Statement by William J. Burns on Passing of President Jimmy Carter

For Immediate Release: December 29, 2024

Statement by William J. Burns on Passing of President Jimmy Carter

We join our nation in mourning the loss of President Jimmy Carter. His grace, dignity, and profound commitment to improving the lives of others, both when he was in public service and as a private citizen, inspired so many here at home and around the world.

As President, he faced strategic challenges that remain remarkably familiar to us today, including worldwide terrorist threats, a dangerous Iran, and Moscow’s invasion of Afghanistan. Amid a tumultuous Middle East, he successfully brokered the Camp David Accords that led to the Egypt-Israel peace treaty in 1979—a linchpin of modern regional relations and US engagement. It was a historic achievement that was made possible, he later said, by “CIA and intelligence community heroes who have never been recognized.”

President Carter understood that good intelligence—delivered with honesty and integrity—was the foundation of good policy. I can think of no better role model than Jimmy Carter for a life lived in service to others. We offer our deepest condolences to President Carter’s family, friends, and the many people whose lives he changed for the better.

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