349. Editorial Note
On the morning of March 18, 1980, President Jimmy Carter placed telephone calls to Egyptian President Anwar al-Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin to invite them to separate bilateral meetings with him in Washington. Carter spoke with Sadat from 7:54 a.m. to 7:56 a.m. and with Begin from 11:28 a.m. to 11:34 a.m. (Carter Library, Presidential Materials, President’s Daily Diary) No memoranda of conversation for these telephone calls have been found. In his personal diary, Carter noted on March 18 that during the respective conversations Sadat “responded enthusiastically” to his invitation and that Begin also agreed to come to Washington. (Carter, White House Diary, page 410) The invitations were announced by White House Press Secretary Jody Powell on March 19. (Terence Smith, “Carter Bids Sadat and Begin Visit U.S. for Separate Talks,” The New York Times, March 20, 1980, page A1)