Three Negro Harvard Grid Stars Support Boycott of Olympic Games

Three Negro, All-Ivy Harvard football players have written a letter to the New York Times is support of the proposed boycott of the 1968 Olympics by certain Negro athletes.

The letter, written by Thomas S. Williamson Jr. '68, John D. Tyson '69, and Stanley E. Greenidge '68, criticizes a column on the boycott by Times sports-writer Arthur Daley as insensitive "to the morale stamina of black athletes in this country." The letter appeared yesterday.

Daley's column, according to the letter, "glosses over the moral implications of individual protest and opens the way for a romantic portrait of the Olympics as a shrine to brotherly competition and good sportsmanship."

Calling Daley's description of Jesse Owen's appearance in the 1938 Olympics as "indeed moving," the letter states that Owen's "inspirational performance has done little to correct the suffering and humiliation that still characterize the situation of black people in America."

"These young men are willing to sacrifice long-nurtured ambitions and almost certain glory for the affirmation of an ideal," the letter continues. "They are saying to their people and the world that gold medals and momentary plaudits are meager consolation for being denied the fundamental right of human dignity."

The boycotters," the letter continues, "choose to stake their reputation on principle rather than athletic contests."

Williamson said last night that there were racist implications in the reaction to the proposed boycott. "People are reluctant to look at black athletes as individuals," he declares, "it's easier to think of them in terms of points scored and yards gained."

Williamson scorned the argument that Negroes have an obligation to compete in the Olympics as an inspiration to their people. "The Negro community is quite aware that it has a lot of fine athletes," he said.

Williamson emphasized the amount of training and dedication an Olympic performer needs and concluded that not all black athletes could be expected to make the sacrifice of a boycott. But he added, "It's a very limited kind of pride you build on points and scores. It dies quickly. But the kind of pride they are building is something that is going to be important for years to themselves and to their people.

"I think Olympic glamour pales alongsaid that," he said.