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Extensive correspondence archive between Jimmy Carter and Jimmy Lutzweiler, the archivist at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, containing 70 signed letters from the former American president which touch upon a diverse array of contents and themes, including religion, literature, history, politics, and much more. Dated from October 2000 to July 2019, the archive features 60 letters from Lutzweiler to Carter, who, in one of the upper corners, adds a handwritten response signed as either “Jimmy C.” or “Jimmy Carter.” Complementing these letters are 10 sent by Carter to Lutzweiler, including nine TLSs and one ALS (greeting card), each one page, personal letterhead, ranging in size from 6.5 x 8.5 to 8.5 x 11. Also included are four TLSs from Rosalynn Carter, also addressed to Lutzweiler, dating from 2007 to 2018.
The archive contains an exhaustive subject table that offers unique, educational insight into the personal thoughts, philosophies, and interests of the architect behind the historic Camp David Accords. Among this trove of topics, the correspondence touches on political issues and figures like the Israel and Palestine conflict, Zionism, Benjamin Netanyahu, Barack Obama, Donald Trump, and Vladimir Putin; historical and literary notables like Winston Churchill, Joseph Stalin, Dylan Thomas, Joel Chandler Harris, Martin Luther, and Mark Twain; religion and theologians like Paul Tillich and C. I. Scofield, as well as on noted Southern Baptists Paige Patterson, Paul Pressler, and Clarence Jordan; and popular personas like Jerry Falwell, Yasser Arafat, Dick Cheney, Dean Rusk, Ted Kennedy, Sandra Day O’Connor, and Willie Nelson, among others.
Highlights are as follows:
October 15, 2003: “Thanks for these interesting speeches, from the good times before creeds & disunity.”
August 22, 2005: “As usual, I’m pleased & intrigued by your letter. I pray for Christian reconciliation—although my forthcoming book may not help.”
Carter ALS from April 5, 2007: “Thanks for your letter of 3/19. Next time you’re coming to Plains, let me know so we can talk awhile…P.S. Keep me informed re the stomach patches to change sexual preferences of embryos.”
February 6, 2008: “You’re a superb correspondent. I enjoyed your various letters but wonder how many responses you receive. Best wishes & thanks for references to ‘Palestine—.’” Lutzweiler’s letter mentions Carter’s 2006 book, Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid.
March 20, 2008: “Thanks for the poem & lyrics. My sister may have preferred a Harley in hell than to be seen on a Honda—anywhere else.”
September 3, 2008: “It’s a great song. I played it low so Gloria wouldn’t hear it out at the cemetery. I don’t want her to envision Jesus on a Japanese motorcycle.”
February 23, 2009: “Thanks for the letters, & I enjoyed the sermon. Billy was the smartest, best-read, & most interesting member of our family—a vulnerable target of AIPAC because he hosted some Libyans in Plains.”
April 30, 2010: “Thanks. It’s an intriguing idea with some attractive features. Maybe the U.S. should threaten adoption as a tactic. Devastating to Israel.” This letter is about Virginia Tilley’s book The One-State Solution: A Breakthrough for Peace in the Israeli-Palestinian Deadlock.
Carter TLS from August 30, 2010: “Thanks for your recent letter and the enclosed material. I look forward to the publication of your article about my sponsoring the Holocaust Museum. It turned out to be quite controversial with the American Jewish community because one of the 51 members I appointed to the commission was an Armenian. Elie Wiesel was the chairman. We at The Carter Center maintain full time offices in Jerusalem, the West Bank, and Gaza, and I'll be part of an Elders delegation making a trip to the region in October. In the meantime we'll be watching Obama spar with the Arabs while supporting Netanyahu. The key is Israel's taking over Palestine, including East Jerusalem, a process that has been steadily increasing since 1979.”
June 11, 2013: “Good luck to Broadman and Holman! Your explanation of Tillich’s theology almost made me blow the dust off of my small Tillich library to read him with new insight…P.S. I don’t have any Rasputin books.”
July 29, 2013: “I hate to admit it but your writing is delightful. My youth was beneficially affected by J. C. Harris, as we read & re-read the inciteful [sic] and humorous stories—The Tar Baby didn’t seem racist in those days.”
March 1, 2015: “We did miss you in February, & have visited the Truman White House. Also, thanks for the Ty Cobb letter!”
March 16, 2015: “Thanks again! The Ty Cobb letter is really intriguing—from a baseball hero of mine. I’ve given Jack Colwell’s name to our pastor for a possible future invitation.”
February 19, 2016: “Thanks. I’d give up Darwin’s contribution & go with 4004 BC in exchange for JJ Taylor’s ‘No More War.’ Thanks for resurrecting ‘A Moment of Crisis.’ The letter to Obama may need a little editing.”
December 27, 2016: “We really enjoyed having Shelly and her auto driver! Your treatise re Luther was an eye-opener (to use one of the finer sensory organs) Come back to see us!”
September 26, 2017: “I read your remarkable poem, The Baptist jokes (I’ve heard better). The unforgettable letter I wrote, & the account of Lincoln’s Sunday visit. I like your comments re Dershowitz. How does Shelly survive? Give her my love.”
Carter TLS from January 11, 2018: “Thank you for sending me a copy of Redeemer Nation. It is a welcome addition to my collection, and I appreciate your remembering me in such a thoughtful way. Rosalynn joins me in sending you and Shelly our warm best wishes.” Carter adds four handwritten postscripts: “P.S. a) your letters never bore me & b) I will not ask Putin for the picture of the lamb. P.S. Your letters are very hard to answer. P.P.S. I have a broken wrist & can’t write well. PPPS: It’s too bad that Tuvesan didn’t write his book in 2018, after Trump & after my ‘Faith’ book, to be published before Easter.”
February 6, 2018: “I enjoyed the poem, but have only skimmed through the dark pages from Tom Watson’s files—because of dimming eyesight. I think his sexual indiscretion is at least partially absolved by the hospitals he sponsored…PS Rosalynn has been quite ill, but is recovering now.”
October 2, 2018: “I enjoyed all mine (or appreciated them). #8 was delightful, #5 is enclosed, & Billy would have loved #9. Brandon left Maranatha in Sept. & is still looking for the right ‘call.’ Re #4, I have painted Plains Baptist several times (canvas).”
Carter TLS from May 7, 2019: “Thank you for your most recent gifts. It is always a pleasure to receive your unique presents and thoughtful letters! Rosalynn and I are preparing for another Habitat build so the Ancient Carpenter’s Tools book may be of some use.”
July 30, 2019: “I haven’t passed, but have been partially incapacitated by a broken hip. I appreciate all of your ‘stories,’ including about Clinton…P.S. I listened to the CD. Many hymns, etc. Not about a conversion. I enjoyed re Martin Marty.”
In overall fine condition. The archive contains a Christmas card and a ‘thank you’ card that bears printed facsimile signatures of Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter.
A small number of the Lutzweiler letters are incomplete (i.e. missing their last page), and the majority of the letters are accompanied by their original mailing envelopes. Also included with the archive are printed and PDF copies of Lutzweiler’s 189-page unpublished memoir, Jimmy C. and Me: Jimmy L. The President and One of His Pen Pals, and a copy of The High Point Enterprise newspaper from December 18, 2016, which shows pictures of Carter and Lutzweiler together, images for the lead article, “The Two Jimmys” with subhead, “Jamestown man sings at former president’s church.” An impressive and sweeping correspondence from Jimmy Carter that spans two decades and covers no shortage of subject matter, both personal and professional; of further interest for presidential historians is the long list of literary titles mentioned by and presented to Carter, a prolific reader and writer who has authored more than 30 books, a feat unmatched by any other American president.
