Word: sadat
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About 2:30 p.m., Rosalynn and I walked up to the helicopter landing pad to welcome Sadat. When he and I sat on the terrace behind my cabin, Aspen, he did not waste any time. He emphasized that he was eager to conclude a total settlement of the issues, and not merely establish procedures for future negotiations. He was convinced that Begin did not want an agreement and would try to delay progress as much as possible. Sadat stated that he would back me in all things and that he had a comprehensive settlement plan "here in my pocket...
Then he stood up to leave. Sadat had suffered a mild heart attack a few years earlier and was careful about his health. He wanted to go to bed and to meet with me the next morning. I said I would delay suggesting my own proposals until he and Begin had a chance to explore their differences. Sadat replied, "I will try to protect you by putting forward good proposals, and make it unnecessary for any U.S. proposals to be offered...
...associates. I also knew that his preoccupation with language, names and terms could severely impede free-flowing talk. Begin pointed out that there had not been an agreement between a Jewish nation and Egypt for more than 2,000 years, and that our meeting was historically unprecedented. However, unlike Sadat, Begin was planning for an agreement at Camp David only on general principles, which might then serve as a basis for future meetings, where the specific differences could be resolved by the ministers of foreign affairs and defense. I objected strongly and told him that we three principals could...
...differences were obvious, even in personal habits. Begin was the soul of propriety. He preferred to wear a tie and coat and strictly observed protocol, always reminding Sadat and me that he was not a head of state and therefore did not rank as an equal with us. When I wanted to see him, he insisted that he come to my cottage and not the other way around. He stayed up late, worked very hard, kept close to his aides and advisers, and walked to the dining area at Laurel Lodge to eat with all the other Israelis and with...
After supper that first night, Begin and I met alone in my cabin. We always used a tiny private office down the hall from the main living room. It hardly seemed suitable for such important talks, but its seclusion, easy access from the cottages occupied by Begin and Sadat, and good view looking south down the mountainside made it seem right. I told Begin that I reserved the right, and had the duty, to put forward compromise proposals, and might on occasion merely adopt either side's position if I believed it to be best. I assured him that...