In the summer of 1979, with inflation surging at double-digit rates and an energy crisis raging, then-President Jimmy Carter invited leaders from all walks of life to meet with him at Camp David. On July 15, he spoke to the nation from the Oval Office.In the summer of 1979, with inflation surging at double-digit rates and an energy crisis raging, then-President Jimmy Carter invited leaders from all walks of life to meet with him at Camp David. On July 15, he spoke to the nation from the Oval Office.