A Moment of Crisis is a significant addition to the library of English-language books that examine the first North Korean nuclear crisis of 1992–94. For the first time, former president Jimmy Carter has opened his personal papers and those of his most trusted advisor and note taker, his wife Rosalyn, to the public regarding his June 1994 visit to Pyongyang and meetings with the now-deceased North Korean leader Kim Il Sung. We learn for the first time of Carter's previously private discussions with President Bill Clinton and his closest advisors and with South Korean president Kim Yong-sam.
At the time of Carter's visit, the U.S.–North Korea nuclear negotiations were deadlocked. Despite Washington's warnings, Pyongyang had broken its promise and begun to refuel its nuclear reactor. The Clinton administration prepared to urge the United Nations Security Council to impose economic sanctions on North Korea. North Korea declared that such a move...