 Well in 60 and I've been involved in the Middle East ever since and so our lives are just you know That's why I thought you'd want to listen. Here's what we're gonna do Let's do your birthday first because I'm doing a special on your birthday with your friends are in it And then what I don't do finish I thought you might write out for me and give it to Don. Maybe we can do that because I Okay, talk about what stirs within you as you reach this birthday. Well They don't come as a surprise anymore. I've had quite a few of them. This one will be the 36th anniversary of my 39th birthday. I like to think about it that way ever since Jack Benny I know cleared the way for all of us, but No, I don't really have any no special memories of which birthday was the best for you and Well, you're truly know I'm kind of I'm kind of a happy fellow. It just seems to me that Times keep on being good all along the way. Are you sentimental about birthdays? Not too much. No, I really am not Is there one birthday that you remember more than any other or? Oh Never I don't give them that much thought. I haven't thought about any game. You a good answer on birthday Do you do you think you earned your how do you think you earned your wrinkles? Oh Well, I guess Just for the things I imagine that they've probably been earned more ever since I I left show business and Got into this business that I'm in Although I have to say Sometimes being under contract to a studio Could could add a few wrinkles and has the presidency done anything for you on your birthday. Oh No, it hasn't made any change. I mean, are you are you you're very it's very rare to wait reach a milestone So don't you have any sentimental or reflections on it? Just I'm I'm most grateful for all the blessings that have been mine Did the attempt on your life make you appreciate life more? Oh, yes No question about that Well, you just well when I heard afterward About you know at the time I didn't even know I'd been shot afterward when I began to read some of the doctor's statements about How close I was to not having any more birthdays? I decided that any time That I was kind of blessed with a miracle and any more time that I had I Ode to someone else did it make you more religious? Yes in what way what it made me as I say believe That Someone's hand was on my shoulder through all of that and that's who I mean by someone else Do you have the same enthusiasm for life that you did? Oh, yes I mean what 20 years ago. Did you have the same enthusiasm for life? Well, that is that it seemed to that seemed to grow Yeah Yes, I do I do love life and I Mean the same as you did 20 years ago. Yes You don't want to reflect on that Once your secret everyone's wondering you're so vigorous and Happy and what's the secret to your sunny disposition? Well, I've I've always lived by some by a simple faith and by Some rules of conduct I like people and Therefore I like what I'm doing. I appreciate very much this opportunity to to be of service why Well because Someone much wiser than me once said life begins when you begin to serve and Now I've had this opportunity to serve and how have you followed that? well as I say I'm Let's put it this way. I'm happy in my work Do you what one thing do you think you've done for humanity in your 75 years? Oh dear? I I don't think I could answer that I I Just know that I want to keep on trying if you had three wishes that could be fulfilled on your birthday What would they be? Oh my goodness, they'd be the same things I pray for every day. Give me another three But I can continue to do This task that has been given me in such a way as to serve my Lord and In doing that serving my fellow man and therefore One wish would be to continue doing that as long as I'm assigned to this position to bring the world closer to peace if I possibly can and I guess to Continue the preservation that so many have Contributed to of peace and freedom here in our own land But are you more scared about life since you got hurt and since you won't back? No, no, I can say that that didn't happen I just You just go back. There's there's someone else who I think has this say so over my life and You're really religious But but is there one thing that you want on this birthday that you've never had before I mean, are you missing anything in life? well If I am I'm too stupid to know what it would be No, I'm very happy Do you want to say anything about the birthdays of a Martin Luther King's birthday today because last night Jimmy Carter said he Ode his presidency to Martin Luther King So if you want to get sent man on the blacks and Martin Luther King's birthday Well, one group that helped you become president like he did well Yes, and this morning I had a very Heartwarming time. I went out to the school here in Washington that we have formed a partnership with when I say we I mean the White House And where I have a pen pal and we regularly exchange letters and to speak to all those students and all that group In that school the Martin Luther King Yeah, and your school but but I'm so afraid of the timing so I can get that from the transcript But I mean did someone group like Martin Luther King who helped Jimmy become president help somebody help you in your life and the to become president and One group or a well Trudy You know the strange thing is I never set out to have a Public office career. I was very happy in my work. I never was quite sure how I got talked into this but I'm most grateful to whoever did because This is I say has maybe because it is service has been the most exciting Rewarding thing that I've ever done in my life and When you say thank you there. I'm afraid your article wouldn't be long enough. I look back over my life and One of the things that helps me now with regard to Doing things for others is when I can look back and see now How many places along the line? someone Gave me a hand someone did something that opened another door for me and Without people of that kind and I just like to I'd like to be a person of that kind Also that is doing the same thing for others. I think you are let's turn to the Middle East and what we didn't finish Would you answer sir Don because I really want this to be a super birthday story on you I specialized in that if you read my Hussein one I gave him my Hussein one to read a 50 Read it and maybe we can do this through Don because but Ed wants her into Middle East Why haven't you visited the Middle East as president? Don't take notes because you can't be nervous. We're taking it I Think it's just a case actually I Have let others more or less determine the schedule and the Limited ability you have to make trips and so forth and to receive Visitors here, but would you like to go them? Oh, yes. Yes There are places that I've got sort of on a list that before I'm through I want to do Want to and want to go to but I think that I have to more or less rely on our diplomatic or and all as to Since you can't do everything at once to set the schedule of of where my trip but you're not afraid to go Is it risky for you to go now? Oh, I think it's risky for me to go down to the corner, but I'm not going to stop going down to the corner But would you think of going to the Middle East while you're president? Yes, is it risky for Americans to go there now? Well, I think that in all fairness We in government Must not hide from the American people and right now the spread of terror tourism and the fact that some of the most maniacal of the terrorists have singled out the United States As a as a target that I have to say I think all our people Must be very careful Until we can get a better handle on this terrorism in 86 Would you plan a trip to the Middle East and visit with the Arab countries? I don't think I don't think that I can pick a time as to when it to when we would do it But I've never ruled it out Could Duffy said he wants you to visit his tent would you would you invite him here? Or would you consider having a dialogue with him? You did so well with Gorbachev Would you consider I think? There'd have to be some great changes in mr. Gaddafi for us to have a dialogue because of His continuing monologue For instance, what would he have to do? Well for one thing this dream that he has of a almost world revolution in which they would create a great Islamic State Which He himself Indicates could only be done with extensive bloodshed and terrorism and assassinations and so forth That I Think that that that isn't a dream. That's a nightmare. Do you have a lot of frustration in trying to take military action? Well the frustration we have with all of the terrorist things is that to how to respond legitimately and without endangering Innocent people to simply respond and commit a terrorist act of your own in response to one That's not an answer to the problem But if you our problem has been one that let's take the two great tragedies in in Lebanon for our people the bombing of our embassy and The number of deaths there then the bombing of our Marines and that horrible They died in vain No, no, I don't but I do know this that That in both of those cases the perpetrators Were also destroyed. They was those were suicide missions So when you think of striking back you have to think but how can we find who was responsible who sent them? Who talked these poor phonetics into giving up their lives in this way with a promise of a quick trip to Paradise and then When you These last two events again the perpetrators are either dead or wounded in hospitals team and our prisoners now and should be prosecuted but again the Establishing of the connection and I think that we have sufficient evidence that this group did have the backing of Gaddafi and the support and Again You can't just strike blindly at the Libyan people so We're going to continue. I'm very proud of the fact that since this terrorist war began We have improved our intelligence to such an extent and our coordination with other countries that we have headed off and Aborted a hundred and twenty six planned How can you persuade your allies that the dilemma is different for them that it is for you that they have to see your Dilemma the way you see it. Well, it should be easy for them to see because They are more a target as to the these episodes these incidents happening in their territory There had been far fewer such episodes or terrorist bombings and so forth in our own country and I can't help but think when we've seen on television the Precautions that have now been taken the men carrying machine guns sub machine guns in the airports to protect innocent people and so forth Do they want to go on that way? Is that how they foresee the years ahead of a constant armed guard of that kind every place where innocent people congregate or can we find an answer to Isolating and then bringing some reason To this and ending this terrorist threat is the key of the Palestinian homeland For as the root cause. Well, no, I don't think that that's the root cause and I do believe this also However, that is we've said for you Terrorism isn't the Palestinian homeland important it it is being used as an excuse by some for their Own goals and their own aims, but we have said that in any peace negotiations And we still are not retreating from our desire to bring about such negotiations an Arab Israeli peace But that will have to deal with the problem of the Palestinians those who have become Refugees and are without a home and you promised who's saying about the arms sales to Jordan Are you gonna? How are you gonna follow up on that? I still think that this is a right thing to do And this man has shown his sincerity and his desire to help bring about peace and in so doing He has incurred the enmity of some very Hostile and so he needs a partner now, so and he needs he needs this help now at the same time Having endangered himself and his country he must be able to say in continuing his efforts to his own people that he is prepared to protect them and At the same time we will not retreat from our pledge to Israel that we will never see them suffer a qualitative disadvantage So I think that I think that this is absolutely essential if we're to have the trust and confidence of some of the Moderate Arabs who also want peace as we do can't you help our thought sit down? I mean if you talk with our thought or and then he could help who's saying No, we can't talk to him until he makes one change Yeah, but he'll never do that so you could make him moderate because you you have great persuasive powers I don't think so don't wouldn't you like to have that as your as your biggest accomplishment of breaking this deadlock? Oh, yes, but let him talk about the palace. Yes, if it breaking the deadlock. Yeah, but in this particular case You talk about persuasion Arafat knows what is keeping him from participating in the discussions It is the fact that he refuses to acknowledge the right of Israel to exist as a nation Now how can you then deal with someone and talk about peace? Between Israel and the Arab nations when he denies that Israel should even exist So you don't think terrorism's root cause is a homeland for the Palestinians. No, I don't really I think it is It's giving a great excuse to some of these people who have their own goals and their own targets So how can we stop terrorism in Qaddafi? well, I Think that if more countries will join us in isolating him so that he realizes He is isolated from and are you gonna help are you gonna persuade them that it's a dilemma? Well, we've we've made our beliefs known and we have a mission going forth now with the Secretary whitehead he's traveling to nine countries in ten days. Thank you very much. Okay, let me let me just fin end it with this What is your policy in the Middle East? The policy in the Middle East? You want me to talk about his plan is to try and is to try and Bring about the same thing that happened between an Egypt and Israel to bring about a Peace in which the Arab states which heretofore have denied the right to exist of Israel to bring those And there are those who are moderate such as King Hussein has proven to bring them together with Israel and to have a settlement in which The peace is drawn instead of all of them having to live constantly with armed forces Ready at any moment for armed conflict to wear like other countries and more of what is more common now in Europe Other places they can have confidence That they have agreements with their neighbors and they can live peacefully together and can the Soviet Union be in there, too You want them involved? Well, I think since the Soviet Union does not recognize Israel either Something would have to happen before They could I think that the Soviet Union could take some steps and And that might qualify them to be a participant in this but your peace plan is not dead Is it? Oh, no, I'm not dead at all Can I do the balance of this with him on the Middle East and then let him work on it? Because I wanted a thorough one on the Middle East and your birthday one. I'll do with John Is that okay? Maybe you could answer Because I got Mike Deaver and all those kind of people wanting me to do a special on your birthday And I really want to but it's hard to do it when you when when I can't hear he listen to you Because I think I won't get the right things in Alright