This collection documents the 1977 South Dakota Delegation trip to Cuba, which included members of the South Dakota State University basketball team. The material primarily captures the media coverage and public reception surrounding the trip. It includes national, state, and unidentified newspaper clippings; press releases; and excerpts from radio broadcasts, many of which report on the delegation’s activities and the political context of the visit. Also included are photographs, rosters of participants, and an audio tape outline titled Cuban Stories, which appears to provide a narrative or interview content related to the trip.
The collection contains correspondence that sheds light on the earliest stages of planning, including references to Fidel Castro and U.S. Senator George McGovern, whose 1975 trip to Cuba helped catalyze this exchange. Though much of the formal planning documentation is missing, the surviving memoranda and letters illustrate efforts to coordinate the trip under challenging diplomatic conditions. Additional items include material from the Cuban newspaper Granma and various internal and external communications concerning the delegation.
The collection is a resource documenting a rare Cold War-era cultural exchange between a U.S. university delegation and Cuba. It offers insight into the role of sports diplomacy, the influence of political figures such as George McGovern, and the broader media and public perception of such initiatives during the late 1970s.
