Giving Credit Where Credit Is Really Due

Regarding Jim Murray’s splendid column on Paul Ziffren, I hasten to suggest we sort out who should get credit for what in the colossal success of the 1984 Olympics before those with little knowledge help time distort the facts of who really was responsible.

During capable Mayor Bradley’s campaign for governor, I heard it said frequently that he brought the Olympics to Los Angeles. He didn’t. Indeed, he wanted to send a letter to the International Olympic Committee saying we didn’t want the games. A letter was stopped short of the mails. Ask Councilman John Ferraro.

The man who never gets a mention but deserves undying credit for the Olympics is attorney John Argue. It was John who won a legal battle with the IOC at Athens over the financial responsibility of staging the games.

And it was Argue who got the blue-ribbon committee that selected the general manager for the Games to reconvene and take one more vote after it had bypassed a travel agent named Peter Ueberroth in favor of another. Ask Peter.

Before incompetents becloud the facts, let’s get The Times to print the true story of who did what because the Games of the XXIII Olympiad were too great to be confused with false credits.

PAUL B. ZIMMERMAN

El Toro