President Jimmy Carter on Iran, religion, race and politics

Written by

In the years since he walked away from Washington, he set up the Carter Center in Atlanta, which has overseen elections, advocated democracy, and advanced public health initiatives all around the globe.

The 39th President of the United States has written more than two dozen books over the years. Some controversial. Others inspirational.

His latest is a reflection of his 90 years on the planet and musings, from his time as a child in Miss Julia Coleman’s classroom in Plains, Georgia, to the peanut farm nearby, to a Navy submarine, to the governor’s mansion and then, of course, to the White House.

KCRW’s Steve Chiotakis spoke to Carter about his new memoir, “A Full Life.”

On November 4, 1979, a group of Iranian revolutionaries, led by Ayatollah Khomeini, seized the American Embassy in Tehran, taking dozens of hostages and holding most of them until Carter left office.

Carter spoke about that event, as well as the debate over the current nuclear deal with Iran, in this first part of his interview.

When Carter became Governor of Georgia in 1971, he succeeded Lester Maddox, a staunch segregationist who refused to serve black customers in his Atlanta restaurant, in defiance of the Civil Rights Act.

In this second part of his interview with KCRW’s Steve Chiotakis, he spoke about how race relations have changed in America since that time, and the many challenges that still remain.