Inevitable Confusion

When Rumania held her Olympic trials in the silhouette target-shooting event, crack Pistolman Panait Calcai scored twelve points over the official world record. At Helsinki, Calcai did not shoot as well, placed sixth behind Hungary's winning Karoly Takacs (TIME, Aug. 11).

One evening last week, on Helsinki's main business street, the Aleksanterinkatu, the Rumanian marksman showed why his mind may not have been on his targets. As a West German newspaperman watched, Calcai rushed from a shop where his Communist guard was buying some bananas. The newsman took him in tow. That night Calcai stayed at the home of the business manager of one of Finland's top liberal dailies. Then he dropped out of sight.

The manager of Rumania's Olympic team blandly explained that Calcai was reluctant to go back because he had embezzled 50,000 Finnmarks ($216.45). Probably a lie.

In Washington, Secretary of Commerce Charles Sawyer, a longtime sport fan, suggested to International Olympic Association President Avery Brundage that he invite two other Communist-country athletes to come West. He became ecstatic in his desire to "lift the Iron Curtain enough" to bring Czechoslovakia's fabulous triple gold medalist, Distance Runner Emil Zatopek, and his javelin champion wife, Ingrova, to the U.S. for a barnstorming tour. Said Sawyer: "It might be the beginning of a new program for mankind . . . the first step toward a permanent peace ... It appears difficult to work it out in the area of politics and armies. It might be easier to begin to work it out in the area of sport." Obviously nonsense.

Paris' Communist L'Humanite, chagrined over France's bad showing (eighth place) in the Olympics, found an alibi. After scanning the French team roster, it discovered that capitalist weaklings had gummed the works in Helsinki. L'Human-ite's excuse for France's flop: ''Of 275 team members . . . there were only 28 workers and four peasants." Undoubtedly the correct Commie line.

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