Muhammad Ali’s invitation to White House to view fight with George Foreman

Muhammad Ali’s invitation to White House to view fight with George Foreman

Lynda Carson - May 9, 2025

There’s no doubt that Muhammad Ali was the greatest, and the Ken Burns documentary about Muhammad Ali that I watched on PBS was riveting, and better than other documentaries I have seen about Muhammad Ali.

However, during the documentary, I do not recall that they ever mentioned that on October 15, 1974, Muhammad Ali offered the President, his family, and the White House aides the opportunity to watch Ali’s fight with George Foreman, affectionately called “The Rumble in the Jungle,” via direct closed circuit television. Nor could I find it being mentioned in other documentaries, or in the news reports.

Considering that the government tried to destroy Muhammad Ali’s life for refusing to fight in Vietnam https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clay_v._United_States , I was surprised when I discovered that Muhammad Ali graciously offered the President, his family, and the White House aides the opportunity to watch Ali’s fight with George Foreman in Zaire, via direct closed circuit television.

George Foreman did not make such an offer to the White House.

While Muhammad Ali was in Africa for the Muhammad Ali Tour, the fall of Saigon occurred on April 30, 1974. The notorious Henry Kissinger was involved in a scheme to rip off 15 tons of gold from Vietnam at the time, after the fall of Saigon https://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2025/04/30/18876030.php .

Additionally, Ali had many problems in Africa during the Muhammad Ali Tour due to numerous complications, from what I have read.

However, according to a request that I dug up dated October 15, 1974, to the government (see below), it stated:

1. MUHAMMAD ALI REQUESTS DEPARTMENT TRANSMIT
FOLLOWING "SINCERE" MESSAGE TO THE WHITE HOUSE:

"DEAR MR. PRESIDENT: IT IS MY WISH THAT YOU, YOUR
FAMILY AND AIDES HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO WITNESS
VIA DIRECT CLOSED CIRCUIT TELEVISION MY CHAMPIONSHIP
FIGHT WITH GEORGE FOREMAN FROM KINSHASA, ZAIRE,
ON TUESDAY, OCTOBER 29, AT 10:00 P.M. EST.

I WOULD LIKE FOR YOU TO BE MY GUEST AND WILL PROVIDE
A DIRECT CLOSED CIRCUIT TELECAST TO THE WHITE HOUSE.
I HOPE YOU WILL ACCEPT MY INVITATION. MAY I HEAR
FROM YOU SOON? SINCERELY, MUHAMMAD ALI."

2. ALI REPRESENTATIVES FURTHER INSISTED THAT
MESSAGE WAS "NOT A STUNT IN ANY WAY"
AND THAT EMBASSY ASSISTANCE REQUESTED TO
INSURE "SAFE, RELIABLE AND SPEEDY" TRANSMITTAL
TO THE WHITE HOUSE.

3. IF OFFER ACCEPTED, CLOSED CIRCUIT HOOKUP
WOULD BE HANDLED BY VIDEO TECHNIQUES, CO-PROMOTER
OF MATCH, SPOKESMAN TOLD USIS OFFICER.”

Remarkably, in a 1974 October 26, 03:18 (Saturday), reply I dug up to Muhammad Ali from the White House (below), it states;

“PLEASE CONVEY FOLLOWING MESSAGE TO MUHAMMAD ALI: THE
PRESIDENT HAS ASKED ME TO THANK YOU FOR YOUR THOUGHTFULNESS
IN OFFERING TO ARRANGE FOR A CLOSED CIRCUIT TELECAST TO THE
WHITE HOUSE OF THE OCTOBER 29 CHAMPIONSHIP FIGHT IN
KINSHASA. UNFORTUNATELY THE PRESIDENT WILL BE TRAVELING
OUTSIDE WASHINGTON AT THAT TIME AND WILL BE UNABLE TO
TAKE ADVANTAGE OF YOUR KIND OFFER. WARREN RUSTAND,
APPOINTMENTS SECRETARY TO THE PRESIDENT.”

It may be that Ken Burns and others overlooked the Muhammad Ali request or offer to the White House, or they did not know about it, and it disappeared into history until I dug it up for people to read about in this story.

At the time Ali extended his gracious invitation to the White House, Gerald Ford was the new president then after Richard M. Nixon a.k.a. Tricky Dick resigned in disgrace from office on August 8, 1974, over the Watergate fiasco https://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2025/05/06/18876203.php .

The Muhammad Ali Tour and Fight With George Foreman:

According to some of the reports I have been reading about in regards to the Muhammad Ali Tour in Africa back then, it appears that the government was keeping a very close eye on Muhammad Ali at the time, and may have been spying on him.

As it turned out though, the Muhammad Ali and George Foreman boxing fight known as “The Rumble in the Jungle,” finally happened, and Muhammad Ali became the world’s heavyweight champion boxer again, despite all the reported problems that occurred at the arena where the fight occurred.

According to a report below that I was able to dig up, it states;

1. “WITH MORE THAN 60,000 ZAIRIANS ROARING THEIR
APPROVAL AT EVERY PUNCH WHICH BROUGHT MUHAMMAD
ALI THE WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT TITLE IN HIS OCT30 MATCH
WITH CHAMPION GEORGE FOREMAN, THERE IS NO QUESTION
THAT THE FIGHT WAS A COMPLETE SUCCESS IN LOCAL EYES.
AND, FORTUNATELY, IT WAS AN EXCITING FIGHT, FOR THE LAST-
MINUTE CHAOS LEFT ALL FOREIGN MEDIA -- PARTICULARLY THE
HIGHLY VERBAL AMERICAN CONTINGENT -- PRIMED ONCE
AGAIN TO ROAST ZAIRE AND ITS HIGHLY-TOUTED "SUPERFIGHT
OF THE CENTURY".

2. THE REASON: A THOROUGHLY MISMANAGED DISTRIBU-
TION OF PRESS PASSES AND SEAT ASSIGNMENTS WHICH
ERUPTED INTO A WILD SHOUTING MATCH IN WHICH EVEN
CELEBRATED JOURNALISTS LIKE NORMAN MAILER, BUDD
SCHULBERG AND GEORGE PLIMPTON HAD TO SCRAMBLE
WITH EVERYONE ELSE FOR TICKETS. THE FOREIGN JOURNALISTS,
NATURALLY, DID NOT UNDERSTAND THAT THE MANNER AND THE
LAST-MINUTE TIMING OF DISTRIBUTION OF PRESS PASSES WERE
TYPICALLY ZAIRIAN AND WOULD HAVE BEEN HANDLED IN THE

PAGE 02

SAME MANNER IF NO FOREIGNERS HAD BEEN INVOLVED. AS
IT TURNED OUT, SOME MEDIA REPRESENTATIVES FINALLY
RECEIVED TICKETS AT MIDNIGHT OCTOBER 29, AFTER WAITING
FOR MORE THAN FIVE HOURS.

3. EVEN WORSE, THERE WAS NEVER ANY EXPLANATION
GIVEN FOR THE BOTCHED-UP DISTRIBUTION. ZAIRIAN
AUTHORITIES PROBABLY THOUGHT NONE WAS NECESSARY. THERE
WERE SOME REPORTS THAT HANK SCHWARTZ, VICE-PRESIDENT
OF CO-PROMOTER VIDEO TECHNIQUES, FORCED HIS PR MEN
TO SCRAP THEIR CAREFULLY WORKED OUT PLAN IN ORDER TO
ACCOMMODATE A SCORE OF VIPS WHO ARRIVED AT THE
LAST MINUTE. IF SO, THEN IT WAS ALL FOR NAUGHT, FOR THE
6,000 "RINGSIDE" $250 TICKETS -- FOR THE PRESS AND
WELL-TO-DO -- WERE LESS THAN ONE-THIRD OCCUPIED
AT FIGHT TIME.

4. THE TICKET RUMBLE COULD HAVE BEEN THE FINAL STRAW
FOR MOST OF THE AMERICAN MEDIA. AS IT WAS, THE
REALITY THAT THERE WOULD INDEED -- AND FINALLY -- BE
A FIGHT AND, THAT ONCE OVER, THEY WOULD BE ON THEIR WAY
OUT OF ZAIRE WAS ENOUGH TO TIDE MOST OF THEM OVER.

5. STILL, SOME OF THE 300 OR SO JOURNALISTS HAD TO TAKE
MATTERS INTO THEIR OWN HANDS. SPORTSWRITER
RICK TALLEY OF THE CHICAGO TRIBUNE, FOR EXAMPLE, ON
FINDING HIMSELF RELEGATED TO A POOR FIFTH ROW SEAT, PROMPTLY
RIPPED OFF THE ID STICKERS ON A SECOND ROW SEAT AND
TELEPHONE ASSIGNED TO A REPORTER FROM EL TIEMPO OF
ROME WHO WAS A FEW MINUTES LATE IN ARRIVING. THE
ITALIAN JOURNALISTS EVENTUALLY FOUND A SEAT -- IN THE
FIFTH ROW*

6. IF THE JOURNALISTS WERE LESS THAN IMPRESSED WITH
ASPECTS OF THEIR VISIT, AT LEAST THE SAME CANNOT BE
SAID FOR THE TOURISTS. THE EXPLANATION IS SIMPLE:
THERE JUST WEREN'T ANY. THE NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF
ZAIRE'S KINSHASA CAMPUS HAD 500 BEDS SET ASIDE WHICH
WERE NEVER USED. PRE-FIGHT TALK OF MORE THAN 100
BLACK AND WHITE SOUTH AFRICANS COMING FOR THEIR
FIGHT ACTUALLY RESULTED IN LESS THAN A SCORE OF

PAGE 03

BLACK SOUTH AFRICANS IN THE STADIUM. KINSHASA
WAGS DELIGHTED IN BOASTING TO JOURNALISTS THAT THEY
COULD INDEED PRODUCE GENUINE TOURISTS -- TWO OR
THREE, PERHAPS -- FOR INTERVIEWS.

7. HERE AGAIN, THE DELAY IN THE FIGHT PROBABLY
TURNED AWAY SOME POSSIBLE VISITORS, DESPITE
PREDICTIONS TO THE CONTRARY. THE GOZ'S INTER-
VENTION INTO THE EQUALLY MISMANAGED AND EXORBITANTLY
PRICED TOURIST PACKAGE DEALS FROM THE U.S. WAS A
CASE OF BEING TOO LATE WITH TOO LITTLE. THEN, TOO,
PUBLICITY FROM THE WELL-BILLED BUT FINANCIALLY
UNSUCCESSFUL "ZAIRE 74" SOUL/ROCK FESTIVAL IN
SEPTEMBER UNDOUBTEDLY DID LITTLE TO CONVINCE WOULD-
BE TOURISTS THAT THE TRIP WAS WORTH THE TIME AND
MONEY.

8. ALL THIS HAVING BEEN SAID, HOWEVER, THE FIGHT
DID COME OFF. TELEPHONE LINES TO THE U.S. AND THE
U.K. WERE INDEED WORKING, THE SATELLITE HOOKUP
WORKED WELL AND IT DIDN'T RAIN UNTIL THE FIGHT
WAS OVER AND THE STADIUM EMPTY. NOW, IF THE
CHARTERED FLIGHTS ARE ON SCHEDULE FOR THE
DEPARTURE OF THE FOREIGN PRESS CORPS, ZAIRE'S
DEPARTMENT OF NATIONAL ORIENTATION CAN RETURN
TO DOMESTIC TRANQUILITY WITHOUT THE DISTURBING
PRESENCE OF DEMANDING JOURNALISTS WHO PUSH AND
SHOVE, REFUSE TO TAKE "NO" FOR AN ANSWER AND
LOOK AT LIFE THROUGH A JAUNDICED EYE.”

The "Rumble in the Jungle" fight may be watched here…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=55AasOJZzDE

Lynda Carson may be reached at newzland2 [at] gmail.com

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