By James Calemine
This letter from Jimmy Carter to Hunter S. Thompson serves as a taste to my upcoming article about the relationship, correspondence and encounters between Carter and Thompson. Thompson played a role in getting Carter elected President in 1976. This letter can be found in Fear And Loathing In America.
Hunter S. Thompson admired Jimmy Carter since Thompson witnessed Carter’s Law Day address at the University of Georgia on May 4, 1974. In fact, he would write, “I have never heard a sustained piece of political oratory that impressed me any more than the speech Jimmy Carter made on that Saturday afternoon.” Nearly two years before the 1976 election Thompson began acting as an informal advisor to the Georgia Governor’s nascent presidential campaign.
February 5, 1975
Plains, GA.
To Hunter Thompson:
We’ll contact your friend Dixon.
Maybe I’ll see you while campaigning, unless you’ve graduated to favorites & are traveling with Scoop. Everything looks good so far. It’s a great country & I am enjoying the campaign & intend to win. Come see us.
Jimmy