Munich Olympics Massacre – Black September & Palestinian Hijackings Documents

Description

Munich Olympics Massacre – Black September & Palestinian Hijackings Documents

Late 1960s – Early 1970s:

• 1969: Israel conducts an attack on Khaldeh Airport in Beirut, Lebanon. Memos indicate Israel’s consistent policy on dealing with terrorism during hijacking incidents.
• September 6, 1970 (Dawson’s Field Hijacking): Members of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) hijack four jets (El Al Flight 219, Pan American Flight 93, TWA Flight 741, and Swissair Flight 100) bound from Europe to New York City.
• El Al Flight 219: Security officers kill one hijacker and capture Leila Khaled; the plane lands in London, and Khaled is taken into custody.
• Pan American Flight 93: Deemed too large for Dawson’s Field, it is flown to Cairo, emptied of passengers, and blown up.
• TWA Flight 741 and Swissair Flight 100: Land at Dawson’s Field, a remote desert airstrip in Jordan.
• September 7, 1970: BOAC flight 775, en route from Bahrain to Beirut, is hijacked by unrelated sympathizers and brought to Dawson’s Field.
• September 1970: All hostages from the Dawson’s Field hijackings are released in exchange for Leila Khaled and three PFLP members jailed in Switzerland. All three planes at Dawson’s Field are blown up. The Jordanian government’s outrage over these incidents triggers the “Black September” Palestinian conflict in Jordan.
• Circa 1971 – 1974: The Fatah group utilizes the name “Black September Organization” (BSO).

September 1972 (Munich Olympics Massacre and Immediate Aftermath):

• September 5, 1972, Approximately 4:00 AM: Palestinian gunmen, later identified as the Black September Organization (BSO), enter the Olympic Village apartments in Munich, Germany.
• They capture five Israeli athletes in apartment one.
• They expand their search, capturing six additional athletes in apartment number three.
• Two Israeli team members are killed, and nine are captured. Eight other Israeli team members escape.
• September 5, 1972, Approximately 5:00 AM: The BSO claims responsibility. They demand the release of 234 Palestinians and non-Arabs jailed in Israel, two German terrorists in German prisons, and safe passage to Egypt via a jet.
• September 5, 1972 (Daytime): German police decide to confine the terrorists to Germany and initiate a rescue operation at Furstenfeldbruck Airport, approximately fifteen miles from Munich.
• September 5, 1972 (Arrival at Airport): German police deploy five snipers, based on an incorrect estimate of five terrorists (there were eight). Eight police officers disguised as flight attendants are placed around a dummy Lufthansa Boeing 727.
• September 5, 1972 (Rescue Attempt at Furstenfeldbruck Airport):Snipers are ordered to fire as terrorists move away from hostages. Initial shots miss.
• A gun battle ensues, lasting approximately an hour and fifteen minutes.
• German Police initiate an “infantry” attack.
• One fedayeen throws a grenade into a helicopter, killing five Israeli athletes.
• Another fedayeen enters a second helicopter, shooting and killing the remaining four hostages.
• Three kidnappers – Jamal Al-Gashey, Mohammed Safady, and Adnan Al-Gashey – are captured.
• Yusuf Nazzal, the fourth kidnapper, escapes but is tracked down and killed after a brief gunfight.
• In total, eleven Israeli athletes are massacred.
• September 6-8, 1972: President Richard Nixon’s White House recordings mention the Munich Olympic Massacre, including discussions with Henry Kissinger, William P. Rogers, H.R. Haldeman, and John Ehrlichman about the Israeli response, effect on U.S. elections, possible U.S. actions, and concerns about Israeli retaliation in Lebanon. Nixon discourages Israeli retaliation.
• September 8, 1972: A telegram details a conversation with Israeli Ambassador Rabin regarding the response to the Munich incident. Secretary of State Rogers informs President Nixon of planned anti-terrorism initiatives.
• October 29, 1972: A German Lufthansa jet is hijacked. Demands are made for the release of the three captured Black September members (Safady and the Al-Gasheys). Germany immediately releases them, and they are flown to Libya.
• Late 1972 (Post-Munich): Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir and the Israeli Defense Committee secretly authorize the Mossad to track down and assassinate those responsible for the Munich massacre, initiating “Operation Wrath of God” (or “Mitzvah Elohim”). Committee-X devises the campaign.

Mid-1970s – Late 1980s:

• July 21, 1973 (Lillehammer, Norway): An attempted assassination of Ali Hassan Salameh by Mossad agents results in the death of a Moroccan man misidentified as Salameh. Seven Israeli officers are exposed. This is one of the case studies examined in the Defense Department report on “Countering Terrorism.”
• January 22, 1979 (Beirut, Lebanon): The Mossad successfully kills Ali Hassan Salameh using a remote-controlled car bomb.
• Late 1980s: Fatah boasts an estimated membership of over 11,000.

Cast of Characters

Israeli Officials and Agents:

• Golda Meir: Prime Minister of Israel in 1972. Secretly authorized the Mossad to track down and assassinate those responsible for the Munich massacre (“Operation Wrath of God”).
• Zvi Zamir: Head of Mossad in 1972. Provided Avner’s team with the identities of eleven top targets for assassination. Authored a report on the Munich rescue operation.
• Yitzhak Rabin: Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. in 1972. Involved in conversations regarding Israel’s response to the Munich incident.
• Mike Harari: Senior Mossad operations officer. Organized an independent team, referred to as “Avner’s team,” for targeted assassinations.
• “Avner”: Pseudonym for the unit team leader selected by Mike Harari for “Operation Wrath of God.” His unit consisted of five highly trained individuals.
• Israeli Olympic Team Members: Eleven athletes and coaches who were massacred by the Black September Organization at the 1972 Munich Olympic Games.

West German Officials:

• Willy Brandt: West German Chancellor in 1972.
• Gustav von Heinemann: West German President in 1972.
• German Police: Responsible for the attempted rescue operation at Furstenfeldbruck Airport during the Munich crisis, which tragically failed.

United States Officials:

• Richard Nixon: President of the United States in 1972. Engaged in White House conversations regarding the Munich massacre, discouraging Israeli retaliation and discussing potential U.S. actions.
• Henry Kissinger: National Security Advisor to President Nixon in 1972. Participated in White House conversations regarding the Munich events, including his views on the events and the effect on his secret trips for Vietnam War peace talks.
• William P. Rogers: Secretary of State in 1972. Informed President Nixon of anti-terrorism initiatives planned after the Munich Olympics Massacre.
• H.R. Haldeman: White House Chief of Staff under President Nixon. Participated in White House conversations regarding the Munich incident.
• John Ehrlichman: Assistant to the President for Domestic Affairs under President Nixon. Participated in White House conversations regarding the Munich incident.
• Hoskinson: NSC Staff member who memoed Henry Kissinger about the Israeli hostage situation in Munich and the State Department’s difficulty in applying pressure on terrorists.

Palestinian Organizations and Individuals:

• Black September Organization (BSO): A Palestinian off-shoot group, identified as the perpetrators of the Munich Olympic Massacre. It was a name utilized by Fatah from approximately 1971 to 1974.
• Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP): Responsible for the Dawson’s Field hijackings in September 1970.
• Fatah: Originated in 1957, by the late 1980s it boasted over 11,000 members and was described by the U.S. Department of State as the military arm of the PLO. It utilized the name Black September Organization.
• Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO): The umbrella organization for various Palestinian groups. Fatah is described as its military arm.
• Yasir Arafat (Abu Ammar): Former Fatah leader who assumed leadership of the PLO in 1969.
• Leila Khaled: One of the hijackers of El Al Flight 219 during the Dawson’s Field incident. Captured and later released in exchange for hostages.
• Jamal Al-Gashey: One of the eight Black September terrorists involved in the Munich massacre. Captured, then released after a hijacking.
• Mohammed Safady: One of the eight Black September terrorists involved in the Munich massacre. Captured, then released after a hijacking.
• Adnan Al-Gashey: One of the eight Black September terrorists involved in the Munich massacre. Captured, then released after a hijacking.
• Yusuf Nazzal: One of the eight Black September terrorists involved in the Munich massacre. Escaped after the airport shootout but was tracked down and killed.
• Ali Hassan Salameh: A high-profile target on Mossad’s hit list for his alleged involvement in the Munich massacre. Subject of two assassination attempts by Mossad, the second of which was successful in 1979.