U.S. President Reagan gives three former presidents a personal send-off as America’s emissaries to Sadat funeral 40 years ago this hour #OnThisDay #OTD (Oct 8 1981)

1980s, U.S. Presidents


Video: 'President Reagan’s Remarks with 3 Former Presidents on Anwar Sadat’s Funeral on October 8, 1981'

(Thursday, October 8, 1981, Reagan spoke at 7:20 p.m. EDT; during the Assassination of Anwar Sadat) — U.S. President Ronald Reagan hosted all three living former presidents — Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford and Jimmy Carter — at the White House tonight, expressing a “heartfelt thanks” to his three living predecessors “for undertaking this sad mission” to attend the funeral of Egyptian President Anwar Sadat.


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Sadat had been assassinated in Cairo two days before, on Oct. 6, 1981, by a member of a jihadist military cell during a victory parade marking Egypt’s crossing of the Suez Canal in 1973.

The three former presidents left the White House by helicopter to Andrews Air Force Base, where they departed at 7:45 p.m. EDT for Cairo to attend Sadat’s funeral on Oct. 10, 1981.