Running the Cold War: Gender, Race, and Track in Cultural Diplomacy, 1955–1975

Abstract

On July 10, 1976, President Gerald Ford mingled with journalists and glamorous international travelers along the East Coast of the United States. He spent the afternoon in Plattsburgh, New York bidding farewell to the United States Olympic Team before its athletes departed for the Montreal Olympiad. 1 On the heels of recent bicentennial celebrations, Democratic challenger Jimmy Carter derided such events as “rose garden strategy,” canny campaign tactics, during an election year. 2 Yet Ford’s visit with elite athletes reflected diplomatic tradition, not merely a publicity stunt. Olympians had affected U.S. foreign policy since 1945. As celebrities and cultural politicians, athletes compelled presidential administrations to consider their power to cast abroad positive impressions of the United States. Presidents fostered connections with athletes who supported their agendas, and avoided contact with Olympians whose politics they disliked. During his brief presidency, Ford learned firsthand that sport could function as effective cultural diplomacy. His administration depended on multiracial athletes, male and female, to communicate nuances of foreign policy. Before his trip to the People’s Republic of China (P.R.C.) in December 1975, U.S. track and field athletes smoothed the turf the previous spring, on Mao Zedong’s invitation, during a massive goodwill exhibition. Amid critiques of détente, Ford sent athletes to Montreal to build popular expressions of patriotism at home and diplomatic friendships abroad.