service, can pursue those consumer interests, can make sure those promises to consumers are fulfilled. i'm concerned that if that reclassification happens and the ftc is taken, you know, out of the picture, that consumers on balance won't be better off. >> host: maureen ohlhausen, republican commissioner of the federal trade commission, brian fung of "the washington post." >> thank you. >> c-span, created by america's cable companies 35 years ago and brought to you as a public service by your local cable or satellite provider. >> in about 30 minutes, the washington institute will host a daylong symposium on the middle east that focuses on u.s. relations and challenges in the region. watch it live beginning at nine a.m. eastern on c span 2. c-span2. >> here are just a few of the

comments we've recently received from our viewers. >> i just finished watching "q&a," jenny beth martin. i suppose the most offensive thing about that whole, whole hour was the fact that she was the daughter of a methodist minister, and you just gotta wonder what in the heck is the methodist church in the south like, you know? and how did -- i wonder what her parents' positions are. and how did she, you know, i heard the whole hour, how she got to where she is. >> i just want to at first start off by allowing c-span to know that i do not watch any other channel on my cable selection

besides this, and c-span 1, 2 and 3, so i really want to show my appreciation for this, for your services there and your ability to really keep it mixed up and really lively and around international viewpoints. >> i just watched your what do you think of global warming show, and i would like to say it would be nice if c-span would hold people at least accountable for the nonfacts that they spew out. and you could have put everybody's mind at ease about trying to explain this be you had put the picture -- if you had put the picture of that huge trash swirl that's in the pacific ocean right now that is the size of texas. you know, c-span, put the information out there, you know? when you do your reading, make sure you put pictures up also

because that would have just ended anybody's denial. we have a big trash swirl the size of texas, and i heard it's 90 miles deep k. i don't know how wide the it is in certain -- but you need to put that on. >> and continue to let us know what you think about the programs you're watching. call us at 202-626-3400. e-mail us at comments@c-span.org, or you can send us a tweet at c-span @comments. join the c-span conversation, like us on facebook, follow us on twitter. >> the family research council held its ninth annual values voter summit in washington, d.c. last week. one of the speakers was louisiana governor bobby jindal. this is about 30 minutes. ♪ ♪ [cheers and applause]

>> thank y'all, thank you very much. thank you. that was very warm. thank you for that generous reception. you know, it is so great to be here tonight with you in washington d.c. well, actually, that's not really quite true. [laughter] it's never really great to be in washington d.c. [laughter] washington deals is a very -- washington, d.c. is a very, very funny place. aye had the opportunity to work here now five different times. first time i was here, i was an intern. there was no job too menial or too lowly for them to give an intern to do. [laughter] learned a lot about the copy machine, the coffee machine and those kinds of things. came back here, i worked in the private sector. the third time i was the e.d. of of the bipartisan commission on the future of medicare. i believe we were torpedoed because the president at the

time, president clinton, couldn't control his lust. came back a fourth time, i was an assistant secretary in the bush administration. now, it was an honor to work for president bush, but i also saw firsthand some of the waste in federal government, how they spend our tax dollars. but the most interesting time i came to d.c. was the fifth time. i had the privilege to come here as a congressman. and let me tell you, when you come as a congressman, it's a whole different experience. it's like somebody gives you the secret password. i got a pin, you see. when you first get elected, they give you this pin that allows you to go anywhere you want in the capitol. then they give you a license plate for your call, and it's interesting. it says h, and it's got a number on it. the lower the number, the more important you are. you find out very quickly with that license plate you're allowed to park wherever you wallet. i was circling the rayburn building, the capitol police officer came outside and said

what are you doing? i said, there's no parking spots. he said, congressman, that's not for you, you park wherever you want. you don't worry about those signs. then they give you about a million dollars to run your office. you can spend it however you want. you know, it's an amazing thing when you get elected to congress and they give you the secret keys. your jokes get funnier -- [laughter] you're smarter, you're better looking. [laughter] i told my colleagues, i said, i want you to try something. when you go to your office the next day, the next group of lobbyists that come see you, i wallet you to say dumb -- i want you to say the dumbest thing you can think of to. [laughter] you make up the dumbest thing, you tell them the sun rose in the this morning, you saw it. and i guarantee you, they'll try to agree with you. they'll say, congressman, that's the smartest thing i've ever heard. i saw the sunrise in the west. [laughter] you see, i know, because i lost my first election. people ask me what's the difference between winning and losing an election? when you win an election, you've

got a lot more friends. when i won my election, i remember there was a guy that enforced one of my opponents. elected official going on tv, he criticized me, he'd attacked me. he came to see me after i won, and he said, bobby, i was secretly for you from the very first day. [laughter] i don't even know what that means. i said, next time i want you tock secretly for the other -- to be secretly for the other guy, i want you to be publicly for me. that's what i want the next time. d.c. is a very phony environment, it's a very dangerous environment for our elected officials. i think we need to change how we pay them. they all complain we don't pay them enough. i think we pay them a per diem, except we pay them more for every day they leave washington rather than every day they stay in washington. [applause] you know, everything in washington, d.c. is about politics and political slogans. you may remember a few years back bill clinton ran for president with the slogan, it's

the economy, stupid. the point he was making was that economic concerns are really all that matter. i certainly agree the economy is important, and his campaign won, but i think that is a very flawed view of america. every political strategist tells their candidates focus almost exclusively on economic issues. i disagree. i think the key to a strong america is economic strength and our democratic system of governing. here's what i believe. as america's culture goes, so goes america. i'm glad we've got a free market economy. i'm glad we've got a democratic system. but it's not the economy, stupid. rather, it's the culture, stupid. ms. -- ms. . [applause] now, don't get me wrong, i'm all for capitalism and a strong economy. but capitalism and free enterprise will fail in a country where people don't respect the rule of law.

they don't care for each other, they don't share our common view of the dignity of all mankind as god's creation. put simply, cultural matters. now, don't get me wrong, again, i love democracy, but each democracy will -- even democracy will fail in a place where the collective intentions of the governed are centered on greed and subjugating others. democracy only works when it relies on the foundation of a culture where people share the common commitment of doing the right thing and playing by the rules. otherwise democracy simply becomes the will of the mob. american success relies on a healthy culture, a culture that admits some things are right, some things are wrong. a culture that respects life. a culture that honors the dignity of every individual and honors the values of our judeo-christian ethic. even our mighty military cannot be undone by men behaving badly.

you've heard it said that liberty cannot be established without morality nor morality without faith. today that's an unfashionable sentiment in our society. many want us to believe that a completely secular society is a desirable goal for america. if our culture is sick, capitalism, democracy and military might will not save us. the countries of western europe have weakened themselves by adopting a secular world view which pushes matter of faith to the side. i've got no interest in sewing america go the -- in seeing america go the way of europe. as for me -- [applause] as for me, i think carville and clinton going to wrong. as for me, i thinkst the culture, stupid. and that brings me to what i want to talk to you about today. there's so much this president, the obama administration, has done that worries me and that weakens our country. i worry about clash 18 trillion

of -- $18 trillion of debt, i worry about the epa smothering our economy, i worry about taxes and borrowing and regulations, i worry about the growth of the federal government. but with kiver leadership, we can reverse -- with conservative leadership, we can reverse much of that damage. the thing that worries me the most, the thing that keeps me up at night is this president's relentless effort toss change the definition of the american dream. you see it in his actions, you hear it in his speeches. if you listen to this president long enough, you understand what he means about the american dream, it's all about envy and class warfare. it's about dividing us. it's about redistribution. it's about growing the federal government to make it bigger, more expensive, more expansive, more involved in our lives. i don't know about you, but that is not the american dream that my parents taught me. the american dream i learned about was an america where we are forever young. an america where our best days are always ahead of us.

an america where the circumstances of your birth don't determine your outcomes as an adult in america. we're not guaranteed equal outcomes, we are guaranteed equal opportunity. if you work hard, get a good education, you can do great things in this country. [applause] now, the reason this is so important to me is my parents, they have lived the american dream. my daddy's one of nine. first and the only one in the family to get past the fifth grade. literally grew up in a house without electricity, without running water. i know, because we heard these stories every single day of our lives. [laughter] good luck trying to get an allowance from a guy like that. [laughter] but here is the amazing thing, nearly 50 years ago my participants came halfway across -- my parents came halfway across the world to baton rouge, louisiana. they had never been on a plane. they'd never even met anybody

who had been to louisiana or was from louisiana. [laughter] imagine, you can't even ask somebody what's the weather like, what's the food like, what are the people like? yet my dad brought his pregnant wife, my mom, halfway across the world because they knew this their bones even though they'd never visited, they knew that it was a potential place. and that if you got here -- and they came legally -- [laughter] but if that you got here -- [applause] and by the way, mr. president, it's not that hard. we don't need a comprehensive bill. all we need for him to do his job, secure the border. that's all we need for him to do and get it done. [applause] but they knew in their bones if you could get here and if you worked hard, you could pursue the american dream, you could create even more opportunities for your children and your grandchildren. there was freedom, there was opportunity in this great country. my dad got here, my mom was in

school at lsu, my dad was in their married student apartment, didn't know anybody. he wanted a job. he didn't want a handout. he started calling company after company in the yellow pages. and i love what happens, because he keeps calling and calling and calling, day after day, hour after hour. finally, he wears somebody down. [laughter] finally there's a guy that just hires him sight unseen and says to him at a railroad company you can start monday morning. my dad tells his new boss, well, that's great. he said i don't have a car, i don't have a driver's license, you're going to have to pick me up on the way to work monday morning. [laughter] only my dad could get away with that. the boss was so taken by his desire to work, he did exactly that. six months later, i was born. now, i was what you would politely call a pre-existing condition back when i was born. [laughter] there was no obamacare -- and

they were married. i just predated their insurance coverage. and here's the amazing thing, i was born at the same hospital where years later two of our three children would be born. now, when our kids were born, we had to fill out hours of paperwork. when i was born, my dad -- there was no insurance to cover me. my dad went to the doctor. he didn't sign a piece of paper, he didn't apply for a government program. he went to the doctor, he said i'll send you a check every month until i pay this bill in full. and that's exactly what he did. he just shook hands with the doctor, two men in the hospital shaking hands, making a commitment to pay that bill. [applause] i don't know if that would work today. that was a simpler time. i asked my dad, how do you pay for a baby on layaway? how exactly does that work? [laughter] i mean, if you skip a payment, can they take the baby back?

what do they do? [laughter] he assures me, he says, son, you're paid for, don't worry. now, i mentioned our third kid was a while that was born at home. i'll just tell you one thing i learned from that story, every man in here, you need to go home and thank your moms, your wives, your sisters, your daughters. there's a reason goddal god almn his infinite wisdom does not allow men to have babies. [laughter] the dumbest thing i ever heard was a week later in -- we didn't plan this. my life -- wife delivered literally on the floor. and everybody was congratulating me. i just caught the baby, i didn't do anything. [laughter] my part was pretty easy. a week later in my church a guy says, the same thing happened to me. he said, well, i had a kidney stone, it's exactly the same thing. [laughter] that is the dumbest thing i have

ever heard. [laughter] this was a nine pound kidney stone, i wouldn't go home and tell my wife that. [laughter] i will tell you this, i've been married to my wife for 17 years, i've only lied to her once, and it was that morning. [laughter] our baby comes out, you know, on tv they're all pink and beautiful and wrapped in a blanket. it's not like that in real life. [laughter] so she's asking me, you know, she can't see, she's like how does he look, how does our son look? if i was honest -- [laughter] i would have said he doesn't look like he's done, let's put him back in for a little longer. [laughter] i didn't say that. [laughter] if i was really being honest, what i really was thinking was he looks like your side of the family, doesn't look like my side of the family. [laughter] but, you know, i like being married, so i didn't say any of those things. ten fingers, ten toes, beautiful, handsome boy, and she was in pain, she was in her night clothes, she was in distress, the first time i

handed her our son to hold -- this was our third child -- the first time she held our child she forgot about her pain, she forgot about her distress. i fell in love with her all over again when i saw mom holding baby, holding her child. and it just reminds you what a miracle of life, what an amazing gift to be there and to be a part of that. [applause] but back to the mesh dream, my -- american dream, you know, it's funny, mark twain said the older you get, the smarter your parents become. and it's true. i'm becoming more and more like my dad. i say things i swore i would never say. [laughter] my dad used to tell us as boys if your friends jumped off a bridge, would you jump off a bridge? no idea what that meant, but i still say it to my children all the time. [laughter] my dad loved to tell us you're not live anything a democracy

when you live under my roof and my rules. i'm a dictator in my house. i tell my kids that all the time. we're not voting on that. daddy just said so. one of the things my dad used to teach us growing up -- two things. he used to teach us, he'd say, now, sons, i'm not giving you a famous last name or an inheritance, but i will make sure you get a great education because in america there's no limit to a what you can accomplish. the second thing would be this, sons, you need to get on your knees every night and thank god almighty that you are blessed to be born in the greatest country in the history of the world, the united states of america. [applause] you know, i want to fight to make sure that our children and grandchildren can say that same prayer of gratitude as well. i was thinking about what i could talk about what we've done in louisiana. we have done a lot.

i was going to talk to you today about cutting the budget 26%, cutting 28,000 state government jobs, the strongest economy in a generation, could have talked about the fact we were consistently ranked the most pro-life state in the country year after year -- [applause] our strong second amendment protections. but the one thing i want to talk about real briefly is we have worked hard to make sure that we give parents educational choice in louisiana, so that dollars follow the child instead of making the child follow the dollars. [applause] now, whether kids are home schooled n a christian school, a public school, a charter school, we want to empower parents. indeed, one union leader said in louisiana parents don't have a clue when it comes to making choices for their kids. that is the debate we face today. on our side we trust the american people to make their

own decisions. the left, they don't think we're smart enough to pick our children's schools, to pick our own health insurance, they don't think we're smart enough to go drink a big gulp without the government telling us how to live our lives. and here's the amazing thing, and our scholarship program, 93% of the parents are happy with it. academic performance has gone -- is getting better year after year. and yet the thanks we got for this program is eric holder -- and, by the way, isn't it great he's about to be out of a job? [cheers and applause] my only request is that the next attorney general actually read the constitution before he takes the job. [applause] our, the thanks we got was eric holder took us to federal court to try to stop our scholarship, our choice program. now, i came here to d.c. at the national press club, i denounced the obama administration, the eric holder lawsuit as being

cynical, immoral and hypocritical. i don't think i'm getting invited back to this white house's christmas party, by the way. [laughter] but the reason i said that is it's wrong for the federal government to try to interfere and micromanage the educational choices being made in louisiana. it's wrong for them to try to trap can kids in failing public schools. it's wrong for them to say they no better than parents how their kids should be educated which is also why we're in court suing the federal government saying the federal government should get common core out of the state of louisiana. [cheers and applause] it is a violation of the tenth amendment and federal law for the federal government to try to be making curriculum decisions in our class rooms, and beyond the philosophical point, i invite parents to actually look at the reading text associated with common core. look at the math problems. it makes absolutely no sense. there's no reason to give these

federal bureaucrats the right to dictate how our classrooms are run in baton rouge, louisiana, or any state in the united states of america. [applause] but you may wonder how in the world do we get to the point where the federal government feels like it's got this power? well, for once i agree with david axlerod. he famously was trying to defend president obama at one point, and he said it wasn't the president's fault. i don't remember what scandal, there have been so many. [laughter] they said the federal government so bad, so expensive, president couldn't possibly know what was going on. [laughter] that's exactly right. that's exactly the problem. the federal government so vast, so expensive. remember when bill clinton famously said the era of big government was over? well, never before has somebody been so wrong about something so important in our modern political history. if i could go back in time, if i were speaking to you several years ago on this stage, and if i were to ask you what to

predict what has happened in our country, you wouldn't have believed it i. if i had said would you really believe the irs would go after conservative groups for their beliefs, would you have believed that? no. if i had said would you really believe the department of justice would have spied on the ap and other reporters, would you have believed that? no. if i had gone back and time and said they're going to run up $18 trillion in debt and create a new entitlement program when we can't afford the ones we've got now, would you have believed that? no. if i had said our ambassador to libya was going to be killed and they would blame a youtube video, would you have believed that? no. then-secretary clinton would get so exasperated about having to answer questions that she would say what difference does it make, would you have believed that? no. and there's so many of these thing, but maybe this is the most dangerous. we're seeing now an unprecedented assault on our religious liberty rights right here in the united states of

america. [applause] you know, i was happy that the supreme court ruled 5-4 that the green family doesn't have to spend over a million dollars in fines to the government simply because they don't want to use their own money to pay for abortive patients. but why was that a 5-4 ruling? why wasn't that a 9-0 rule anything favor of religious liberty in the united states? [applause] when this president, when secretary clinton, when they talk about the freedom of religious expression, they mean you've got the right on sunday morning and on wednesday night to have your religious views. that's not religious liberty. that is not what the founding fathers spended. what's -- intended. there's no freedom of speech without religious liberty in this country. you may remember when the whole

"duck dynasty" controversy happened. one of the first people to come out and speak in defense of phil and the robertson family was the governor of louisiana. now -- [applause] you may have thought i did that simply because they're friends. that's not why i did it. simply because they film the show in louisiana, and that's not why i did it. simply because my little boys are huge fans of the show -- [laughter] and by the way, isn't it great to have a tv show you can watch with your kids without being embarrassed for once? [applause] it's not why i did it either. i did it because i'm tired of the left. you see, they said that they tolerate diversity of views, that they like different opinions. the reality is they're for tolerance unless, unless you happen to to disagree with them. i'm tired of their hypocrisy, and it's time to take a stand

and say enough is enough. [cheers and applause] i knew this president didn't like the second amendment to the constitution. i thought maybe he would at least leave the first one alone. you know, i'm not in favor of lawsuits, but for so long we keep saying president obama's a smart man and a constitutional lawyer. there is one lawsuit i would endorse. i think the president should sue harvard law school to get his tuition money back. i don't know what he learned those three years. [laughter] [applause] you know, there is one thing i would wish the president would hear from us loudly today, and it is this: the united states of america gave us religious liberty. religious liberty created the

united states of america, and it is the reason we're here today. [applause] you may have missed, the president spoke to the national prayer breakfast in this town a few months ago. it was sod because these he spoke so eloquently about the plight of christians being persecuted overseas, and he was right. there is a shooting war going on overseas. it's a silent war here. the two respect aren't the same. but it was still jarring to hear the president speak in contradiction to what his own administration is doing here at home. yet once again there was a grand canyon-sized gap between what he says and what he does. or to to summarize it if you didn't hear his speech, this is what the president had to say. you see, the president is concerned about religious liberty. and if you like your religious

liberty, you can keep your religious liberty. [laughter] before i close, i can't close without mentioning one final thing that ahas frustrated me about this administration. and you see it every day. this administration's weakness when it comes to foreign policy coronets to make -- continues to make not only america, but the world a more dangerous place. this is a president that doesn't believe in american exceptionalism. this is a president who simply waited while isis gathered strength. he called them the junior varsity teamless than a -- team less than a year ago. after the barbaric beheading of foley came out and expressed our grief but didn't lay out a strategy. indeed, at the time said isis needed to be contained and expelled. we never heard him say they needed to be hundted down, killed and destroyed. this is a president that for some reason doesn't seem to understand that when america is strongest, the world is safest.

that's not just a saying, that's a truth. that's a true statement. [applause] i know that doesn't sound very sophisticated to the citizens of the world that occupy this administration, but sometimes truth isn't that sophisticated. sometimes truth is pretty simple. our enemies don't fear us, our friends don't trust us anymore. not only is the president's dithering made isis stronger, it's made america more vulnerable and weaker. the reality is this, this president believes in multilateralism as a goal, not as a tactic. we must not give veto power over our own national security, our own foreign policy to a foreign capital of the world. you know, i was going around in 2012 saying that this president was the worst president since jimmy carter. after the election i came here to d.c. and apologized to jimmy carter. [laughter]

at least jimmy carter was just incompetent. [laughter] but at least he believed in american exceptionalism. this president truly, i think, does not understand that america's not only the strongest, most visible, but also the longest, most consistent defender of human dignity and freedom, and the world needs america. and the quicker he realizes there is evil in the world that must be confronted, defeated, exterminated -- not simply accommodated and negotiated with -- the sooner we will resume our rightful place in world affairs, and the sooner we will be protecting the american people and our allies. the sooner we stand with israel unambiguously when they fight hamas. [applause] the sooner we stop drawing artificial red lines and threatening actions that never come to pass, the sooner we stop inviting russia to go into the crimea and ukraine through our

weakness, the sooner we know that america will truly then again be leading from the front, not leading from behind. .. the only satisfactory answer of god is secretary clinton, what difference does it make? [applause]

but i will close with this final thought. my dad would like. we are blessed to live in the greatest country in history of the world but it's not inevitably for ever so. every generation has to choose for stoked renew the principles of freedom as her 40th president reminded us. now is our time. what disney opportunism and help us this. the founding fathers got it right. what makes america great are not the buildings in washington, d.c., not these monuments. it is the freedom they enjoyed in a document. the american mother, the american father, the method family out to create something out of nothing. there is a rebellion brewing amongst us in these united states of america where we are ready for a hostile takeover. we're going to take our country back from the interests of washington, d.c. god bless you and god bless the united states of america. [applause] >> thank you all very much.

♪ ♪ >> tonight on "the communicators," federal trade commission or maureen ohlhausen on net neutrality, privacy and data security. >> it can be used well and it can be used poorly. there are many benefits that can come from the data, consumer benefits, great insight, many areas but some that are top of mind for me or in health care, of the kinds of research reaching underserved population and providing new insights i think in some of the more difficult to solve problems that we face as a society. are the risks as well? i think that's true. i think you can take pieces of previously kind of separate pieces of information and of some of them into a profile that may give sensitive insight into

a consumer. the question for me is, you have all these benefits and have some risk. what do you do than? >> tonight at eight eastern on "the communicators" on c-span2. >> c-span is live today at the washington institute for a forum on middle east policy. this is expected to run into the afternoon with panels on the evolution of u.s. relations with israel hualapai panel on policy planning. [inaudible conversations]

[inaudible conversations] >> and again c-span live today here at the washington institute. this is a half day discussion on middle east policy, expected to run about 2:00 this afternoon. we'll be hearing about the evolution of the u.s. relations with israel from the current u.s. ambassador, daniel shapiro, a former ambassador william brown. and after that a panel on policymaking with former special envoy dennis ross. just watching a things get started in the room, and this is

live coverage on c-span2. [inaudible conversations] [inaudible conversations]

[inaudible conversations] >> just waiting for things to get started here at the washington institute. let you know later this morning, 10:00 eastern on c-span we will be at the national press club with congressman steny hoyer of maryland talking about the democratic agenda when lawmakers return from recess after the midterms. also later on our companion network, 8 p.m. tonight bill gates will be making an appearance talking about ebola with politico's mike allen. the bill and melinda gates foundation earlier this month pledged $50 million to fight ebola. here on c-span2 later tonight,

8 p.m. eastern, we will be at a nebraska governors debate. [inaudible conversations] [inaudible conversations]

[inaudible conversations] [inaudible conversations]

[inaudible conversations] [inaudible conversations] >> so everybody please take your seats. is this live or not? is it not live?

come on up, bill. i want to thank everybody for coming today to what should be the kind of event that samuel lewis himself would be a major player in. this is an event that robs outlaw basically that would be appropriate for symbols. we all lost samuel lewis this year, and many of us who were here are people who are not just influenced by sam but also saw sam as a kind of guru, a person to go to, and for those who knew

sam, one thing about the sam lewis is that having people eulogize it would probably have been the last thing he would particularly interested in. he's more deserving of it perhaps the most that he would've been the last to be interested in it. and robs outlaw -- not just and appropriate way to think about sam, actually to really honor stands memory. you wanted to make this an event at substantive if it. an event that would look back but also would look forward. and so we're organizinorganizin g a two-day around some remembrances of sam but also we will have a panel later on i will actually look ahead and focus on events of the day, and think about how sam would approach it. sam's wife sound is here. sam's son richard easy.

we're really pleased to have you here. and not only have a panel that starts with two colleagues of sam's. one and israeli, one an american, we will later have a panel that will focus on events of what's going on today, and then we'll have a deputy secretary of state, bill burns, who had a long relationship with sam, will also be to talk about sam but also look forward. and that's why we're both as i said we are looking back but we are also going to be looking forward. i want to, before we begin this initial panel, and i want to just note one thing. as i said rob satloff is the person who conceived of today's event, and no one would have more wanted to be here than rob. for circumstances beyond his control he is unable to be here, but i've been asked by rob to stand in. i'm dennis ross, someone who also had a long relationship with sam and was very much

influenced by the way sam approached problems. and i will have a chance to talk about him. but we're going to start not so much with looking forward as looking back. i'm going to introduce both elyakim rubinstein and bill britton the second but it won't surprise either one of them that america's current ambassador, ambassador shapiro was going to be and will all the also not come as much in one of them come he's up in new york. here's the prime minister of israel is also in new york doing what america ambassadors to israel do. they perform their functions and the would've understood that more than sam lewis, who was known for many things in his life but perhaps the thing he was most well known for was being america's longest-serving ambassador to israel, someone who lived and breathed the u.s.-israel relationship and did

more to affect the, shape it and nurture it than anybody i know. and in keeping with that it's not surprising that dan shapiro wouldst -- would stand such a long message and such an eloquent message i would like to read to open the program before i introduce our two opening guests. so this is from dan shapiro, our current ambassador. sally, and all who work at the to pay tribute to sam lewis at this wonderful simplicity of my deep regret to be unable to -- i did require me today to be in new york attending trimester netanyahu's address to u.n. general assembly and i believe sam was ever faithful and caring out his official duties would have understood but i never left, beg -- i nevertheless beg your forgiveness.

i cannot respond to them, for me to share brief story about sam and observations about his amazing tenure. when i was preparing to dig my dues as you some bastard to issue i made the rounds of many of my predecessors, named you all know, seeking advice and the wisdom of their experience. i had treasured sam's friendship and mentorship for many years, and like others he was generous with his time and insight. as our visit neared its end i told sam, what an inspiration it was to me. and if i could be half as good an ambassador as he was, i would consider myself a great success. with an impish grin, he asked me, you want to know the secret to be considered a great ambassador? dead i? i was on edge of my seat about to have a master chef the magic formula. absolutely, i replied. the secret, he said, is to be there when the breakthrough happens. that was typical sam. modest to a fault, he described

his role almost as an accident by standard as history was made. well aware the opportunity to witness and work towards a historic achievements he was nevertheless already ready to bestow the credit on others. sam was being generous to in displaying his admiration for leaders like vague and so that he took a brave and difficult decisions required to reach an achievement like the camp david accord. be appreciative that kind of leadership and understood it was essential for success. sentiment understood his own contribution, of course. he played a major part in the breakthrough of camp david ii numerous other achievements in the u.s.-israeli relationship during his tenure. but an important truth, no one government officials are responsible for initiative, negotiations, breakthroughs and the deep failures with the player sometimes playing in concert and other times in discord. the result depends on the ability to the very factors across multiple government to harmonize efforts and overcome those who seek to put a different tune.

with a strong public sam brought to the orcs to was careful listening, simply an understanding for israel's dilemmas, expert analysis and reporting, tough-minded advocacy for american interests and expert of what of american leadership. this last element was another ingredient to progress in middle east. you never stop advocating for it, never summoning never summoning his creativity, challenging others to summon the bears, and whatever the role he was in whether the head of policy planning or whatever, to consider effective ways of deploying american leadership. with trusted leaders, and the full conference of presidents carter and reagan, second in state fans, musty, hate and shows, sam help guide relationship threepence a successful as the israeli-egyptian peace treaty, as controversial as the israeli strike, and as challenging as the first lebanon war. he understood something fun of

the important about the u.s.-israel relationship and it enabled him to see it strengthen throughout all the ups and downs. because you recognize the is interesting israel's strength and security and its survival a situation democratic state to remain involved and committed to promoting peace between agile and its neighbors long after he left his post at some bastard, long after his government service until the end of this amazingly productive life. to this day whenever i go in israel, wherever i go in israel sam lewis his name stands out as the most recognized and honored of all u.s. ambassadors. israelis trusted him, respected him and even loved him all while knowing not to question if vigorous representation of american interest. his qualities and able to make israelis field and didn't realize the support they enjoyed for their alliance with the united states, to in the face of the jimmy security threats and simultaneously made it possible for them to challenge israelis on assumptions and attrition to make our decisions after peace and security required. among sam's many of the legacies

that combination of expressive friendship while speaking with authority, building trust to enable the conversations is one a deep respect and which i believe has contribute the most to the strength of the u.s.-israel relationship and the advancement of her, interest. with every good wish for successful symposium and sam's on a, century, dan shapiro, u.s. ambassador to israel. thank you to dan shapiro. and i want to briefly introduce my two colleagues were sitting up here. two men i have known worked and worked with for a long time. i could get a long lifting of each of their accomplishments and their respective career paths. elyakim rubinstein i first met action as the deputy chief of mission here in embassy in washington. later on he performed many different roles, was a negotiator under different israeli prime ministers, and

because he was so learned he became a judge. he's on the israeli supreme court and soon to be the deputy chief justice of the israeli supreme court. bill brown, i also have known i think as long as i've known ely. goes back to the 1980s. i first new build as the deputy chief of mission in our embassy in tel aviv. i later in him as our ambassador to israel. he, too, has had a long career. he was deputy chief of mission under sam lewis. i can't think of two people who probably spent more time working with sam than the stupid and i can't think of two people who are more appropriate to offer their views and remembrances about sam lewis. so ely, why don't we start with you?

>> thank you very much. you know, claim to fame -- ambassador to israel, but sally, friends,. [inaudible] and when rob, you also have -- when rob, unfortunately is not here today, asked me to come, it would be my duty to honor sam and i'll be talking because my current position as a justice, like monastery, you know, kansas the current politics. so i was not only speak history,

and this history even pre-dennis ross period, which nobody would believe. and i'll speak about the sam and this period as ambassador to israel from my recollection. i can't refrain from telling the old story about this guy who was, all of you know it but i will tell it again, was the only survivor of johnstown, pennsylvania, back in 1889. made his living on lectures on how i survive. finally, we got to the almighty, the angel in charge says look, we have -- by which introduces of? he said okay, he say says what e talking to proxies is a talk about how i survived the flood in johnstown, pennsylvania. the angel says look, this is

such a narrow topic. why would you pick out something more universal? person says, that's all i know. i make my living on this. if you want to do that, go ahead. but no one will be in the audience. quite a number of people here who are happy to meet this morning after many years who qualify for the description. i knew sam from june 1977. he came to israel. he and sally came to israel one day after the elections of may 17, 1977, which brought, seemed to be a sea change in israeli leadership. because after 30 years of one party being reelected to govern, and the last prime minister then was yitzhak rabin, blessed

memory. here is a new prime minister being elected, menachem begin. and sam -- come to it in a moment, had to go with a new legal arena, new political reality. and, of course, just a few months earlier a new administration was inaugurated here in washington, president carter's administration. so there was a huge, awesome job to be done. and sam -- and i knew sam from june i said because in june, the government, the new government was formed, and they were offered the position of foreign minister. i worked with him earlier and he asked me to become his assistant.

and so in june 1977 i moved from the defense ministry to the foreign ministry, and in a day or two he makes sam and i attend. dennis read from ambassador shapiro's remarks. is totally reliable. sam has a place of honor in israeli american relations. i think israel was the focus, the focal period of his career. i believe egyptian peace, israeli peace was the focal part of those years. sam was the ideal model of an ambassador you could think of, the best and beautiful of america, wonderful person, smart

human being, articulate, charming, a real presence. smart to the point of sensitivity. he knew people. he understood people. he understood, you know, kissinger you know, kissinger used to say israel does not have a foreign policy, only an internal policy. i don't know if it's true or not but i think everything is always more complicated, but he understood that the s.t. function with quite a number of people who were different and his intellectual ability was that he could find ways to the hearts, not only of people who were of his own mold, liberal democrat, but people who represented the whole gamut of israeli society. he was not -- and i'm not being

nice to anybody, but he came as a kind of almost -- a new white beginning in terms of not having middle eastern politics. and he had, he understood how big government works, and under kissinger he was very swift in learning the map of israel. the people involved. he also made a point that sally was a big help to open doors to various parts of society. and everybody knew him and, in

the newspapers used to call him the high commissioner. some of it was critical but, in fact, what it meant was the presence of a strong, well-connected american ambassador. and he became -- although sometimes critical. there's no contradiction between the two concepts. it remained with him ever since he left israel in 85 and was here in washington working on peace, working on other areas. i happen to believe that an ambassador has a role to play, also in this particular era which changed the scope of

diplomacy in many respects because of the contrast between leaders and so on. they always care about jefferson telling washington we didn't hear from our ambassador to lisbon i believe for three years but if we don't hear from him this year, we will fire him. so i don't know if it's true, the story is stuck in my mind. but in any case, an ambassador has the role in many respects, public diplomacy in explaining, not just delivering messages but shaping the messages. his personality was the key to that. it was mentioned by ambassador shapiro that he served to presidents, two different presidents, a liberal democrat,

besides the egyptian achievement which will talk about in a minute, and reagan, republican, for secretary of state was mentioned, too. vance, a very honest man, always taught that we were top of very honest and respected. lawyer by the way i will mention a lawyer in a minute because sam was not perfect but he didn't like lawyers. [laughter] i shouldn't have mentioned that. muskie didn't have much opportunity to express himself for short time. alexander haig, officer, cq minded person, also a friend of israel. and schultz, one of my favorite, a friend, he contribute to our economy, free trade on the

strategical -- and then israel, three prime ministers -- for the first six years. then for a year, for less than a year, there is. also different people was privilege to walk with all of them. and the two foreign ministers, and he -- i'm sorry sam didn't finish his memoirs. maybe they're still a chance because if you go on the web and you see interview with jessup, mr. jessup, 400 pages, fascinating interview which just needs a little bit of editing to become a book.

any case, i think sam was not perfect because he was critical of the role of lawyers in the negotiations. i come from a professional guild, and i reject that. but seriously speaking, the role of lawyers, every country wants the agreement, it makes find to be professional, and we, you know, both legalistic societies that do appreciate the role of law but the rule of law is also, you know, one of our sages, problems, they say you should pray for the peace of the kingdom. because without its. no, everybody would be eating the other person.

and the role of lawyers is to be the peace of the country, important. any case, israel and the u.s. as you all know like husband and wife, i don't know who's thousand and who was the wife, you don't want to go into definition. they love, they fight occasionally and then sam sometimes was like the benign uncle who had to pacify between the two. there were good times, there were private times, the ups and there were doubts. the bottom line is i is that earned a place in this fascinating history. dennis told he was writing a book on u.s. -- is that correct? i'm sure it is a reflective history. okay. i mentioned that may 77, and

here the carter administration had just begun its journey, and the journey included a wish to move for a solution of the palestinian issue. one thing that was so much thinking about egypt, but the palestinian issue, and they had a meeting which wasn't great. and here comes begin on one side is a liberal, on human rights, and but geologically committed to israel, the notion of the jewish sovereignty or historic linkage to the whole period which includes the whole of the

area west of the chosen river. for the establishment of the state of israel, emerged in the jewish history lessons of the holocaust, history where he lost his family. and a lawyer, and after 30 years of opposition. he had, mikey, a good sense to appoint diane as is foreign minister. not from his party and he was a former chief of staff, former war hero, former minister of defense. but also with a sad chapter in the public eye of what happened in the war which came as a

surprise, and i worked with him in the inquiry committee after the war. and dayan was a person of deep commitment to the country of course, but also a proven international experience which begin and others did not have at the time. pragmatic and a person who believed there was a chance for peace with egypt. he said that summer, said it publicly, but it was part of his approach, he gave begin, i was involved with him on the, the first week of the new administration, new government, june 77, he promised to begin an outline of what he thought, and we don't have the time to go into this, what could be done on the peace front with our

neighbors. and egypt was a major part of it, and he thought that if sadat, president sadat was rebuilding the suez canal, cities, meaning bringing millions of people included in a lot of money into the new, newly built cities, he must be thinking of peace. because if there is war i can come and remember in 77, the last war was 73, and if he would think of war again, and this is, he wouldn't put all this effort into the canal, area which was open of course after the kissinger agreement of the mid '70s. and so they thought there was a

chance. the other major feature, all of them unfortunate are not with us anymore, who was a pilot and commander and deputy chief of staff, full of energy who came in as kind of a right wing partner of begin. he changed his approach after the train to visit. so here you have this american administration with this approach and you have the new israeli administration. and here's an ambassador who has a tough job. and for the first months come summer and fall of 77, the u.s. was pushing for the geneva conference. and some of you may remember that. which was kind of a renewal of the concept that was used after the yom kippur war in 73. that is a kind of -- and later

on madrid in which we work together, had also an opening round of negotiation where all the error partners would stick together. it wasn't easy to achieve anyhow, but the main obstacle was how would the palestinians feel represented? there was a lot of haggling and a lot of -- we don't have the time but you should know that, or remember in the fall of, it was early october of 77, there was u.s. begin with some kind of joint statement with the soviets, supposed to be cosponsors of the geneva conference. but, so this is something which -- the soviets at the time,

things change. also over the years but i think those years we weren't exactly the friends, or a scheppach, soviet union was not exactly our friend. and here they got involved also with the question of palestinian station because the u.s. was pushing the time it was back, the plo into the picture. remember, not very well known represent you, the plo. entered the conference there would be a very well-known member of the plo. in any case, the question of can we screen? it was agreed between us and the was be able to screen the palestinian because we didn't want the plo working on paper and other paper, whole bunch of very, very sensitive

negotiations. and he we do them in the states, and begin is in israel. his eyes open not to give up something which is important. so it was, but also contacts in morocco that dayan had, also begin but mainly dayan in morocco that said dayan met a senior egyptian representative who ended -- this is september of 77. and it seemed that there's kind of maybe a movement towards something, but we didn't know what the something will be because the egyptians said they conditioned their approach on our commitment to evacuation of sinai.

now, dayan promised of sinai, and that was the kind of incentive for sadat to come to issued in november. that's not too. dayan was cautious. what he said, bring your point to prime minister begin, and i read -- i didn't attend this meeting. i attended the next meeting, but i read the report by an israeli representative. i spoke to begin personally on that, and this is just not true. i mean, it was promised ahead, and had been promised, why all these negotiations in camp david later? but i'm just mentioning it as a footnote in history. in any case, here comes sadat.

that was an outrage. you know, 10 days before the visit sadat made his speech to the egyptian parliament and he said i'm ready to go all the way to the knesset. and the next day or so there's a meeting between sam and dayan and i attended the meeting. they spoke geneva. at the end of the meeting he said hey, had an interesting speech. it wasn't in the cards, and here the visit takes place for me, this very moment, i'm becoming an old man but many defense took place ever since, but the first in a letter of excitement so to speak was being at the airport welcoming sadat that saturday night. a chilly saturday night in

december. there was, i mean, it was not in the cards. and i shouldn't have been there, but dayan told me. he was at the meeting with begin and sent in the afternoon. sam was thinking maybe he should do one of those steps because the egyptian being criticized. to do something and so on. dayan calls me and says, join me at the airport, which are like to? i said you better say that again. i joined him and i came back with the driver and the security guy at the back of the car. and he found out -- sunday so he called me -- in arabic is the father of girls. i'm not sure it's a complement. [laughter] but for me it was a complement, and it still is.

whenever i came after that, if anybody came, went with me, i said you of your -- in a minute. anyhow, you can't believe the excitement that was there on that night, that the presence of the most important arab country -- president, five world's, 48, 57, and then 73, five wars in 30 years. hit it is. and i want just to jump and say thank god, that's a strategic miracle if you want to see. 36 years now and no wars in those 36 years. problems but no wars.

so the visit took place, and right after that a number of things started developing. first of all, we had a meeting and we started talking about ideas. i remember well dayan gave kind of a manual of course what we had in mind and syria was included. the u.s. was talking comprehensive peace, and he told it was my handwriting. he told peace on syria. i don't know if he said none of my business but he gave it back. i'm sorry i didn't keep it. in any case, then it was a meeting in somalia between begin and sadat. sadat posted begin, kind of

reciprocating the visit. he didn't want to invite him to cairo. it was too much in terms of the arab world. he didn't want to not invite them so that the compromise on the canal. and their the difference started popping up in certain ways because while the two leaders, in particular sadat but also begin, was speaking in the general level when it came to the diplomats and lawyers, and so on. [inaudible] he used to say what is in the ditch, hebrew you dish which means the real thing. so why don't you talk less? [laughter] once you start talking more and more, you see their differences.

they agreed, i hope i'm not mistaken, the two leaders which agree on the termination of the state of war which is good news. begin said in the two for to resolution, he said termination of the state of -- and begin said who knows belligerency? then this haunted us 20 years later because of jordan was very much came on the two for two language. that's a different story and how we solve it with king hussein. in any case, sadat by the way sent to begin that why do you care cost unions stay, plo

stays? they will eat each other. that was his line. but that was not begin's ideology august. and now here comes eight, nine months of ups and downs during 78 which were very, very said anyway because after this visit, there's a period of haggling to the u.s., i should mention, the u.s., it took some time before it got adjusted to the idea of israel egypt and took a bend in the geneva notion because it was not going anywhere. and the u.s. adjusted and started becoming active. and by the way, here is always, or used to be, within the israeli establishment. dayan was very much fold

american involvement for the third party. that we could finish with egyptians without get an agreement without the u.s., mainly with out it. they continued laid on. i think the only, that later on we did have some agreement which the u.s. was on the margins. madrid, very involved. washington, very involved also. us so, you have the whole story -- in any case, 78 meetings until camp david, not too happy. i remember one of the meetings in february here in washington.

you could cut the atmosphere with a knife, as they say. it was because it seemed president carter was going with president sadat and we're kind of being the bad guys are whatever we were. then there was an attempt in leeds castle in england in the summer, and meetings here at westminster, camp david. and here comes, after a difficult period, and this was almost a gamble by president carter to try to get the promise of the sadat visit being implemented. some kind of an achievement which would include the egyptian front, but also something the palestinians. and when the invitation came we didn't know what to expect.

remember, dayan had meetings with palestinians. i attended those meetings. he was trying to usher territories in the west bank from gaza to try -- [inaudible] and, you know, there was some cooperation from outside but it's difficult to do this kind of cooperation in the proper way because once a leak, i do think washington has any legs ever, but in israel they do happen occasionally. and the notion is that once you prepare something and jeffrey fall back, the last fallback becomes your position because it leaked. and we came to the israeli delegation, very few persons there with us, many have gone, but former chief justice brock was very instrumental their, the last part of the negotiations,

and a few others still alive. we thought maybe three or four days there, three or four days and then if we succeed to be, to have a continuity from there. it would be fine and if they on a criticism, it will be fine. but the u.s. people thought otherwise, and here comes, i must say i'm very critical of many of us, many critical of our president carter road, said over the years ever since, nobody can take from him investments at camp david. once they recognize that with all the criticism that is to for whatever happens. here the u.s. president invest

in it is not easy time. we seek iran out but it was iran been, the shop was crumbling. it was strategic situation and that's expected. here are the three leaders convening, and sometimes the notion of bringing a people together which represent sort of a life. and it seems that despite begin's ideological commitment, he understood the strategic notion, the strategic, major, major achievement that could be achieved. he said at the end of the conference, it sounds like if we

succeed with an agreement, it would be like in the declaration of independence back in 48. something very far-reaching. but wait, i didn't mention before that sadat came, begin grab the opportunity when sadat said he was coming. he sent him right away the invitation, and made it possible. i mentioned that because these two people were very different in many respects. i don't have much time as henry viii said. i won't keep you too long. [laughter] but you will forgive me, and these two people who are different. different, begin, and educated

-- a classic legal education. and immersed in jewish culture, in jewish history, holocaust, and then democracy, human rights, basic rights, the rule of law. and a sense of drama. and in that he was similar to sadat who also had a sense of drama. you could have a leader who is shy of these things. i don't want to go into names but i worked with quite a number of israeli leaders who would not seem as having a sense of drama. he had a sense of drama. and here is sadat who came to power in the 1970s. he was not interested in language come in drafting and all of that. and, but he had a kind of a

notion. into not -- in a way not comparing but president reagan in this country was not interested in the drafting. he has an idea. important idea. sadat had an idea. so here are these two people have a sense of drama and a sense of history, and they were, at camp david, and i think both of them felt that. here's president carter ready to invest in 10 days and begin uses a 10 days but 10 nights. it was 10 days and 12 not. the first five days were just, you know, each party giving their idea and so on with the papers, complaint and so. at the next eight days with a draft, 23 of them or so, and i

can speak from the israeli side. begin was very democratic. so he had all of us can be an everyday a few times. begin would sit and he would show him that everybody could speak. i was 31. i was dayan's assistant. was i to express views and opinions or whatever. i should be thankful i am there. he gave everybody the opportunity to speak their minds on either ideas and so one. and then there was the sign at issue in the palestinian issue. and the palestinian issue to an idea that begin came up with which he took from his mentor on autonomy. but the autonomy concepts were

very different between what begin had in mind and what the u.s. had in mind. any case, and he with egypt that was a question. we had a settlement there. what do we do with it? the air defense was built, and after i've wars as a major before, it's not easy to just get away with this. it was dayan's idea and dayan was a major player in coming up with ideas. ..

that's not what happened. the prime minister would say we

condition the approval and that i changed my sentence and i put it in the way that he had suggested which was of course he knew this in any case and then the palestinian economy, and some of us were -- we had the sense that it may lead to talk about it, but this was not the notion of the agreement. but then they suggested with some other members -- i remember

them telling me when we were flying from camp david to the ceremony in washington it seems that we are not abide the area meant into the securities and some other things. so of course there were ups and downs all the time before the end of the negotiations and they read. he wouldn't listen. a year and a half later i attended a meeting in the white house and this is where they

were brought into jerusalem and we are now on the eve of the yom kippur. behind it is a legendary story of the middle ages. it converts to christianity at this as i think about it. on this i said i will think about it. what is it? he dies and then gives this prayer and it's a legend but he says we are there with ministers

and when you see jerusalem i don't mean this and that. and that is his notion. [laughter] just imagine the situation. never heard about it in georgia. in any case, it conveyed the way that there was no press and it was a major -- i don't have the time to go into that major factor in the achievement and a member in the communication. a journalist said to me what's going on. >> we are not supposed to talk to you. goodbye. the next day there was a headline in the newspaper that attributed to me.

[laughter] one thing that ended in the bittersweet notion and a very important achievement on the settlement some of you may remember president carter believed that until the end of the palestinian negotiation which was kind of an open-ended promise for three months which was the negotiation of the treaty of peace with treaty of peace with egypt. a major difference. reagan was right and carter was wrong in this respect and misunderstanding. i don't think it was anything but forbid the militia.

it was a misunderstanding. how do i know? because the impeccable credentials. in the last few days of the negotiations, carter smartly chose to use two people from the delegations as the trusting group and liaison. he was the attorney general appointed to the supreme court and he was there and we were sitting and he came up with a formula to consult and explain what was achieved. and the last meeting he attended with carter and barack has his

notes and he didn't write a memoir. we have the conference here in washington which president carter, conveyed his understanding and his notes -- carter said it must be a misunderstanding which was probably the case that the relationship between them or not great before also. and if there is a new book he brings. okay let's leave camp david and run quickly through the rest of it. then there was a treaty of peace and it took five months or six months instead of three and had

a dramatic and with carter coming to jerusalem to finish because it got bogged down from november and in october, november the 60 the two major things, one was the relationship between the egyptian treaty and the palestinian economy and the other is the commitments that egypt had to the defense league versus the security commitments with israel. and finally, to the formula because they say a is b. that b. is not a. it was finished in march of 79

but meanwhile there was a lot of back and forth. i will say something on camp david. i'm sorry for taking your time. this strategic achievement is just so important and with the president of the united states i mentioned what they were and there is always a controversy whether the personality matters or ideas matter in the making of history. ibb the answer is simple. both make history. but in that respect, the two personalities of the people were so important despite the fact

that he had no experience so to speak and though jewish experience to speak and both came from such different backgrounds and that's why by the way they thought they shouldn't be needing too much. there were ups and downs. i remember this story that somebody put into the language that we have to respond to the messages to the government people, but i attended at the last meeting in august 81 in alexandria. as you know just five or six weeks later, said was sent in egypt. the meeting was after the new

election and some other things have happened including what was mentioned here before. you should have seen these leaders sitting there for 24 hours. the ministers were all there around and the atmosphere despite the background. of course carter is an engineer. there was no basis to not give up cyanide despite the agreement. don't even think for a minute that he will not fulfill his world. on the other hand when he said

-- leader in the middle east. you sometimes need it. but the agreement was a logical infrastructure even though people were trying to run away from it. while it was controversial in the arab world and many of on the conservative side, they mentioned before 36 years now and why we are not happy in the development of the economic relations i'm sure that the period shows in terms of its strategic development how

important it was. my last conversation with diane was the night after yom kippur. five days after the assassination and a week before he died. i could see what he said to me then the importance of the peace with egypt and the relationship with the u.s. there are two ways how to present a and b.. i don't have the time to go through the negotiations which is right in the way we took them seriously. the palestinians were not fair there and the egyptians were able to give up.

here the administration changed but the initial formula was they are not illegal but come to peace. on this basis many of the give and take were talked about in the united states and mistakes were made and i don't have the time to go into that. but let me just mention that again, we had at the beginning of a strategic dialogue with the u.s.. in the beginning he didn't have good relations i presume in any case at some point he decided to

apply to the heights in the middle of the talks and the u.s. froze the strategic corporations we had a period that wasn't great and then came lebanon that was a period of very heavy american involvement including sending people there and america began with the readiness to involve itself with peacekeeping but then there was the major attack the u.s. pulled itself out and these are all things that happened in the period in the summer of 82-83.

when we were in lebanon in the summer there was an achievement after a few weeks that he was hoping for a peace treaty which we don't have the time to provide remember it was a sad that he met the president elect and he requested to do the treaty of peace and so i wrote the memo and i was the legal advisers saying that we shouldn't be perceived as pressuring the international law if you have an agreement which is done. so i get the message to the foreign ministry legal adviser.

after we had the treaty of peace which was better than companies estimate we are not going to pressure anybody and it's not our way but if they would've would do the treaty of peace after what we did when we raised what happened with the palestinians, would it be fair he said. in any case they came out with a plan for rejuvenating the talks and it wasn't really the summer of 82 after the months and he was ordered to bring back the plan that was prepared and he personally didn't like it as he

said because the timing was inappropriate. and he told him look, give us a leeway to breathe before you come up with this kind of idea. and of course not much came out of it. it's kind of a description of the ups and downs but we had all the time. the lebanon agreement was achieved by the brokering in may of 83. it did not succeed -- it was a good agreement and it was involved and we took to the situations and it was called in agreement, not a peace treaty, but it gave hope for a country which is over its struggle and it didn't work but it had three

good effects. it shows that we were committing to leave lebanon when the time comes. and it gave the security zone that we had in lebanon meaning for quite a long time and it improved relations which were the result of the wartime and so on. schwartz was instrumental in the period of the service here for three major achievements. one was the inflation that we had at the time was finished

through american assistance at the time and we've had a reasonably good economy ever since. it started with a strategic operation with the u.s. and we institutionalized and 88 which again was still of importance and the free trade zone area. i didn't have time to go into the story of the inquiries and so on but this is something which as we look at those eight years the cornerstone of the camp david treaty of peace which made the historic difference on this very day i don't think anybody in this room would question that. and there were other things.

the ups and downs and still the middle east is the middle east. personally, i don't despair from peace at some point in a more competent despite. i didn't mention the nso the multinational force on cyanide, the nice president from them on un. before i -- that has nothing to do but i want to mention i think it's time that this person should be out from jail. i didn't know about anything going on but sent away from the embassy supposed fact.

at the end of his life supported the idea that it's time. many said enough is enough. it would be 29 years in november. thank you. it's also for the whole world the judgment for the whole world. i would like to wish all of us for the new world the vital relationship that should continue in those ups and downs but let's hope for others rather

than down. i don't despair of peace either. thank you very much. sorry for having kept you. [applause] time is short. i didn't have a prepared speech. let me cover what i was going to say significantly. how do i meet up with this tremendous diplomat? people often ask me he recruited me by telephone about 6,000 miles away sight unseen. i just closed the american embassy. jimmy carter shocked taiwan by

unilaterally breaking relations in the middle of the night. i had to back off of the american ambassador to close the embassy and deal with riots and demonstrations and so forth and so on and set up for the first time in the diplomatic history or the nondiplomatic history instead of the american embassy american institute in taiwan which was quite a challenge. thank goodness we have an act of congress to back that up. but i was deeply involved in this when the phone rang and my secretary said the tel aviv is coming. they said no its the american ambassador. so i got on the phone and he said i want you to be my dcm. i said i'm deeply appreciative of the offer but the fact is i've never been to israel, i

don't know the culture, i don't know the language. he said that's alright i want you to be my deputy. i don't think that my superiors would release me for this because we are in this very interested challenging new phase he said it's okay. well, i think on this one you would probably have to go to the very top. why don't you join me. i didn't join them in washington briefly and he said what, special envoy is leaving tomorrow as the person of a special envoy. when you come to the plane you get to see the country and talk with the staff and so forth. so i did and i flew back on the same flight with robert strauss who was a a big vip at the time

and who extremely frustrated with his conversation on the palestinian economy talks and so on. by the time that we arrived he delivered himself of some let's say trenchant remarks on dealing with menachem bacon except me on this roller coaster relationship between the carter and bacon administrations. sam was outstanding in so many ways and one of them was to handle a flood of congressional visitors and other vip including special envoys. bill strauss, fairbank later on, mcfarland and so forth and so

on. elliott is smiling because each and every one of those is a very special mission and produced fireworks in many cases. and sam's goal remained brief them and support them in every way that you can. but the key thing is to focus on developing and enhancing this relationship of peace between israel and egypt and hopefully others as while along the way. it was a tremendous achievement on his part. he had a fantastic stamina to go up to jerusalem in our and 15 minutes or an hour and a half and deal with the prime minister were the minister of this or that and so forth to bed drive back down to israel composting the table and so forth and doing it twice in one day was amazing

and it went on for eight years day in and day out so that his devotion and dedication and stamina were paramount in that respect. he was dealing with my knock -- menachem and the personality analysis. he was the disciple whose large portrait was on the wall and whose personal secretary by the way was none other than the father of netanyahu. he was tempered by the holocaust where his mother and father were slaughtered, his brother and his cousins were slaughtered. he was a veteran of the soviet seizure and he had been seized on stalin's orders and served in three different imprisonments.

he had been tempered by his early experience as rail for which he became the commander and dedicated to getting the british out so she could get more in so he was a wanted terrorist so there were posters and 10,000 pounds from the terrorist dead or alive. so he was in a state of hiding absolute hiding for years in that context. he had 30 years as pointed out in the political wilderness still be building up political following which in no small measure was the jews of north africa and the middle east, very important factor in his rise and