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Such pre-emptive worrying paid off when the Soviet boycott came on May 8, just two months before the Games. Disaster threatened. The immediate objective was to hold down the number of countries dropping out, head off any impact on ticket sales and avoid the possibly ruinous prospect of having to return as much as $70 million to ABC if the actual viewing audience did not reach a pre-established total. Ready for the emergency, Ueberroth's men sprang. Experienced envoys quickly flew to assigned countries: Attorney Charles Lee to China, Savings & Loan Executive Anthony Frank to East Germany, Ueberroth to Cuba (Fidel Castro said he had to follow the Soviet lead, but agreed not to pressure other Latin countries to stay away). Later, chartered planes were dispatched to bring athletes from 40 African states.
Ueberroth always believed the boycott decision had been a very close call by the Soviet Politburo. He blamed himself for not dealing more directly with Soviet Party Leader Konstantin Chernenko, knowing, as he did, that Chernenko had suffered through the 1980 U.S. boycott with his mentor, Leonid Brezhnev. Ueberroth has the confidence to be this openly self-critical. It is partly a management technique, but associates say he will flatly reverse himself in the face of a reasoned argument.
A key target in the antiboycott battle was Rumania, with its outstanding athletes. But the Soviets had summoned President Nicolae Ceausescu to Moscow. The U.S.S.R. had already declared its own athletes would not be safe in Los Angeles; hence the boycott. The Rumanians had confided to Ueberroth that they wanted to use their presence at the Olympics as a nonpolitical way to stand up to the Soviets. But, they also told him warily, they dared not push too far. Before Ceausescu left for Moscow, Ueberroth met secretly with Rumanian Olympic officials at a Swiss hotel. He briefed them on exact details of how good the security arrangements really were. They listened intently. It was a moving experience, Ueberroth recalls, watching them prepare to challenge the U.S.S.R. The Rumanians had no idea what lay ahead. A few days later, after Ceausescu's journey to Moscow, Rumania announced it would come to Los Angeles. Ueberroth glowed at the news. The Rumanians went on to an excellent Olympic performance, winning 53 medals.
As the opening ceremonies drew nearer, all of Ueberroth's top managers were laboring seven days a week. The strain was palpable, but not paralyzing. On one occasion, the pressure did get to the boss. When he believed ABC was reneging on full payment because of the boycott, Ueberroth went into a rare fury. Disgusted after one conversation, he threw the telephone to the floor and throughout the Games treated network executives icily. (ABC ultimately paid in full, and for good reason: 180 million Americans watched, more than any other TV event in history.)