Welcome Remarks for "President Carter: The White House Years"
McGowan Theater, National Archives Building, Washington, DC
July 17, 2018
Good afternoon, and welcome to the William G. McGowan Theater at the National Archives. I’m David Ferriero, Archivist of the United States, and I’m pleased you could join us, whether you are here in the theater or joining us through YouTube.
Before we hear from Stuart Eizenstat about his new book, President Carter: The White House Years, I’d like to let you know about two other programs coming up later this week.
On Wednesday, July 18, at noon, Medal of Honor recipient Bennie Adkins will be with us to tell the story behind his new book, A Tiger Among Us: A Story of Valor in Vietnam’s A Shau Valley. While in Vietnam in 1966, Sergeant Adkins and 16 other Green Berets out-fought and out-maneuvered their enemies along the Ho Chi Minh Trail, and a remarkable number of them lived to tell about it. A book signing follows the program.
And on Friday, July 20, at noon, we will present a selection of archival films from the motion picture holdings of the National Archives. This will be the third program in our film series relating to our current special exhibit, “Remembering Vietnam.”
Check our website or sign up at the table outside the theater to get email updates. You’ll also find information about other National Archives programs and activities.
Another way to get more involved with the National Archives is to become a member of the National Archives Foundation. The Foundation supports the work of the agency, especially its education and outreach programs. Pick up your application for membership in the lobby or become a member online at archivesfoundation.org.
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The National Archives is deeply entwined with Presidential history. The Presidential Libraries that we operate—one for every President since Herbert Hoover—bring together the documents and artifacts of a President and his administration and make them available to the public for study and discussion.
The Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum in Atlanta, Georgia, documents his life and public service through personal papers and records created during his administration.
Today we are fortunate to hear from someone who was a first-hand witness to the history documented in the library—President Carter’s Chief White House Domestic Policy Adviser, Stuart Eizenstat.
Reviews for President Carter: The White House Years have been favorable. In the Washington Post, Julian E. Zelizer called it a “fascinating new history” and “a comprehensive and persuasive account of Carter’s presidency that stands far above the familiar confessional and reveal-all accounts by former White House officials we are accustomed to reading.”
The New York Times reviewer Peter Baker declared that “until now there has never been a satisfying full-length history of [Carter’s] presidency” and “Eizenstat has produced a thoughtful, measured and compelling account.”
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Before he joined President Carter’s staff, Stuart Eizenstat served as a member of President Lyndon Johnson’s White House staff. In later years, President Bill Clinton appointed him as Ambassador to the European Union, Under Secretary of Commerce, Under Secretary of State, Deputy Secretary of the Treasury, and Special Representative of the President on Holocaust-Era Issues. In the Obama administration he was Special Representative of the Secretary of State on Holocaust Issues. He is also the author of Imperfect Justice and The Future of the Jews. A cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa graduate of the University of North Carolina and Harvard Law School, he is now a leading international lawyer with Covington & Burling in Washington, DC.
Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome Stuart Eizenstat.