President Jimmy Carter Writes Mrs. Anwar el-Sadat Eulogizing Her Husband as “the greatest world leader that I have known” and Setting Forth His Legacy: “No one in my time contributed more toward peace on earth than he did”

Carter, partner in Mideast peace with Sadat and Menachem Begin, brought to an end a series of lethal wars that had spanned decades

Perhaps his most important letter to reach the market: “No one in my time contributed more toward peace on earth than he did. Courageous, generous, and far-sighted, he changed the course of history…Words are not enough to pay tribute to such a man. I pray that Egypt, Israel, and the United States will not retreat from the courageous effort toward peace for which he gave his life.”

Israel and Egypt (with its Arab allies) had been engaged in hostilities for three decades, and this resulted in four wars in twenty four years. The hatreds in the region were fierce, and the constant conflicts seemed interminable. The last of these, the Yom Kippur War in October 1973, was launched by the Arabs as a surprise, and they had initial successes before Israel emerged victorious. Egyptian President Anwar el-Sadat’s own brother was killed in that war. No one foresaw peace as a possibility.

But President Sadat saw the wars as a disastrous drag on the Egyptian economy and knew that they stood as a barrier to its receiving aid from the United States and many NATO countries. They also tended to throw the Middle East into the arms of the Russians, whom Sadat distrusted. Sadat had no intention of allowing Egypt to become a Soviet satellite.

Sadat was a visionary, imaginative, a man personally fearless, and he now intended to change the face of Egypt and the entire region. Egyptian interests, as Sadat saw them, dictated peace with Israel. The initial Egyptian successes in the 1973 war enabled Sadat to pronounce the war an Egyptian victory and to seek long term solutions. Despite friction with his Syrian allies, Sadat signed the U.S.-mediated Sinai I (1974) and Sinai II (1975) disengagement agreements The disengagement agreements which stated that the conflicts between the countries “shall not be resolved by military force but by peaceful means”, and led to the partial withdrawal of Israeli forces in the Sinai, the creation of a U.N. buffer zone in their place, and the implementation of multiple U.S. stations in the Sinai. They also secured for Egypt large foreign assistance commitments.

Israeli and Arab resistance was slowing Sadat’s hoped-for progress, so on November 9, 1977, Sadat made a stunning, dramatic gesture, one that left the world in shock: He would personally journey to Jerusalem to address the Israeli Knesset (parliament) to seek a permanent peace settlement between Israel and Egypt! The Israeli government, led by Prime Minister Menachem Begin, rose to the occasion, and ignoring those who saw Sadat’s move as some kind of trick, cordially invited him to address the Knesset in a message passed to Sadat via the US ambassador to Egypt. This was something of a surprise, as Begin had a reputation as a hard-liner, and some expected him to reject Sadat’s overture. On November 19, 1977, Sadat arrived for the groundbreaking three-day visit, which launched the first peace process between Israel and an Arab state. He met with Begin and spoke before Israel’s parliament, as the world looked on, in utter disbelief, and glued to the television. The astonished, approving reaction of ordinary Israelis and Egyptians who watched Sadat and Begin on live television was itself of importance. The sight of the two leaders facing each other in open, honest debate changed attitudes at the street levels of both countries. Much of the change came from Sadat’s choice of words. “The October War,” he said, “should be the last war.”

The visit was, however, was met with outrage in most of the Arab world. Despite this, Sadat continued to pursue peace with Israel. However, a reciprocal visit by Begin was unsuccessful, and no progress was made toward peace. Then Rosalynn Carter, the U.S. first lady, suggested to her husband President Jimmy Carter that he invite Sadat and Begin to Camp David, where the relative privacy and seclusion might provide a setting for a breakthrough.

Both Sadat and Begin trusted President Carter and the United States to be honest brokers, and the two leaders accepted Carter’s invitation. The summit began on September 5, 1978, and lasted for 13 days. Carter preferred that the three men work together in private sessions in a small office at Aspen, his cabin at Camp David. Carter compiled a document that encompassed a resolution of the major issues, presented the proposals to each leader in separate meetings, assessed their comments, and redrafted the manuscript some two dozen times, shuttling the manuscript back and forth for their review. The Camp David Accords, signed on September 17, were the first peace agreement between the state of Israel and one of its Arab neighbors, and laid the groundwork for diplomatic and commercial relations.

In a ceremony at the White House on March 26, 1979, Sadat and Begin signed the historic peace treaty; it was considered the diplomatic triumph of the the era. President Carter oversaw the signing, and untold millions watched on television. The peace treaty formally ended the state of war that had existed between the two countries. Israel agreed to fully withdraw from Sinai, and Egypt promised to establish normal diplomatic relations between the two countries and open the Suez Canal to Israeli ships (which until then had been banned from the waterway). These provisions were duly carried out. Sadat was vilified for this in many Arab quarters, and Egypt was expelled from the Arab League, but Sadat was determined to end hostilities and move into a better future. He was well aware that his courage might well cost him his life, as he received death threats and some predicted his assassination.

For their achievement, Sadat and Begin were jointly awarded the 1978 Nobel Prize for Peace. Then, on October 6, 1981, Muslim extremists assassinated Sadat in Cairo. He is widely recognized today as a martyr to peace, and when we hear the phrase “blessed are the peacemakers”, his image immediately springs to mind. Despite the tragedy, the peace process continued without Sadat, and in 1982 Egypt formally established diplomatic relations with Israel. This led to, among many other benefits, increased tourism in the region.

Typed letter signed, on Carter’s letterhead, October 15, 1982, to Sadat’s widow Jihan el-Sadat, on the occasion of the honoring of President Sadat by the American Society of Travel Agents, as Sadat’s efforts for peace did so much for tourism the region. He was to be awarded its 1st International Peace and Tourism Award. It also came in the wake of a speech Mrs. Sadat had given to the National Press Club to commemorate the first anniversary of her husband’s assassination, concerning her husband and plans for the future. Carter’s words constitute as fine a tribute as any we have ever seen. “Anwar el-Sadat was the greatest world leader that I have known. No one in my time contributed more toward peace on earth than he did.

“Courageous, generous, and far-sighted, he changed the course of history in November 1977 when he went to Jerusalem in search of a comprehensive peace settlement in the Middle East, At the Camp David Summit, in September 1978, he boldly strove not simply to end the succession of wars between Arabs and Israelis, but to establish full normal relations among the nations of that region.

“The resulting Egyptian-Israeli treaty was to be the first step in this process. One of the most important of its provisions was the opening of access by the citizens of Israel, Egypt, and of other nations to the places of religious and historical significance in both countries. Therefore, it is particularly fitting that Sadat be honored as he is tonight.

“Words are not enough to pay tribute to such a man. I pray that Egypt, Israel, and the United States will not retreat from the courageous effort toward peace for which he gave his life. I call upon the other nations in the Middle East to join in that effort.”

Donald Reynolds was executive director of the American Tourism Society (later the American Society of Travel Agents). Under his leadership, ATSA facilitated travel to Russia and the newly independent republics of the USSR, and later expanded its outreach to the Middle East. His efforts in Egypt years after President Sadat’s death brought him in contact with Mrs. Sadat and they became friends. She gave this letter to him, and we obtained it from his heirs. It has never before been offered for sale.