Cold War Olympics: A New Battlefront in Psychological Warfare, 1948-1956
The political tension of the Cold War bled into the Olympic Games when each side engaged in psychological warfare, exploiting sport for political ends. In Helsinki, the Soviet Union nearly overtook the United States in the medal count. Caught off guard, the U.S. hastened to respond, certain that the Soviets would use a victory at the next Olympics to broadcast their superiority over the Western world.

Following the 1956 suppression of the Hungarian uprising, a Soviet athlete struck a Hungarian opponent in the Melbourne water polo semifinals, turning the pool red. The United States covertly encouraged Eastern Bloc athletes to defect, communist Chinese agents nearly succeeded in goading the Taiwanese government into withdrawing from the games, and a forbidden romance between an American and Czech athlete resulted in a politically complex marriage.

This history describes those stories and more that resulted from the complicated relationship between Cold War politics and the Olympics.

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Cold War Olympics: A New Battlefront in Psychological Warfare, 1948-1956
The political tension of the Cold War bled into the Olympic Games when each side engaged in psychological warfare, exploiting sport for political ends. In Helsinki, the Soviet Union nearly overtook the United States in the medal count. Caught off guard, the U.S. hastened to respond, certain that the Soviets would use a victory at the next Olympics to broadcast their superiority over the Western world.

Following the 1956 suppression of the Hungarian uprising, a Soviet athlete struck a Hungarian opponent in the Melbourne water polo semifinals, turning the pool red. The United States covertly encouraged Eastern Bloc athletes to defect, communist Chinese agents nearly succeeded in goading the Taiwanese government into withdrawing from the games, and a forbidden romance between an American and Czech athlete resulted in a politically complex marriage.

This history describes those stories and more that resulted from the complicated relationship between Cold War politics and the Olympics.

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Cold War Olympics: A New Battlefront in Psychological Warfare, 1948-1956

Cold War Olympics: A New Battlefront in Psychological Warfare, 1948-1956

by Harry Blutstein
Cold War Olympics: A New Battlefront in Psychological Warfare, 1948-1956
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Cold War Olympics: A New Battlefront in Psychological Warfare, 1948-1956

Cold War Olympics: A New Battlefront in Psychological Warfare, 1948-1956

by Harry Blutstein

Overview

The political tension of the Cold War bled into the Olympic Games when each side engaged in psychological warfare, exploiting sport for political ends. In Helsinki, the Soviet Union nearly overtook the United States in the medal count. Caught off guard, the U.S. hastened to respond, certain that the Soviets would use a victory at the next Olympics to broadcast their superiority over the Western world.

Following the 1956 suppression of the Hungarian uprising, a Soviet athlete struck a Hungarian opponent in the Melbourne water polo semifinals, turning the pool red. The United States covertly encouraged Eastern Bloc athletes to defect, communist Chinese agents nearly succeeded in goading the Taiwanese government into withdrawing from the games, and a forbidden romance between an American and Czech athlete resulted in a politically complex marriage.

This history describes those stories and more that resulted from the complicated relationship between Cold War politics and the Olympics.

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9781476686875
Publisher: McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers
Publication date: 12/17/2021
Pages: 260
Product dimensions: 6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.52(d)
Age Range: 18 Years

About the Author

Author and freelance journalist, Harry Blutstein is also a fellow at the University of Melbourne. He lives in Melbourne, Australia.

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments
Author’s Note
Preface
Chapter 1. Let the Cold War Olympics Commence
Chapter 2. Red Road to Olympus
Chapter 3. Dress Rehearsal
Chapter 4. Sotto Voce
Chapter 5. Stumbling Toward Melbourne
Chapter 6. Sport, Art and Opera
Chapter 7. Long Journey from the Night
Chapter 8. Should the Show Go On?
Chapter 9. Operation Griffin
Chapter 10. Games Within the Games
Chapter 11. Nina Vanishes
Chapter 12. The Making of an Olympic Hero
Chapter 13. The Lovers Who Came in from the Cold
Chapter 14. Sport über Alles?
Chapter 15. Blood in the Water
Chapter 16. Political Football
Chapter 17. The Games End, for Now
Chapter 18. The Freedom Tour
Chapter Notes
Bibliography
Index
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