Tony Hall Remembers Jimmy Carter by Kristina Onder
By Kristina Onder
“Jimmy Carter was the smartest of all the presidents I served under, and I served
under five,” Former Congressman and Tony Hall said in a recent interview.
Although Congressman Hall worked only two years under the Former President,
Carter made a lasting impression on him.
“About every two months, Carter would invite a few of us in Congress to the
White House for dinner. For two hours, you could ask him any question. We asked
about nuclear weapons, taxes, foreign policy, the whole gamut, and he had tremendous insight on all of it.”
During his tenure, Hall worked with Former President Carter on a variety of
human rights issues.
“Carter made that a point of his foreign policy. It was unheard of before he
became President, and yet he was vehement about it,” Hall said.
For example, Carter negotiated with North Korea to end nuclear weapons
development. Hall made a total of seven trips to North Korea as chairman of the House Hunger Committee and as a congressional advocate for human rights from 1979 through 2002.
Hall’s only criticism of the Former President was about his organizational style.
“Carter’s only problem was that he was a micromanager. For example, he would
decide who played tennis on the White House courts and when they would play. You
can’t do that as President. Unfortunately, many other things were neglected because of that,” Hall concluded.
Hall was also impressed by Former First Lady Rosalynn Carter.
“She was very strong, smart, and able. She probably could have been an even
better President, because she was a better politician than her husband,” Hall said with a chuckle.
The Former First Lady passed away in November of 2023. President Carter, who
celebrated his 100th birthday on October 1st, 2024, and passed away last week.
Hall’s enduring affection and respect for both of the Carters is evident.
Hall said simply, “There hasn’t been a more moral couple
12/30/2024