Conclusion
Whose is to blame?
Before the start of the games in Munich, Olympic organizers asked a West German forensic psychologist to create 26 terrorism scenarios to help them in planning security. “Situation 21”, as he called it, accurately forecasted armed Palestinians killing Israelis and taking hostages, and demanding the release of prisoners as well as a plane to allow them to escape from Germany. The organizers were reluctant to prepare for such a catastrophic event like Situation 21 because guarding the games against such violence would defeat the purpose of promoting a care-free environment without heavy security.
A German weekly news magazine Der Spiegel wrote a cover story in 2012 revealing that German authorities had been tipped-off by a Palestinian informant in Beirut three weeks before the massacre sighting that Palestinians were planning some incident at the upcoming Olympic games. This information was viewed seriously enough by the Foreign Ministry in Bonn that it was passed on to the secret service in Munich along with a message stating that all possible security measures be taken. Unfortunately, the authorities failed to act on the tip and still to this day have never acknowledged it. The magazine also stated that this cover-up was only part of a 40-year cover-up by the German authorities of the mishandling of the Munich massacre.
While the actions of Germany were heavily scrutinized, the Israeli government took a hard look at its own inability to protect its citizens while traveling abroad. One official noted that "would…be asked in every house in Israel.”
Prime Minister Meir felt responsibility for the murders, because she failed to ensure safety for those representing Israel on foreign soil. Other archived documents revealed that she even considered resignation, but reconsidered because she believed such an action would only cause further confusion.
Could the Israel delegation done more to protect themselves? Should a new committee be put in place by the IOC to focus on security-related issues or is it the role of the country whose has been selected to host the Olympic games to provide all of the necessary safety requirements? Perhaps the answer is all of the above. It seems that since 1972, security measures have been tightened and we can only hope that these improvements are able to prevent a horrific crime like the one that so needless occurred in Munich from every happening again.
Before the start of the games in Munich, Olympic organizers asked a West German forensic psychologist to create 26 terrorism scenarios to help them in planning security. “Situation 21”, as he called it, accurately forecasted armed Palestinians killing Israelis and taking hostages, and demanding the release of prisoners as well as a plane to allow them to escape from Germany. The organizers were reluctant to prepare for such a catastrophic event like Situation 21 because guarding the games against such violence would defeat the purpose of promoting a care-free environment without heavy security.
A German weekly news magazine Der Spiegel wrote a cover story in 2012 revealing that German authorities had been tipped-off by a Palestinian informant in Beirut three weeks before the massacre sighting that Palestinians were planning some incident at the upcoming Olympic games. This information was viewed seriously enough by the Foreign Ministry in Bonn that it was passed on to the secret service in Munich along with a message stating that all possible security measures be taken. Unfortunately, the authorities failed to act on the tip and still to this day have never acknowledged it. The magazine also stated that this cover-up was only part of a 40-year cover-up by the German authorities of the mishandling of the Munich massacre.
While the actions of Germany were heavily scrutinized, the Israeli government took a hard look at its own inability to protect its citizens while traveling abroad. One official noted that "would…be asked in every house in Israel.”
Prime Minister Meir felt responsibility for the murders, because she failed to ensure safety for those representing Israel on foreign soil. Other archived documents revealed that she even considered resignation, but reconsidered because she believed such an action would only cause further confusion.
Could the Israel delegation done more to protect themselves? Should a new committee be put in place by the IOC to focus on security-related issues or is it the role of the country whose has been selected to host the Olympic games to provide all of the necessary safety requirements? Perhaps the answer is all of the above. It seems that since 1972, security measures have been tightened and we can only hope that these improvements are able to prevent a horrific crime like the one that so needless occurred in Munich from every happening again.