We do know that its rustic buildings are in a beautiful, forested setting — ideal for world leaders to deliberate on the major issues of our time. Thus, the Carter/Begin/Sadat Middle East Summit took place on the mountaintop in September 1978.

Into the first week, before the world press discovered they were in for a marathon news embargo, a rumor started through Thurmont 's American Legion press headquarters that President Jimmy Carter would host an evening of entertainment for his guests that night. A select pool of representatives of the White House press corps would be invited.

Figuring I'd like to represent the local press in that privileged group, I phoned Tom Mills, for decades the managing editor of this newspaper, to see what he could do. He talked with the White House, and many tense hours later, after their security cleared me, my name finally turned up on the official list. I was assigned a bus number!

By 6:30 there was a long row of buses in the parking lot across from the Legion, each person checked and double-checked before climbing aboard. There were more buses than required for the small press pool; we discovered President Carter had also invited families of Camp David's Marines and staff. The buses trundled up the curving mountain road, unloading one by one at that intimidating gate.

By now it was dark. "Have any zipper bags open so we can get you in quick!" announced a Marine, shuffling through my bag. Another said "Right this way, ma'am," shunting us onto a rough path lined with Marines who helped us over tree roots on our way toward the helipad/parade ground, then escorted us to bleachers beyond the ones filled with families.

In the darkness 175 Marines from the Marine Barracks in Washington waited in formation. Finally the lights came up and President and Mrs. Carter, President Anwar Sadat, and Prime Minister Menachem Begin and his wife arrived, each on the arm of a beribboned Marine in dress blues.

The Marine Dress Parade is something to behold; they have been performing these Sunset Parades in Washington since Thomas Jefferson 's time. The Marine Drum and Bugle Corps began playing a medley of patriotic tunes. The rifle drill team came on, its elite corps of expert young men performing a dazzling "silent drill," tossed bayonets flashing.

Then the three world leaders stood on a spotlit platform to review the troops. More music, ending with a lonely solo of taps.

The program over, photographers swarmed out of the stands to get photos of the three leaders in profile, shots you knew would grace major magazine covers the next week.

Word spread of a reception, but for us press folk it was back to the buses.

I wrote at the time: "It's hard to conceive what must be on the minds of those three men as they pause for a public event: Sadat looking so formal; Begin like everybody's grandfather, though on the stern side; Carter smiling that broad smile we know so well. All we could do was wish them health, strength, wisdom and patience — and privacy — as the buses wound back down Catoctin Mountain."

annblove@comcast.net