Dropping the Torch: Jimmy Carter, the Olympic Boycott, and the Cold War
"Meticulously researched and engagingly written, Dropping the Torch will stand as the standard account of an episode that Americans might well wish to forget: the Carter administration's clumsy attempt to lead a boycott of the 1980 Moscow Olympics. Cold War historian Nicholas Evan Sarantakes has reconstructed the whole story in all its intricacies and ineptitude, revealing just how close the Olympic movement came to destruction. A truly fascinating piece of political, diplomatic, and sporting history."  - Nicholas J. Cull, University of Southern California, author of The Cold War and the United States Information Agency, 1945-1989"Well-written, thoughtful, and detailed international history. A brilliant example of the intersection between sports and diplomacy. Sarantakes has written the definitive history of the 1980 Olympic boycott."  - Mitchell B. Lerner, Ohio State University"Sarantakes successfully blends the history of sports with international relations. He provides an excellent overview of an often ignored, but important, chapter of the Cold War, one that helped reignite the conflict fully in the late 1970s. Thoroughly researched and well written, it is highly recommended reading."  - Kyle Longley, Arizona State University"This book is a scathing critique of President Jimmy Carter's decision to boycott the 1980 Moscow Olympic Games in response to the Russian invasion of Afghanistan, arguing that Carter failed as a trusted president because of his poor judgment. Based on exhaustive research into several archives, newspapers in seventeen countries, and published sources in five languages, Dropping the Torch is well contextualized with chapters on the Russian invasion, Richard Nixon's policies on Olympic sports, and the Moscow Games. This volume is essential reading for anyone interested in the exercise of presidential power, Cold War history, and sport history."  - Steven A. Riess, Northeastern Illinois University"Dropping the Torch is one of the most engagingly well-written, well-researched, and strongly argued books I have read over the last decade. Sarantakes tells the fascinating story of America's 1980 boycott of the Moscow Summer Olympics in a manner that successfully integrates diplomatic, political, and international sports history. His portrayal of the clash between President Jimmy Carter and Lord Killanin is both dramatic and tragic and brings home the enduring issues of reconciling moral questions with international politics."  - Thomas A. Schwartz, Vanderbilt University"...an excellent new book." -Robert A. Strong, Journal of American History"...an excellent book that should be read by anyone with an interest in the 1970's, the Carter administration, American/Soviet relations, or the history of the Olympics." -Andy DeRoche, Presidental Studies Quarterly"...the book is engaging and thoroughly researched.  Recommended." -Choice"Strongly researched and soundly argued, Sarantakes deftly forges  connections between the international athletics and high-level  geopolitical diplomacy. In doing so, he has set a new standard in the  study of sport and international relations. _Dropping the Torch_ is on  the whole an exemplary piece of Cold War scholarship." - Thomas M. Hunt, SAIS Review"...Dropping the Torch is an engaging read that makes a meaningful  contribution to the fields of sport history and diplomatic history.  Sarantakes' use of the Olympic games as a lens for understanding  foreign policy is a fresh and exciting perspective. Overall, he does  an excellent job in demonstrating the importance of interrogating  sporting events for the greater meaning they reveal about the wider  world." -- Robert J. Turpin, Journal of Sports History"...unconventional Cold War history at its best." -Jeff Bloodworth, Canadian Journal of History"...Sarantakes's study is worth reading due to the rich material from a large number of archives and the attempt to focus not only on the United States, but to integrate different points of view based on newspapers and sources from several countries." -Stefan Wiederkehr, Diplomatic History