... , as the campaign for the White House was winding down in 1980, Carter dispatched Armand Hammer to the Soviet embassy to seek Moscow's help in manipulating the voting in the U.S.
Armand Hammer, a longtime KGB asset, was a friend of the Kremlin since the days of Lenin. Hammer told Soviet Ambassador to the U.S. Anatoly Dobrynin that President Carter was "clearly alarmed at the way things stood in the election campaign" against Ronald Reagan, an episode described in Peter Schweizer's new book Reagan's War.
Hammer told the Soviet ambassador that if Moscow would make a gesture boosting Carter's popularity--such as increasing Jewish emigration in time to make a difference in several key states -- "Carter won't forget that service if he is reelected." Such a gesture might also improve President Carter's image as someone who could deal effectively with the Soviet Union, Hammer informed Dobrynin.
Schweizer found repeated instances where Carter attempted to persuade the Soviet dictatorship to act for his own benefit or against his adversaries. Now n research fellow at the Hoover Institution, Schweizer drew in part on formerly secret archives from behind the Iron Curtain.
Dobrynin recalled that after the meeting cited above, he sent a quick message to the Politburo explaining what the Carter White House was asking. In the end, writes Schweizer, "the Soviets decided to let Carter sink. The presidential election was close, and it would be wise to keep open lines to both sides."
A similar incident took place in January 1984, when Carter himself had a private meeting with Dobrynin at the latter's residence to express concern about the U.S. military buildup during President Reagan's first term. As recounted by Dobrynin, Carter explained that Moscow and the rest of the world would be better served with another man in the White House. Unless someone else was elected, "there would not be a single agreement on arms control, especially on nuclear arms, as long as Reagan remained in power."
When Carter personally approached the Communists, they were busy torturing, terrorizing, and murdering millions in Afghanistan. Yet Carter is portrayed as a longtime champion of human rights and is the most recent recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize.
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