In some ways, the Soviet response was the most interesting. ‘From the outset the Soviet Union refused to accept the fact that the boycott was a reaction to the invasion of Afghanistan.’16 Among the explanations it offered instead were: that President Carter needed something to salvage his sinking popularity in an election year; that nato militarists wished to diminish the chances of peaceful co-existence; and that the Americans were unable to contemplate the thought of Moscow’s success as Olym- pic host.