The 1972 Munich Olympic Massacre, by Haley McFarland

During 1972 in Munich, Germany, the Summer Olympics were taking place. All was well until September 5, that fateful day that cast a shadow on the rest of those Olympic Games and all of Germany and Israel. After filling the whole day with turmoil and misery, a group of eight terrorists left ten innocent people dead. From early in the morning to late that night, nine members of the Israeli Olympic team spent their last living day held as hostages to a group of Arab terrorists. Their ransom had been refused and their rescue attempt had been botched and poorly executed- they never really had a chance. Too many mistakes added up to create this awful ending. One after another they stacked up and eventually sealed the fate of the captured Israeli team members.




Interview I
Gene Meyer

Gene Meyer, an avid Olympic fan, was 28 during the 1972 Olympics. He was living in America when they happened, watching the coverage of them the entire day of September 5, 1972- the day the hostage situation occurred.

What do I remember of the hostage situation? I remember watching TV when they first told us what was going on. How the Israeli team members were being held hostage, how they were being killed. I was glued to the TV the whole day, trying to stay updated. I think a lot of people were. It was horrible, but people forget that there were still Olympic athletes competing at the time. No one really remembers Olga Korbut, she was like the girl of the Olympics, as far as gymnastics goes. Or Steve Prefontaine, who accomplished amazing feats. All eyes were upon the Israeli hostage situation. This of course was more important, but imagine being a competitor, working your whole life to get to the games and then have no one really care. I was really the only one in my family that was interested in the Olympics. I mean, they were concerned about the hostage situation and all, but they weren’t as involved as me. Yeah, I think everyone was a little shocked that they continued the Olympics, but they were right in thinking that stopping the games would only give the Arabs more power. I mean, it really stunned the world to have that happen. There was this thing that was supposed to be about athletics and everyone coming together and it was a real eye-opener for someone to bring politics into it. I don’t think many people understood until then the lengths the Arabs would go to, to become recognized. It was really the beginning for many people to start giving the Arabs and Palestinians more attention. I remember officials trying to go in, trying to get a hold on the situation. The pictures, those lasted for weeks. I remember specifically the picture of one man in a mask, leaning over the balcony. I think that was the first picture a lot of people saw of a terrorist, their first exposure to one. Not a lot of people realized what kind of things people were capable of, not to innocent people. I also remember that picture of the airport they all died at. They got to that helicopter and airport fine, but once the police tried to free them, that didn’t go over very well. That’s when it turned bad. The group in charge of it? Black September, they claimed to be tied to some other groups. But after things turned bad, no one wanted to be associated with them. Most of the world was against them, no one wanted to look that bad I don’t think, be that hated by the international community.



Interview II
Shelley Meyer

Shelley Meyer was a teenager during the Munich Olympics, living in America and watching on her TV for a good portion of the day’s events concerning the hostage situation.

All I remember is watching the hostage situation after my mom called e about it. She said that people had been killed, some were taken hostage, and that their ransom was to release some Arab prisoners. But they weren’t going to release them. I never understood that. People just seemed so stupid to me then, I know better now but at the time I just couldn’t understand how they could make the decision to let those people die like that. But I guess there was the chance they would be killed anyway. There was always that chance. That whole situation was awful. And poorly handled. I remember thinking afterwards, naïve teenage that I was, I could probably do a better job than whoever is in charge! But I know better now. I know they were in a tough situation. Some things they did though, I mean, man. At one point I remember watching Walter Cronkite live, and they were broadcasting the police dressed up as athletes trying to break in with their big guns to the room they were being held in. Except the terrorists, I mean, they had TVs too! They could see the police trying to break in to get them on their own television set. How stupid were those people to broadcast something like that live? It really is a shame, what happened to those poor men. That whole country, Israel I mean. And Germany. What an awful time for them. They were trying so so hard to show everyone they had changed. It would have been so much easier on them if it were any other country besides Israel. Well, not any other country I suppose, but Israel was the worst. Because it was so touchy. Still is. But at the time, I guess people just hadn’t completely forgotten about WWII. Not that they have now, but it was a lot closer then. The worst part about it? It just seemed like a shame to me that they all had to die. Because it seems to me like it all could have been prevented. Or stopped. Or something else could have been done. That’s what made it seem so bad.



Interview III
Margaret Campbell

Margaret was 42 during the 1972 Olympics. She is now 80. She used to be very interested in the Israeli-Palestine conflict.

I really don’t remember too much about the actual Olympic hostage day. I was out, I only heard about it on the news later that night. I was pretty shocked that they decided to go on with the games. I guess it would have been giving in to stop them, but honestly how would want to compete under those circumstances? But, yes, you’re right; the Israeli-Palestine conflict has always been pretty interesting to me. Especially back then. Before the massacre, yeah there were super high tensions. I mean, there has always been extremely high tension over there. Ever since the creation of Israel really. Everyone can’t be happy at the same time I guess. I know that just a year or two before there had been a war. I don’t think it ended with any sort of resolution though, probably just right back where they started. I know that couldn’t have helped the tension though at all. And after? I remember hearing about conflicts. They started that thing, Operation Wrath of God, I think it was. To try and hunt down the terrorists. The Israelis did that. I don’t remember exactly how successful it was, I know they did manage to kill off quite a few people involved in the whole thing. Two wrongs don’t make a right… But that operation lasted a few years. They would attack members of the Palestine Liberation Organization; they would go out and kill them, their leaders. That was a direct result of the massacre. If those men hadn’t have gone in there and decided to kill, their own wouldn’t have been killed. But then again, I remember they said they were willing to die. That has to be a hard situation for everyone. How do you get them back without letting the hostages go, but keeping everyone safe? It’s pretty impossible, when you think about it…