Keeping Faith: Memoirs of a President

Afterword

AFTERWORD Immediately after I left the White House, I began researching and writing this personal account of my presidency. Therefore it has the virtue of reflecting my opinions at a time close to the events it describes. I was especially concerned that the peace process in the Middle East be explained in detail and, in fact, considered publishing this first, rather than a complete memoir. I believed that a precious opportunity existed to continue the Camp David process and hoped I could assist with this. While I was to be disappointed with the pace of the Middle East peace process, I have been pleased that my narrative has been much used by scholars and negotiators in the Middle East and elsewhere. It also has proved to be, I am told, a significant contribution to the emerging discipline of conflict resolution. I did not try to write a comprehensive history of my administration, leaving that to others. I felt free to emphasize those matters in which I played a personal and more dramatic role, which for a President tends more often to be in foreign affairs than in domestic affairs. I spent most of my time working on domestic issues, but a President does not have the freedom to act as forcefully and independently on these issues as he has in foreign affairs. Upon reflection, I wish I had given more attention in Keeping Faith to my efforts on behalf of education, housing, justice, health, and human welfare. These subjects were more difficult to portray as part of an interesting story, but their importance to me and to the country was certainly equal to anything else in my presidency. I do not have any desire to rewrite my assessments of the events in which I was engaged. While I might be more philosophical today and not as affected by the joys and pains of the period of my presidency, I 605 believe my earlier assessments remain accurate. I think they will help readers understand why I acted as I did. Keeping Faith should be quite interesting to those who are intrigued with the historical continuity of major issues and with the similarities and differences between the circumstances of today and those existing during my presidency. I am pleased that the University of Arkansas Press is including this in its Carter Collection. PLAINS, GEORGIA JANUARY 27, 1995 606 AFTERWORD ...