March 21 1980 – President of the United States Jimmy Carter Announces a Boycott of the 1980 Summer Olympic Games in Moscow

262

Frustrated with a year-long heating up of the Cold War, President of the United States Jimmy Carter made a bold decision to show his disgust with the Soviet Union: American athletes would not attend the 1980 Summer Olympic Games in Moscow. In announcing the boycott on March 21, 1980, he told the would-be Olympians the “American people are convinced that we should not go.” In the wake of the US ending operations in Vietnam early in the 1970s, President Richard Nixon and his successor, Gerald Ford, pursued an aggressive policy of detente with the Soviet Union. By bringing Soviet Premier Leonid Brezhnev to the table for cordial discussions about the implications of tension between the two nations, negotiations for a draw-down of nuclear weapons stockpiles were achieved — the Strategic Arms Limitations Talks (SALT). When Carter took office in early 1977, relations between the two superpowers were at a high point. Not since the middle of World War II, arguably, had the Soviet and American governments enjoyed such fruitful diplomacy. Focusing on human rights violations, the new President immediately put himself at odds with leadership in Moscow. To some members of Congress, Carter appeared weak on the international stage, an opinion made clear when the Senate rejected his work on SALT II during June 1979. In the months before, developments in central Asia heightened mutual suspicion: the Islamic Revolution in Iran from January to February of 1979 caused a diplomatic crisis for the Americans. To the east, the unsettled Communist government of the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan felt under threat from all sides, with the Iranians, Pakistanis and Indians all contributing to regional upheaval as a nuclear arms race and destabilization took hold. In addition, within its own borders, Afghan leadership faced increasing challenges from revolutionaries in nearly every province — it seemed the only option was to turn to its long-term regional ally, the Soviet Union, for help. Members of the KGB filtered across the border to provide guidance and training to Afghan forces. Inspired by the violence, militants captured the US Ambassador to Afghanistan, Adolph Dubs, and demanded the release of a Communist leader in exchange. The Afghans refused despite urging from the Carter administration. Within hours, a botched raid on the Kabul hotel where Dubs was being held left the ambassador dead. The mysterious circumstances — some believe a KGB officer ordered the attack — deepened the strain on ties between Washington and Moscow. Initially, the Soviets provided logistical support and a few helicopters to their Afghan neighbors. By late fall 1979, the mountainous nation was quickly disintegrating. On December 27th, Soviet tanks rumbled across the northern border as aircraft flew bombing missions into Kabul. Within a matter of two weeks, more than 100,000 Soviet soldiers were in Afghanistan — and Carter was not pleased. Very quickly, the United Nations General Assembly decried the invasion. Dozens of countries, many of them Islamic, found ways to supply the predominantly-Muslim tribal warlords fighting against the Soviets in order to level the playing field against the technological superiority of the Red Army. Carter accused Brezhnev’s administration of using the invasion as “a stepping stone to control over oil supplies” in Afghanistan and installed a deadline of February 20, 1980 for the complete withdrawal of Soviet forces. The move had the opposite effect: in early March, the Soviets launched an offensive to capture larger swathes of Afghan territory. As part of a series of moves designed to apply diplomatic pressure on Moscow, Carter stood before dozens of American athletes and coaches on March 21, 1980. Believing they would be traveling to the Soviet capital for the Summer Olympics, the President delivered news of his decision to withhold US participation in the event to avoid the appearance of “approval of the foreign policy of the Soviet Union.” By making the call to boycott the Games, Carter added to a trade embargo already installed on grain exports while encouraging other nations to refuse to participate. Some did — Canada, West Germany and Japan — but others, namely Britain and France, ignored the request and allowed their athletes to compete. As he spoke to the athletes that day, the President touched on themes of shared sacrifice in order to demonstrate resolve in the face of Soviet action and political repression. In addition to costing the athletes a chance to compete, Carter had robbed NBC of the revenue generated by broadcasting the sporting spectacle. The suggestion the Americans could participate as part of a unified team led the President to promise restrictions on athlete passports. The court of public opinion, seeing evidence on both sides, understandably delivered an inconclusive verdict on the boycott. In an effort to pin the Soviets in Afghanistan, Carter pushed the UN to distribute aid in Iran and Pakistan, believing food and advanced weapons would prevent the Soviets from extending into other nations. Ultimately, the Afghans would force a stalemate during a nine-year conflict and force the Red Army to pull back in 1989. Angered by the negative attention thrust on them by Carter with the boycott, Soviet officials opted to return the favor to the Americans four years later and banned their athletes from participating in the 1984 Summer Olympic Games hosted by Los Angeles. Also On This Day: 1556 – Archbishop of Canterbury Thomas Cranmer is burned at the stake by Queen Mary I of England 1804 – The Napoleonic Code becomes official law for the nation of France 1857 – An earthquake near Tokyo, Japan kills more than 100,000 people 1952 – The Moondog Coronation Ball takes place in Cleveland, Ohio, regarded by many as the first rock and roll concert 1965 – Martin Luther King, Jr. and 3,200 others begin the successful march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama, two weeks after Bloody Sunday