US flag in flap at Moscow games

The US government, the Soviet Union, and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) are in dispute about the American flag. The issue: Is it to be flown in Moscow during the Olympic Games?

Washington says, flatly, no.

The US Embassy here has told the Soviet government Washington is opposed to any flag-flying of any kind, down to table flags at banquets, Monitor correspondent David K. Willis reports.

The United States, boycotting the games to protest Soviet troops in Afghanistan, wants to dissociate itself in every official way from the Moscow events.

But Monique Berlioux, director of the IOC, told newsmen late Tuesday that Old Glory will indeed be flown in Lenin Stadium -- after the 1980 games have closed. The US flag would be hoisted in conformity with the IOC charter, to signify that Los Angeles will be hosting the games in 1984, she said.