AThe Morning Herald Hagerstown, Maryland Monday, August 07, 1972 - Page 2
Nixon Invites Fischer To Visit White House
NEW YORK (UPI)—President Nixon, the nation's no. 1 sports fan, is rooting for Bobby Fischer in the world chess championships and has invited the U.S. challenger to visit him in the White House—win or lose.
Life magazine said Sunday Nixon relayed his invitation to Fischer through Life photographer Harry Benson, who went from a White House assignment to Reykjavik, Iceland, where the chess match is under way.
Nixon, an avid sports fan, likes to call locker rooms to congratulate winning teams, once offered a football play to the Washington Redskins and recently drew up a list of his all-time, all-star baseball teams.
“Fischer listened with growing delight as Benson reported what Nixon had said, that he wanted Fischer to come visit him, even if he loses, that he liked him because he is a fighter,” Life said.
The magazine said Fischer, who has a “a high and earned respect” for the President, was “wowed” by the invitation.
The magazine also said that after almost torpedoing his title match against Russian World Champion Boris Spassky by his demands for more money, Fischer was ready to relinquish any share in the prize money “and play the match for nothing but the love of chess.”
Writer Brad Darrach, who said he has been seeing Fischer frequently for almost a year and a half, reported that Fischer showed him the first draft of the letter of apology he wrote to Spassky in which he “renounced any share in the prize money associated with the match.”
When Fischer asked Darrach what he thought of the letter, Darrach advised him to talk to his lawyer.
“Two hours later, his lawyer had talked him out of giving up the money. I often wonder if I said the right thing,” Darrach said.
