Photo: NPS Ranger Robert Prosperi takes President Carter on a tour alongside Egyptian President Anwar Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin in September of 1978. From the Walt & Janice Lane Collection
By: Robert Prosperi
While joining the world in mourning the loss of Jimmy Carter, my thoughts drifted back to my own encounters with this extraordinary man. Here are some of my memories from [President Carter’s 1978 visit to Gettysburg].
As a young park ranger, I gave two battlefield tours to Jimmy Carter in 1978. On our first tour, President Carter was joined by his Chief of Staff Jody Powell and noted Civil War historian Shelby Foote and their wives. My role was to follow the presidential party and join them when they stopped in case there were any questions. [Mr. Foote] was to be their guide.
The first stop was at the Peace Light, and as they prepared to reboard their van President Carter asked me to join them. Honestly, I was more concerned about a slip-up in front of Shelby Foote than the President. Before I knew it, I was the one conducting the tour.
Our next stop was Culp’s Hill where I followed, huffing and puffing, as Jimmy Carter bounded up the steps of the tower. He had a lot of questions but was considerate enough to let me catch my breath before he began his interrogation. When I told him my parents lived nearby, he even wanted me to point out their house. We made several more stops with the last being Little Round Top. I followed the President as we climbed onto a boulder. I’ll never forget the look on the Secret Service agents’ faces as Mr. Carter talked about what prime targets the Union soldiers there made for the Confederate sharpshooters! As the tour ended, I was struck by how humble and unpretentious he was, really just another visitor interested in the battle and full of questions.
Our next tour in September was far more formal with not just the President of the United States but also President Anwar Sadat of Egypt and Prime Minister Menachem Begin of Israel. I was so overwhelmed by the presence of security teams for three heads of state, news media from all over the world, and helicopter gunships circling overhead, that I never considered how flattered I should feel for being requested by the President to give this tour. Aside from history, I had also studied International Relations and had been following the Camp David negotiations like a kid follows the World Series. Later, I learned that as tensions rose and negotiations stalled at Camp David, President Carter chose an outing to Gettysburg as a pleasant distraction, as well as an opportunity to make a statement about the cost of war. We all piled into the presidential limousine and began our tour from the Virginia Memorial. While President Sadat seemed quiet and contemplative, Prime Minister Begin was animated and gregarious, reminding me of one of my Italian uncles.
At our first stop, as we were getting back in the limo, President Carter made a point of occupying the small, uncomfortable jump seat where I had been and motioned me toward the large, comfortable backseat. “We’ll all take turns on who will sit here,” he said. I think that says a lot about the kind of man he was. I was impressed when Prime Minister Begin recited the Gettysburg Address while we were in the National Cemetery. But perhaps the most memorable gesture of all came from President Sadat when we were at the Angle. We were standing among the guns of Cushing’s Battery as I told the story of the repulse of Pickett’s Charge and the devastating effect those guns had. After a few moments of silence, President Sadat extended a hand over the cannon barrel to Prime Minister Begin and said “No more war, let’s go back and make peace.” We returned to the limo —I don’t remember who got the jump seat— and made our way to our last stop, Little Round Top.
Looking back on that day, it just seems like a blur. Among my most vivid memories is that Jimmy Carter seemed to not only remember everything I had said in July, but he asked so many detailed questions about the most obscure facts. He made me feel relaxed and confident, as if being with three heads of state under the spotlight of the world’s press was just an everyday occurrence for me. As with our previous tour, he was gracious, friendly and unpretentious.
With the tension defused, the three of them returned to Camp David and within a few days signed the first-ever treaty between Egypt and Israel. And it’s still in place today.
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Robert Prosperi is a Licensed Battlefield Guide and former National Park Service Park Ranger and historian for the Gettysburg National Military Park. He is a graduate of Indiana University of Pennsylvania as well as a United States Army veteran. During his time with the NPS, Prosperi gave tours to multiple dignitaries, including President Jimmy Carter, President Anwar El-Sadat of Egypt, and Prime Minister Menachem Begin of Israel in 1978 during the Camp David Summit.
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To learn more about presidential visits to Gettysburg, visit USA Today’s Best New Museum, Beyond the Battle at 625 Biglerville Road. To learn more about the museum, please click here.
