Camp David Summit - 1978

In 1978, President Jimmy Carter invited Egyptian President Anwar Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin to Camp David to negotiate a framework for peace in the Middle East. For thirteen long and tense days, the leaders and their delegations met at various locations around the retreat. The press was not allowed anywhere near the negotiations and were headquartered several miles away at the American Legion Hall in Thurmont.

There is no shortage of information on the internet about the Camp David Accords. The Jimmy Carter Library created a 25th anniversary collection of historical materials on their website that includes a daily narrative of the meetings at Camp David along with a related set of documents and photos.

There are well over a hundred photos of this historic event on the National Archives website. I went through the entire collection and identified representative photos from various locations around the retreat.


ARRIVALS AT CAMP DAVID

President Sadat and Prime Minister Begin arrived at Camp David in separate helicopters on September 5th. President Carter came the day before. Carter greeted each leader upon arrival and gave each a short walking tour of the retreat.

President Carter welcomes Egyptian President Anwar Sadat to Camp David - Sept 5, 1978  

President Carter walks with President Sadat from the helicopter landing zone to the Aspen Lodge

Jimmy Carter and Anwar Sadat have a discussion the next day on the Aspen patio

President Carter welcomes Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin to Camp David - Sept 5, 1978

President Carter shows Prime Minister Begin around Camp David  after his arrival

Jimmy Carter meets with Menachem Begin in his Aspen Lodge study later that evening

ACCOMMODATIONS AT CAMP DAVID

There were eleven residence cabins in 1978. President Carter stayed in his usual cabin, the Aspen Lodge. Prime Minister Begin was assigned to Birch cabin and President Sadat stayed in Dogwood cabin. National Security Affairs Zbigniew Brzezinski shared the Witch Hazel cabin with Chief of Staff Hamilton Jordan. Israeli Foreign Minister Moshe Dayan shared the Red Oak cabin with three others from the Israeli delegation. Some trailers were brought in to house members of the Israeli and Egyptian delegations. Because of space constraints, the countries had to limit the size of each delegation: Israel - 9; Egypt - 9; US - 11.

Menachem Begin stayed in the Birch cabin. He played chess on the deck outside with Zbigniew Brzezinski 

Anwar Sadat stayed in the Dogwood cabin

Jimmy Carter holds a discussion with Anwar Sadat inside Dogwood cabin

 Israeli Foreign Minister Moshe Dayan and Israeli Defense Minister Ezer Weizman stayed in the Red Oak cabin

Trailers set up at Camp David for members of the Israeli and Egyptian delegations

MEETINGS AT CAMP DAVID

The leaders and their delegations met at various locations around Camp David. Carter preferred holding the negotiating sessions in the cozy rooms of Holly cabin, rather than the more formal Laurel Lodge. He spent many hours meeting with his team inside Aspen. Sometimes he would meet with the leaders in their cabins. The beautiful terrace outside Aspen was also a site for some gatherings.

President Carter described the mood at Camp David in his opening comments at the Carter Center's Camp David 25th Anniversary Forum:

"We spent 13 days there. The first three days I attempted to have Begin and Sadat come together. The two men were totally incompatible. There was intense perturbation between them, shouting, banging on the tables, stalking out of the rooms. So for the next 10 days, they never saw each other."

Begin and Sadat greet each other outside Aspen Lodge

Carter, Begin, and Sadat hold a meeting on the Aspen Lodge terrace

Carter, Begin, and Sadat meet inside the president's small office/study in the Aspen Lodge 

Jimmy Carter, Anwar Sadat and Cyrus Vance meet in Holly cabin 

Jimmy Carter, Menachem Begin, Cyrus Vance and others meet in Holly cabin  

Zbigniew Brzezinski, Harold Saunders, Cyrus Vance, and Jimmy Carter meet in Aspen Lodge  

Begin and Sadat in a relaxed mood with members of their delegations at Laurel Lodge on the last day of the summit

RECREATION AND DINING AT CAMP DAVID

Pool table in Holly cabin (1980 photo)

A pool table and a movie projector were set up in Holly cabin to provide some recreation for the summit participants. 58 movies were shown over the thirteen days including "Dr Zhivago", "The Thomas Crown Affair", "Sleuth", "Hawaii", and "Return of the Pink Panther".

The leaders attended an evening performance by the Marine Drum and Bugle Corps which included a ten-minute "silent drill" performed by a precision rifle team with no verbal commands.

Other recreational activities included bicycling, jogging, tennis, swimming, and long walks around the retreat. Every morning, Sadat put on a jogging suit and took a brisk three to four mile walk around the camp.

The Israelis hosted a dinner for the Americans in Hickory Lodge on Friday Sept 8th to observe the beginning of the Jewish Sabbath. A separate section of the Aspen kitchen was designated for the preparation of the kosher food throughout the summit. Sadat always ate in his Dogwood cabin; Begin frequently ate at Laurel with his Israeli delegation; and Carter would eat his meals at both Aspen and Laurel.

Marine Evening  Dress Parade  near the  field house / helicopter area 

President and Mrs. Carter attend an Israeli dinner with the Begins in Hickory Lodge

Jimmy Carter speaks with Menachem Begin following a tennis match  

     Menachem Begin walks with Zbigniew Brzezinski                       Jimmy Carter talks to members of the Israeli delegation

President Carter accompanies President Sadat on his morning walk

THE CAMP DAVID ACCORDS

The three leaders flew together from Camp David to the White House on the evening of September 17th. They signed the Camp David Accords in the East Room at 10:30PM. The ceremony was broadcast live over nationwide television.

Camp David Accords signing ceremony of the White House - Sept 17, 1978

CAMP DAVID ACCORDS VIDEO

Scenes from the 1978 Camp David Summit narrated by Carter Press Secretary Jody Powell

Sources: Jimmy Carter Library; National Archives; People; The Day; The President is at Camp David; White House Diary: Jimmy Carter; The Carter Center; Youngstown Vindicator; The News Dispatch; Frederick News Post; Reading Eagle; C-Span

Putin at Camp David

President George W. Bush and President Vladimir Putin  at Camp David - Sept. 26, 2003 

President George W. Bush met with Putin at Camp David in September 2003 to discuss bilateral cooperation. According to this story in Pravda, the two leaders arrived at the retreat in separate helicopters and headed toward Putin's cabin (which looks like Dogwood from the above photo) in a caravan of 15 golf carts.

The full text of the remarks of President Bush and President Putin can be read on this archived version of whitehouse.gov.

Putin - Bush press conference at Camp David

President Bush and President Putin in a discussion in the Aspen Lodge

 

Sources: The White House; Pravda; AP,  Reuters;

Ice Skating at Camp David

Three children ice skating at Camp David in February 1962

The JFK Library recently released some photos of children skating on a frozen pond at Camp David in 1962. The children were not identified in the photo. The only reference I could find on the internet about ice skating at Camp David came from a 1963 newspaper article about Bobby Kennedy's 50 mile hike in response to President Kennedy's fitness initiative. The story mentioned that he went ice skating at Camp David with his family the following day.

Ice skating pond at Camp David - 1962

Sources: John F. Kennedy Presidential Library; The News and Courier

Skiing at Camp David

The Carter family cross-country skiing near Camp David in 1979

In his Sharing Good Times book, President Carter wrote about his family's winter activities at Camp David: "We enjoyed our first experience with cross-country skiing within the presidential retreat and along the hiking and equestrian trails in nearby state parks. We also had sleds and snowmobiles that we used on the steep slopes within the camp."

He went on to describe one mishap: "I was skiing down a steep slope near our cottage on very thin snow, hit an exposed rock, and broke my left clavicle just two weeks before my term as president expired".

This 1978 newspaper article describes President Carter's plans to have his family take up cross-country skiing at Camp David. He told reporters he thought the terrain at Camp David would be ideal and that they could follow the perimeter fence for two and a half miles.

The Jimmy Carter Library has all of the Carter Presidential Daily Diaries available online. The February 11, 1979 diary describes a day skiing around Catoctin Mountain Park; having lunch at the Misty Mount Lodge; and then skiing to the park visitors center. This March 1980 diary describes the President and his party departing Camp David on skis, briefly returning to Laurel Lodge and then going out again for more cross-country skiing.

Clintons skiing at Camp David

The Clintons also enjoyed cross-country skiing at Camp David.

President Clinton was quoted in a newspaper article about a 1994 trip to Camp David: "I didn't set any Nordic records yesterday cross-country skiing, but we had a wonderful time."



Sources: Sharing Good Times by Jimmy Carter; Gettysburg Times; Jimmy Carter Library; People; National Park Service; Milwaukee Journal

Snowmobiling at Camp David

President Ford riding a snowmobile outside Aspen Lodge. Dogwood cabin is in the background - February 1975

President Ford enjoyed riding a snowmobile around Camp David along with his daughter Susan. The Gerald R. Ford Library has recently digitized all of the photos taken during the Ford Administration. The Ford trip to Camp David over the weekend of February 8-9 1975 produced many photos of the President and his daughter snowmobiling that weekend. 

Susan Ford riding a snowmobile at Camp David with a friend and with President Ford - February 1975

The Secret Service purchased snowmobiles for use at Camp David during the Carter Administration. President Carter liked to go cross-country skiing with his family in and around Camp David. The Secret Service was concerned about the possibility of the President injuring himself while skiing and having no way to transport him back to camp for medical attention. 

Two days after the snowmobiles arrived at Camp David, they were put to use when President Carter took a fall while skiing and had to be brought back to the retreat on the snowmobile.

President Ford with his dog Liberty

Sources: Gerald R. Ford Library; The President is at Camp David; Spokane Daily Chronicle

President Obama at Camp David

As of 7/31/2016 -  Number of visits to Camp David:  39

Last Updated: July 31, 2016

2009
President Obama and his family spent their first weekend at Camp David in February 2009.  He described his visit to reporters:  "It was beautiful. The girls just had a great time. They had a lot of fun. You can see during the summer it's going to be a nice place to spend a lot of time."  He hit some golf balls and played basketball there that weekend.

In June 2009, Time Magazine reported that President Obama was going to make the Evergreen Chapel at Camp David his primary place of worship because his presence at local church services was often disruptive due to the security requirements. President Obama confirmed this in an NBC interview in 2010:  "We love the chapel at Camp David."

President Obama plays basketball at Camp David with senior staff and their family during a retreat on July 18, 2009 

According to the recently published book The Obamas, the First Lady planned a surprise birthday party for the President in 2009. On the first weekend in August, the first family headed to Camp David for a supposedly quiet weekend.  Upon arrival, the President was called to Laurel Lodge for an important phone call. When he walked in, his closest friends from Hawaii and Chicago, some college friends, and David Axelrod and Robert Gibbs shouted "Surprise!". They had all arrived the night before. They spent the weekend playing basketball, pool, golf, shuffleboard, bowling and Scrabble. Gibbs reported to the press upon returning to the White House that the President bowled a 144 that weekend.

Later in August, Boston University basketball player Sherrod Smith got the chance to play basketball with President Obama at Camp David. The story, photo and video about this opportunity is on the BU website. Politico reported that Oprah Winfrey joined the Obama family at Camp David for a "quiet weekend" also some time in 2009.


2010
The President and First Lady celebrated Valentine's Day at Camp David in 2010. Later in April, Michelle  took Malia and Sasha skiing for the day at Ski Liberty in Pennsylvania. The President met them at Camp David that evening for an overnight stay. President Obama invited the Cabinet secretaries and their families to Camp David later that year in October.

President Obama, VP Joe Biden, and Education Secretary Arne Duncan's daughter Claire watch a tennis match at Camp David during a Cabinet retreat held in October 2010

2011
After an eight month absence from Camp David, the Obama family celebrated Sasha's tenth birthday at the retreat in June 2011. They returned again a few weeks later for the Fourth of July weekend; also the weekend after that; and again in August after President Obama's 50th birthday; and over Labor Day weekend in September and Columbus Day weekend in October 2011.

President Obama playing with daughter Sasha on her birthday weekend in June 2011

President Obama in his office at Laurel Lodge - August 6, 2011

2012
In May 2012, President Obama hosted the G8 Summit at Camp David. View more photos of the G8 Summit. He returned a couple weeks later in early June for an overnight visit. For the fourth year in a row, the Obama family spent the long weekend prior to the Fourth of July (which is also Malia's birthday) at the presidential retreat. He returned to Camp David the following weekend. President Obama celebrated his 51st birthday there in early August and went back there with his daughters and their friends for a weekend at the end of the month. In mid-October, the President headed to Camp David to prepare for his last presidential debate.

G8 Summit dinner in Laurel Lodge

President Obama meets with leaders in Aspen Lodge

President Obama reads briefing material while meeting with advisors inside Aspen Lodge - October  21, 2012

2013
In January 2013, President Obama told The New Republic in an interview that he goes skeet shooting "all the time" with his guests when he's up at the retreat. Some people were skeptical about this and wanted to see some proof. The White House released the photo below on 2/2/2013.

President Obama took his 30th trip to Camp David the weekend following the Fourth of July holiday to spend time there with his family. On July 26th, he invited his Cabinet members and their families to Camp David for the day. President Obama returned to the presidential retreat for the weekend of August 3rd to celebrate his 52nd birthday on August 4th.

President Barack Obama shoots clay targets on the range at Camp David, Md., Saturday, Aug. 4, 2012. 

(Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

2014
President Obama went on a family trip to Camp David on the weekend of July 18-20.  He returned a couple weeks later (Aug 2-3) to celebrate his 53rd birthday. He went back again for a weekend stay in mid-September.

2015
President Obama's first trip to the retreat in 2015 was for a weekend visit (May 2-3). On May 14th, the President held a summit meeting with representatives from the six nations that form the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). He returned to Camp David the first weekend in August for an early-birthday celebration with his high school, college and Chicago friends.

President Barack Obama shakes hands with His Highness Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al Sabah, Amir of the State of Kuwait, as Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) leaders prepare to have a group photo with the President outside of the Laurel Cabin at the conclusion of a summit meeting at Camp David, Md., May 14, 2015. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

2016
President Obama celebrated his 55th birthday at Camp David a few days early over the last weekend in July (7/30-31).



DATES OF OBAMA TRIPS TO CAMP DAVID

The dates of the visits below came from various news reports and the GPO's "Public Papers of the Presidents" website:

2009:  Feb 7-8; March 7-8; March 21-22; March 27-29; May 23-24; July 3-4; July 18-19; Aug 1-2; Aug 21-23; Sept 2-6; Nov 7-8

2010:  Feb 14; March 26-27; July 2-3; Sept 3-5; Oct 2-3

2011:  June 10-12; July 1-3; July 9-10; Aug 5-7; Sept 2-5; Oct 8-9

2012:  May 18-19; June 2-3, June 30 - July 4; July 6-8; August 4-5; August 24-26; Oct 19-22

2013:  July 5-7; July 26; August 3-4

2014:  July 18-20; August 2-3, September 19-21

2015:  May 2-3; May 14; August 1-2

2016:  July 30-31


As of July 31, 2016
Total number of visits: 39
Total number of days at Camp David: 96



Sources: Huffington Post; CBS News; The Swamp; Politico; Washington Post; Time; New York Times; Obama Foodorama; The Obamas by Jodi Kantor; White House; GPO Obama schedule 2009; GPO Obama schedule 2010; GPO Obama schedule 2011; @MarkKnoller; GPO Obama schedule 2012; GPO Obama schedule 2013; GPO Obama schedule 2014;  The New Republic; Chicago Sun-Times; GPO Obama schedule 2015; GPO Obama schedule 2016

Winter at Camp David

Camp David in the winter - 1961

Located at an altitude of 1800 feet up in the Catoctin Mountains, Camp David is always cold and often snowy in the winter. The Aspen Lodge has a large stone fireplace in the living room along with a fireplace in each of the four bedrooms. Winter activities include sledding, skiing, ice skating, and snowmobiling.  President Ford used to enjoy going swimming in the middle of winter in the outdoor super-heated pool.

President Eisenhower watching grandchildren - March 1960 

David Eisenhower, grandson of President Eisenhower, recalls Camp David in the winter:

"In winter, before helicopters, access up the winding Catoctin roads was difficult, so wintertime visits were less frequent. But I do remember making my first ski run ever on the hill behind Aspen."

1961 photo of the former Laurel Lodge - now called Holly Cabin

Witch Hazel cabin in 1961

Ice Skating in 1962

Aspen pool in February 1971

President Ford riding a snowmobile in February 1975

President Carter sledding at Camp David

President Carter and Egyptian President Anwar Sadat - February 1978

President Reagan writing the State of the Union Address at Camp David - 1985

President Bush sledding with daughter Doro - January 1991

The Clintons cross-country skiing in 1994

President Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair

Sources:  Eisenhower Presidential Library; John F. Kennedy Presidential Library; Ronald Reagan Presidential Library; Gerald R Ford Library; Jimmy Carter Library; George Bush Library; The President is at Camp David; Time; People

Camp David Marines Reunion

President Eisenhower and his wife Mamie in front of Aspen Lodge - 1960

Camp David has been guarded by a marine company from Marine Barracks Washington 8th & I  ever since the time of  Franklin D. Roosevelt, when it was known as Shangri-La. There is an active reunion group for marines who served at the 8th & I Marine Barracks. The marines share their photos and memories on the 8th & I Reunion Association website and have a section dedicated to those who served at Camp David.

The reunion website contains an interesting collection of first-hand accounts of duty at Camp David by marines who served there.  One account describes the underground Command Center back in 1956:

"Under the President's lodge there was a Command Center, which he could enter by elevator from several locations within the lodge, including his bedroom. From the command Center, his image could be televised to any location in the world to assure people that he was alive and the government was functioning. There was a War Room from which a global war could be directed. There was a heavy security door leading into this area from the side of the President's lodge. A Marine, armed with a loaded M-l rifle, was always stationed at this door during a presidential visit."

The reunion website also includes many old photos of Camp David from back in the 1950s along with some more recent photos of marines serving there.

One of many images uploaded by former Camp David marines to their reunion website

Sources: 8th & I Reunion Association; Marine Barracks Washington