Dear Governor:
Rosalynn joins me in sincere congratulations to you on your nomination as the Presidential candidate of the Republican Party. I know you share with me an appreciation for the challenges our country faces and the serious choices before the American people this fall and in the years ahead. So that these alternatives can be clearly delineated, I suggest that we meet in a series of debates in the various regions of our nation. I would hope that at least three or four debates can be scheduled so that we can thoroughly discuss issues of national concern and of interest to the people of particular sections of our nation.
I look forward to a hard-fought and thoughtful campaign that will help to inform the American people about the complex and important issues which face the nation we both love and seek to serve.
Sincerely,
JIMMY CARTER
[The Honorable Ronald Reagan, c/o Detroit Plaza Hotel, Detroit, Michigan]
Note: On the same day, Deputy Press Secretary Rex L. Granurn announced during a news conference that the President telephoned Governor Reagan at 9:30 a.m. to offer his congratulations and suggest a series of debates.
Jimmy Carter, Telegram to Gov. Ronald Reagan on His Nomination by the Republican Party Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency Project https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/node/250762