Flashback Detroit 1968

In yesterday's edition, The New York Times ran a fascinating and little-known story about Detroit's dogged campaign to bring the Olympic Games to Motor City, USA ("Flashback Friday: Detroit’s Olympic Dream").

http://london2012.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/05/25/holdflashback-friday-detroits-olympic-dream/?ref=sports

Writer Joanne Gerstner recounts that Detroit bid an astounding seven times; first in 1944, then from 1952 through 1972, and she details the 1968 bid effort that included a series of films that featured Detroit Mayor Jerome Cavanaugh and Michigan Governor George Romney.  The film is reminiscent of the documentary style of the time, and while the technical quality resembles a home movie, it is remarkable for its content as a bid city marketing piece of nearly 50 years ago. 
 
Part 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l9uWSNbHEps&feature=youtu.be
Part 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1jaBGXMOGzk&feature=relmfu
Part 3: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6yUzHRcchBM&feature=relmfu
 
In 1963, after the USOC designated Detroit as its applicant for the 1968 Olympics, President John F. Kennedy filmed a message to the IOC, saying the city would give “the warmest and most cordial welcome in the U.S.”  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Di6YmCLZgc
 
The article leaves readers pondering "what if," and speculating how a city's hosting of an Olympic Games might impact its course of history. 




 

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