Once, a long time ago, when I was someone worth talking to, Jimmy and I had a conversation. He was no longer the President and was making the rounds, here New York Law School, to talk about human rights.
On 14 January 1980, the Administration of President Jimmy Carter joined Andrei Sakharov’s appeal to boycott the Olympics and set a deadline by which the Soviet Union had to pull out of Afghanistan or “face the consequences”, including an international boycott of the games. Carter convinced several countries to not compete when Russia didn’t leave. 9 years later, the Russians left, their attempts to support a pro-communist government faileding disastrously.
After the lecture, I told President Carter that his actions made me happy. He misunderstood me, as many have over the years, and said that he didn’t want me to be happy that he made the decision. Humbly, I replied, that his principled decision is what made me happy and that I felt for all the athletes denied the opportunity to compete.
He smiled, shook my hand.
Years later, I mailed him the picture. He signed it.
