The Lincoln times., 1956-05-07
Negro Athletes
Doing Fine Job
As Ambassadors

ment officials call them diplomats
in short pants"
For the Negro athletes who have
won laurels in America and who
now are touring free world coun-
tries as good will ambassadors un-
der terms of the Smith -Mundt Act
it's an apt name.
Officials here point proudly tC
huge turnouts in such countries as
Africa and India as testimony tc
the athletes success in refutine
Communist propaganda about the
treatment of racial minoritieS il
the United States.
An example is the reception Ma
Whitfield, tWo-time Olympic 300
meter champion, received in thf
Belgian Congo last year.
Native drums pulsed through
the Congo for three days herald
ing Whitfield's arrival to COM
pete against the fleetest runners
i'm Africa.
ChallengerS came from remote
villages to meet the famous Ameri-
can Negro athlete on his good will
tour sponsored by the State De-
partment.
JUST PLAIN FEET
But when Whitfield put on his
track shoes. a rumble of protest
broke out.
Talking excitedly, the Africans
pointed to Whitfield's feet ano
shook their heads.
mo magic!" they shouted.
"NO magic!"
Whitfield blinked. Then he un-
derstood what the rhubarb was
about.
They thought his spiked shoes
gave him magic" that enabled
him to beat other men of all ma
tionS.
Doffing the shoes, w h it f lie 6
eingerly tested the ground with
his bare feet. At the signal. with
jungle hardened natives sprintine
in a wild pack at his heels, the
Olympic champion sped over the
rough course in a race to defend
his reputation as one of the fast
est runners in history.
Cheers went up from the spec
tators as the American flashed
across the finish line an easy win
ner, but his feet were torn, raw
and bleeding.
The crowd roared again when
he awarded his magic shoes" tC
the runner-up.
ONE OF MANY
Whitfield's African tour was one
of the pioneer ventures marking
the new twist in American coun-
ter-propaganda.
We're sending out all kinds Of
leading Americans as ambassa-
doris of good will to other nations
under the Smith Mundt Act
which provides for cultural ex-
changes with II free world coun-
tries" says Harold Rowland. chief
of the State Departments pro-
gram.
"SOme are Negro athletes.
Others are scientists, artists.
writer's, educators. farm experts
and SO on - white and cOlOred
representing all walks of life."
Countering the influence of pro-
Communist Negro Paul Robson
officials point to the pro-Ameri-
can exploits of Whitfield anc
others, including DR.. Ralph j
Bunche, 1850 Nobel Peace Prize
winner; Olympic champions Jesse
Owens. David Albritton and Har-
y'isnn Diilard: Roy Campanells
and Jackie Robinson of the Worlo
champion Brooklyn Dodgers; the
Harlem Globetrotters; Metropoli'
tan Opera star Marian Anderson
and countless others.
State Department officer How.
land said Negro emissaries have
been amazingly successful ir
combating Soviet propaganda
abroad.
They're not political propagan.
dists. But in a quiet way, they
serve as a living refutation tt
Connie lies and distortions about
life and opportunity in the United
States. And the kind of good viii
they're winning is SO spontaneous
genuine and sincere that 1t just
couldn't be bought - not for q
billion dollars"