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Ann Arbor, MI 48106 THE GOLDEN OPPORTUNITY: A STUDY OF THE ROMANIAN MANIPULATION OF THE OLYMPIC MOVEMENT DURING THE BOYCOTT OF THE 1984 LOS ANGELES OLYMPIC GAMES Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate School of The Ohio State University By Harold Edwin Wilson, Jr., B.A., M.A. ***** The Ohio State University 1993 Dissertation Committee: Approved by Barbara A. Nelson Co-Adviser Nancy S. Wardwell School of Health, Physical Education and Receation E. Garrison Walters Approved by Co-Adviser School of Health, Physical Education and Receation Copyright Harold Edwin Wilson, Jr. 1993 Dedicated to the Romanian athletes who gave their lives in the revolt of December, 1989 The time you won your town the race We chaired you through the market-place; Man and boy stood cheering by, And home we brought you shoulder-high. To-day, the road all runners come. Shoulder-high we bring you home. And set you at your threshold down, Townsman of a stiller town. -- A.E. Housman "To an Athlete Dying Young" (1896)* * Richard Ellmann and Robert 0 ’Clair, eds., The Norton Anthology of Modern Poetry (New York: W.W. Norton & Company, Inc., 1973), 98. 11 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS One thing that has become evident upon completion of my graduate studies is that it is very much a cooperative effort. In recognition of this fact there are a number of people who have played a significant role in my academic endeavors. Without them I would not have the opportunity of writing these words. I owe a special thank you to my advisory committee, Drs. Barbara Nelson and Nancy Wardwell, for their encouragement and support. Words cannot express my sincere gratitude to Dr. E . Garrison Walters who provided invaluable insight, suggestions and guidance. An educational experience is much more fulfilling and rewarding when one enjoys a mentor/student relationship. Dr. Walters has provided such an experience for me throughout my college career at The Ohio State University. I would also like to thank Dr. Rodica Botoman who instilled in me a deep admiration and affection for Romania, its people and culture. Other professors who have played a significant role in this project, and to whom I owe a debt of appreciation, are iii Dr. Robert L. Bartels, Dr. Michael Berkowitz, Dr. Michael W. Curran, Dr. Virginia Gordon, Dr. Thomas L. Minnick, Dr. Charles Patterson, Dr. Daniel Z. Rosenberg and Dr. Mac Stewart. I would also like to express a special thank you to my colleague Peg Fabbro who was always there when I needed to test out a new idea or for moral support. Many people outside the university community also had a strong impact on this study. I am very proud, and appreciative, that Dr. David B. Funderburk, former United States Ambassador to Romania (1981-1985), and Mircea Raceanu, former Chief of North American Affairs in the Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs under Nicolae Ceausescu, believed enough in my project to freely supply their rich experiences and expertise with me. It is through their cooperation that this study was made truly original. I would also.like to thank Dr. Wayne Wilson, of the Amateur Athletic Foundation, and Mr. Robert J. Christianson for their support and encouragement. Mr. C. Robert Paul, Jr., Special Assistant to the Secretary General of the United States Olympic Committee, has also been a great source of encouragement, inspiration and friendship over the years. In conclusion I would like to express my sincere appreciation to my sister, Michele R. Toney, entertainment editor of the Columbus Dispatch, for her i V support and expert editorial skills. She polished off the rough edges and made me seem much more literate than I am. Finally I would like to thank my parents for their undying support and understanding throughout my life. This accomplishment is as much theirs as it is mine . VITA February 16, 1954 ................ Born - Dayton, Ohio 1979 .................. ............ B.A., The Ohio State University, International Studies 1982 ............................... M.A., The Ohio State University, Phys. Ed./Sport History 1980-1984 ......................... Teaching/Research Assistant, International Studies and Center for Slavic and East European Studies, The Ohio State University 1980 Internships, British Olympic Association; United States Olympic Committee 1987-1991 Academic Adviser/ Grad. Admin. Asst., University College, The Ohio State University 1992 P.E. Instructor, "Contemporary Issues in the Olympic Games," The Ohio State University VI PUBLICATIONS "Peril in the Air: The Story of a Navy Flier," Naval Aviation News. Jan.-Feb. 1987, 26-28. "The Coach Who Didn’t Beat Michigan," Ohio Magazine. August 1990, 31-34 & 62-64. The Twentieth Century: Great Athletes (Pasadena, C A : Salem Press, 1992), Biographies of Dick Fosbury (p. 783), Don Quarrie (p. 2051) and Renate Stecher (p. 2399 ) . FIELDS OF STUDY Major Field: Health, Physical Education and Recreation Studies in Sport History, specializing in the Olympic Games Vll TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS......................................... iii VITA........................................................ vi INTRODUCTION................................................ 1 CHAPTER I: Olympic Politics............................... 9 The Ancient Games......................................... 9 The Modern Games......................................... 11 Sport in the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe, 1948 to 1984......................................... 17 Romania and the Olympic Games.......................... 25 Notes................................... .................. 32 CHAPTER II: Romania - A Brief Modern History........... 37 Romania, 1877 to 1948................................... 37 Gheorghe Gheorghiu-Dej and Nicolae Ceausescu, 1948-1965............................................. 39 The Maverick of Eastern Europe, 1965-1989............ 44 Notes...................................................... 57 CHAPTER III: Prelude to the 1984 Olympic Games........ 61 The Preliminaries, 1970-1980........ 61 The Soviet Boycott Crisis, 1980-1984................. 63 The Soviet Boycott Decision, February-May 1984...... 68 The Soviet Boycott and Eastern Europe................ 74 Notes...................................................... 79 CHAPTER IV: Romania and the Boycott of the 1984 Olympic Games................................. 83 Romanian Foreign Relations, January-May 1984.......... 83 The Soviet Olympic Boycott Movement................... 86 Romania and the 1984 Olympic Boycott.............. 87 Romanian Foreign Relations, May-July 1984........ 97 The Games of the XXIIIrd Olympiad, Los Angeles..... 102 Notes..................................................... 107 Vlll CHAPTER V: Conclusions.................................. 113 Notes.................................................... 119 CHAPTER VI: Epilogue: Romanian Sports, 1984 and Beyond..................................... 120 Notes.................................................... 131 APPENDIX A: Charles G. Cale Interview, March 2 & 8, 1993.................................. 134 APPENDIX B: Department of State telegram from American Embassy Bucharest to Secretary of State, 7 June 1984................................. 147 APPENDIX C : Dr. David B. Funderburk, former U.S. Ambassador to Romania, letter to author, 17 September, 1992................................. 150 BIBLIOGRAPHY.............................................. 153 IX INTRODUCTION "Truth, like most other commodities in Romania, has been in such short supply for so long that to this day conclusions are best treated as preliminary. Throughout ray undergraduate, and continued, interest in Romania I have found this statement to be