'am, we've been fixing that kind of food for the servants for a long time."
Our first movie in the White House was All the President's Men. I felt strange occupying the same living quarters and position of responsibility as Richard Nixon.