AJudging by the tone of the author, his intent sounds somewhat genuine, but appears to be another American dupe, blissfully unaware he's merely rehashing Soviet Propaganda among the floods of derogatory Soviet fabrications printed in Western media, and is now guilty of recycling the same false stories, without even realizing it. He does not have his facts together. He failed to do any research or background investigation. Just read, repeat, recycle. Read, repeat, recycle. Very lazy.
International Chess
The general public's interest in chess is not too great at best. Most persons know it to be a game of intellectual skill and tactics.
The public's interest level goes up when an American gets to play for the world championship, especially against a Russian. ([and that's precisely why the Soviet saboteurs in Western Media have been pressing hard to strike back with vicious invective to malign Bobby, and knock out his support base]). There is some national pride at stake, so Americans want their man to do well.
And no doubt America's Bobby Fischer, who finally sat down to begin playing Russia's Boris Spassky in Iceland today, will do well. At 29, he is hailed as a chess genius.
But the public hasn't much patience with... ([all the details preceding the match, being suppressed such as failure to inform the American public, what exactly led up to Robert Fischer's retaliation. The background stories made it into the NY Times, but not much farther. The news media suppressed coverage of the dirty underhanded tricks and schemes by the Soviet organizers, carried on for months before Fischer stepped foot in Iceland. After which, when Fischer retaliates to the Soviet schemes and plots, suddenly, Soviet saboteurs go into damage control mode, unleashing a flood of unsavory nonsense in American and British newspapers... as if it “Fischer's reactions just came out of the blue”. Fails to elaborate on the finicky, overbearing demands and complaints of European organizers that led up to the match, refusing for months to properly communicate with Robert Fischer man to man to sort out details before match. Informs Fischer there's a contract he's neither seen nor read, but barks he must consent to it anyway. Belgrade's illegal demand of 35K USD "guarantee" refused by USCF! Australia's legal $225K bid snubbed by Russia, threatening they "would not play". USSR selecting Anti-American, RACIST Iceland who restricted entry of blacks and schemes to inhibit news coverage. Plot, by spreading gossip and idle rumors meant to incite anger spread by European organizers with goal of disqualifying Fischer and replace with the Soviet, Petrosian, etc. The western media left all those stinky, underhanded double-dealing, unethical stunts pulled by Soviet Chess Federation, out of the headlines for some odd reason!])
Rehashed Soviet Invective to Turn Public Interest Away From Fischer's Defeat of USSR 11 Jul 1972, Tue Longview Daily News (Longview, Washington) Newspapers.com
