"More people watched the World Cup than our astronauts walk on the moon," quietly observed Leonard Pool to me.  It was Monday (as I recall) 21 July 1969 and I was a very young man in my first serious job, on my own training mission, at the head office of Air Products in Allentown Pennsylvania, USA.  I was the new and very inexperienced European public relations director for this company in London.  The late Leonard Pool, founder and chairman of Air Products and Chemicals Inc, was a man of vision with a global perspective that was not shared by all the senior personnel with us in that meeting in his office that day after the first moon walk. 

"That is a disgrace," commented one of the board members, "when you consider this was the most important achievement for mankind ever."

Being rash and naive, I plunged into a tense area that I did not even recognise as being as sensitive as it was to Americans.  "But is it an achievement for mankind?  And is the football World cup not one of the more important things in peoples lives around the world?  Something which relates to real people, people they know and revere and who are national heroes across so many countries where football - soccer as you call it - is t by far the most popular shared activity?  Also, for many young men, this may offer a glimpse of glory that they may never achieve ... or even the only possible way out of poverty."

There was what a poor novelist might call a stunned silencer.  This was broken by Mr Pool, for whom everyone seemed to be awaiting.  His was a diplomatic and astute attempt to keep the moment from deteriorating into something more unpleasant that a friendly debate on issues of the day.  "That is interesting Roger, could you explain how it looks to people outside the US?"

But before I could respond, the director who felt I had challenged him came back:  "I am shocked you should be representing us in Europe and have such un-American views."

It was now clearly not a friendly debate on issues of the day and, even in my inexperience, I recognised this.  I knew I had no option but to advance the discussion, open their eyes a little more - or it would be impossible for me to retain the board confidence.  Indeed, I needed the support of this group to do the job in Europe where Air products was very new and challenging major established operators such as BOC in the UK and Air Liquide in France.  These people, I thought, need to understand the non-American mindset.

"I do not see it like that.  Of course, it is an enormous achievement for the US in science, engineering, courage and vision.  But are you sure that the public around the world, including all our prospective customers outside the US, see it that way?  And surely our job is to understand these people, not to patronise or, worse, try to re-educate them?  You must remember that not all the world wish they had been born American.  The Chinese and the Spanish like being Chinese and Spanish, want to be Chinese and Spanish and wish to be proud of their nations."

"That is outrageous," he spluttered.

Again the calm and wise Pool cam back, "Let him have his say."

I felt that I was managing my own career at that point and had no time to think.  I had to continue what I saw as an important point.

"It relates to all of us here not as Americans or even as proud patriots.  I am not American and, I think, the only non-American here."  (In fact, I found I was wrong on this as the meeting included a Canadian and a Mexican, though we were all white and male, as was the norm in those days.)  "I am thrilled about this, but to illustrate this perspective of those outside the US, consider this.  You are asking everyone around the world to see this as an achievement for mankind.  But we all know it is not just a major scientific or exploratory achievement but it is part of a political process, almost part of the military challenge that is the cold war.  If Russia had beaten us to the moon, would we all be sitting here proclaiming this as an achievement for mankind?"

Leonard Pool looked around but said nothing.  The original director I had upset seemed to be gritting his teeth. And I knew that I must say nothing more until I got a response to judge the mood.  I could be out of the door literally and metaphorically.

He than coughed, cleared his throat and said,  "Good point.  We must remember these things in an international development.  And I am glad we have Roger to help guide us in our relations with our publics in his corner of the globe.  Though I would happily smack his stupid head."

We all laughed, nervously or not, and I felt it marked a change in the international perspectives of this major company.  The director who I had challenged later become a good friend and colleague, he also became chairman after the great Leonard Pool had passed on.