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>>GERRY: AS WE MARK THE 30THANNIVERSARY OF THE PAN AMERICANGAMES IN INDIANAPOLIS, OURLOOK-BACK CONTINUES WITH

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PERSPECTIVE FROM ANOTHER KEYPLAYER IN THAT MONUMENTALEFFORT.BILL BENNER HAS MORE IN INSIDE

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INDIANA SPORTS.BILL ...>>BILL: GERRY, THANKS.THERE WAS AN INSTRUMENTAL FIGURE

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IN THE SUCCESS OF INDY'S PAN AMGAMES, BUT HE DIDN'T LIVE HERE... HE WAS IN HAVANA, CUBA, ANDHE WAS FIDEL CASTRO.

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INDIANAPOLIS ATTORNEY MILTTHOMPSON WAS THE GENERAL COUNSELFOR THE GAMES AND AMONG THOSEWHO HAD TO CONVINCE THE DICTATOR

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THAT THE CUBAN ATHLETES WOULD BEWELCOME HERE.AND MILT JOINS US ON THE PROGRAM...

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FASCINATING STORIES.WE HAVE LIMITED TIME BUT HAVINGCUBA HERE WAS VITAL TO THESUCCESS OF THE GAMES.

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>> NO QUESTION ABOUT IT,THANKS FOR HAVING ME HERE, BUTHISTORICALLY THE MULTISPORTEVENT PRIOR TO OUR GAMES AND 87

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WHERE THEY LIST ANGELS GAMES AND84 WHICH WAS BOYCOTTED BY THEEASTERN BLOC BECAUSE OF OURBOYCOTT OF THE MOSCOW GAMES FOR

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THE SAME REASON SO WE HAD TOPERSUADE THE CUBANS TO COMESENSE THE NEXT PAN-AMERICANGAMES AND MULTISPORT EVENT IN

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ORDER THAT WE WOULD HAVE A GOODBUSINESS STORY BUT MOREIMPORTANTLY, WE WOULD HAVE THEKIND OF COMPETITION TO BE ABLE

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TO SELL TELEVISION ADVERTISINGAND SPONSORSHIPS.>> YOU HAD A FASCINATINGONE-ON-ONE WITH FIDEL CASTRO AND

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HIS OFFICE AFTER THE HOUR OFMIDNIGHT WHEN YOU TALKED ABOUTBASEBALL BATS.>> IT WAS AN INCREDIBLE

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EXPERIENCE.WE LEARNED WHILE WE WERE ON OURTRIP THERE ABOUT A TRADE EMBARGOISSUE AND THEY WANTED TO BE ABLE

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TO PUT ASHWOOD FROM INDIANA TO ALARGE PART OF OUR DELEGATIONFROM THERE, BUT THEY HAD TOIMPORT ESSENTIALLY THE EASTERN

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ALUMINUM BASEBALL BATS TO CANADAI WANTED TO KNOW WHY WE COULDN'T-- WHY IS HE CALLED WHY WE WOULDNOT ALLOW OUR MAJOR-LEAGUE

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BASEBALL'S TO USE ALUMINUMBASEBALL BATS AND I RESPONDEDTHAT I THOUGHT THE ARTIFICIALBASEBALL SURFACE WAS MORE

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DANGEROUS AND TO HIT A BEACHBALL BAT WITH THE MACHO PLAYERSAND HE WOULD HAVE TO ACCEPTTHAT.

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>> A FASCINATING STORY THATWAS CENTRAL TO THE SUCCESS OFTHE GAME WAS BEING ABLE TOCONVINCE THE BASKETBALL

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FEDERATION FOR THE WESTERNHEMISPHERE TO HAVE A GOLD MEDALBASKETBALL GAME FOR THE FIRSTTIME THAT.

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>> BEFORE WE COULD ACTUALLYBID ON THE GAMES THEY SENT MARKMILES AND MYSELF TO DO SOMEDIPLOMACY IN SOUTH AMERICA AT

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WHICH TIME WE HAD TO PERSUADETHEM ON COMPETITION ANDATHLETICS TO CHANGE FOR A GOLDMEDAL PLAY INSTEAD OF OUR OWN

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COMMERCIAL INTERESTS AND WE WEREABLE TO DO SO AND KNOW WHEN THEGOLD MEDAL GAME WOULD BE ON THESUNDAY AFTERNOON.

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>> I COVERED THIS, THE GIANTUPSET WAS OVER THE USA BY BRAZILAND YOU PRESENTED THE CIVILMATTER.

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>> NOT THINKING IT WOULD GO TODAVID ROBINSON ON THAT SIDE OFTHE SQUARE.THEY WERE NOT VERY HAPPY ABOUT

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SLIPPING AROUND IN THAT.>> AND THE VICTORY OVER THEUNITED STATES WAS THE FIRST TIMEIT LED US TO PUT PROS IN THE

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DREAM TEAM FOUR YEARS LATER INBARCELONA.LET'S TALK ABOUT AS WE LOOK BACK30 YEARS THE PAN AND GAMES -- IT

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SHOWED THAT WE HAD ARRIVED.>> WE WERE IN -- WE WERERECOGNIZING WE WERE MORE THANTHAT BUT IT REALLY DEVELOPED A

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COTTAGE INDUSTRY WITH RESPECT TOVOLUNTEERS AND IT BECAME PART OFTHE NATURAL DNA, WHICHULTIMATELY CULMINATED, AS YOU

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KNOW IN A SUPER BOWL, BUTNUMEROUS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS ANDOTHER KINDS OF EVENTS THAT HAVELED US TO BECOME ACTUALLY THE

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BRAND OF THE SPORTS CAPITAL OFTHE WORLD.>> AS WE LOOK AHEAD -- AND IKNOW THE FINAL FOUR SUPER BOWLS

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WE HAVE A CAN-DO ATTITUDE ININDIANAPOLIS COMING FROM THE PANAND GAMES.COULD WE EVER DO SOMETHING LIKE

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THIS AGAIN?>> I THINK THAT THERE WOULD BETHE WHEREWITHAL TO DO IT WHETHEROR NOT WE WOULD HAVE THE WILL TO

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DO IT IN TERMS OF OTHERPRIORITIES AND FACILITIES ANDHOW IT IS YOU WOULD UNDERTAKETHAT BECAUSE IT'S REALLY A

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FOUR-YEAR EFFORT IN TERMS OFORGANIZATION AND WE'VE JAMMEDTHAT END BECAUSE WE TOOK THEFALL POSITION FROM SOMEONE ELSE

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AND OBVIOUSLY THE PRINT QUID PROQUO FOR FIDEL TO ALLOW THOSEFOLKS TO COME THAT THEY WOULDHOST THE 1991 GAMES WHICH THEY

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DID.>> THANK YOU FOR THAT.WE COULD USE ANOTHER HALF-HOURPROBABLY TO TELL STORIES AND