Olympic Massacre: One Day In September Storyville


Olympic Massacre: One Day In September

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This programme contains some scenes which some viewers may find upsetting.

0:00:020:00:09

CHORAL SINGING

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Guten Morgen und guten Appetit.

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-FILM SOUNDTRACK:

-'A morning like any other in Munich.

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'A city where tradition and modernity exist side by side.

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'This summer, our beautiful city is host to the 20th Olympic Games.

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'In the centre of the Olympic site is the Olympic tower, next to it the Olympic arena.

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'For many visitors, Munich is a kind of German paradise. We're sure that you'll agree.'

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MAN: Well, nobody could foresee what later on happened.

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VOICES FADE IN AND OUT:

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Good afternoon. Another deadline has come and gone...

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They had their hands tied in front of them, like that...

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It wasn't any James Bond, it was the real thing...

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I just want to know what happened...

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The deadline appears to be less than a minute away...

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It was feared an attempt might be made to seize him...

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An Arab guerrilla with some kind of weapon...

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MACHINE GUN SHOTS

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It was a year and three months that I was married to Andre Spitzer.

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But it made such an enormous impression on me, sometimes it looks like a lifetime.

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I went fencing and he happened to be my fencing master.

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I didn't know he was from Israel.

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He spoke Dutch with a slight accent. I thought maybe he was from Eastern Europe.

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Something about him really appealed to me.

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He was very much at peace with himself

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and also with the people around him.

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That affected me because I was not so at peace - certainly not with myself.

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Being the person he was, it was hard not to fall in love with him.

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MAN SPEAKS IN ARABIC

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I joined the revolution since 1967.

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-Which revolution?

-The Palestinian new revolution.

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We lived on the border between Lebanon and Israel.

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It was way out in nowhere.

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They decided to have their fencing academy there.

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He was going from town to town, to village to village, to try to teach youngsters -

0:05:080:05:14

through fencing - to have respect for each other.

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Fencing is an aggressive sport. You have a weapon, you attack.

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If you attack someone right, you score a point.

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He tried to teach the youngsters how to channel that aggression into respect for your opponent.

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It was very tough living there, but I remember that year

0:05:400:05:44

as the most beautiful and wonderful year of my life.

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He dreamt always to be once at the Olympics.

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Years before I knew him he said he was thinking to get to the Olympics once.

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For athletes it's the climax of your career.

0:07:150:07:19

For Andre and the rest of the Israeli team,

0:07:200:07:24

the 1972 Olympics held a particular significance.

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They were held in Munich, Germany, the birthplace of Nazism.

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There was a feeling that this was a huge event for the Israeli team - to be attending.

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Their presence in the Olympic village, and in the opening ceremony,

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when they marched under the Star of David, were very emotional moments.

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The Germans saw the Games as a way to erase the negative memories

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many still had of the 1936 Berlin Olympics,

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which had been misused by the Nazis for propaganda.

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27 years after the end of the war, Munich was the ideal opportunity

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to show the world the new, democratic face of Germany.

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# Express yourself

0:08:520:08:55

# Express yourself

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# You don't never be in hell

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# From nobody else

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# All you've got to do now

0:09:090:09:12

# Express yourself... #

0:09:140:09:16

The friendliness was in overdrive.

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It was a massive attempt

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to appear open, modern and shorn of their past.

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To help promote this new, non-militaristic image of Germany,

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security was kept deliberately lax.

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Police were banned from Olympic sites.

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In their place were 2,000 unarmed security officers, clad in specially-designed outfits.

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But for some of the Israeli team, it wasn't so easy to erase the past.

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My father...

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was five times at the Olympic Games. Five times. It's very special.

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He was born in Poland in 1921.

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His father was from Germany,

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and thought because they spoke German nothing would happen to them.

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So all the family stayed in Poland during the war.

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But my father went to Russia. He was afraid something would happen to them.

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All the family - all his brothers and sisters and parents -

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were killed in Poland. He was the only one who survived.

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-NEWS REPORTER:

-'36 years after the Nazi Olympics, Dachau was chosen for a memorial service.

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'The Israelis came to the service, along with competitors from most European countries.

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'Dachau is six miles from the Munich stadium.'

0:11:130:11:17

I think it was very difficult for him - the memories.

0:11:210:11:26

..Of his family and what the Germans did to them.

0:11:260:11:30

I think he felt this.

0:11:300:11:33

But maybe it was also for him to...

0:11:340:11:37

..to show something to the Germans.

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Here I am, coming back - to the Olympic Games.

0:11:400:11:44

And you... You couldn't really destroy me.

0:11:440:11:49

COMMENTATOR: 'Mark Spitz has got about a half-a-metre lead.

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'And Spitz wins the gold medal!'

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'That's the whistle anyway. The USA keep their unbeaten record.

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'The referee says there's three more seconds to play.

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'The only way they can score is by going for a long shot. They got it!

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'My goodness! I don't believe it! I do not believe it!

0:13:180:13:23

'The Russians get the gold. Victory for the USSR for the first time.'

0:13:230:13:28

'Absolutely fantastic! She loves every moment of it!'

0:13:340:13:38

-ANKIE:

-After one competition, he said, "There's the Lebanese team. I'm going to say hello."

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I said, "Are you out of your mind?

0:15:140:15:17

"They're from Lebanon!" Israel was at war with Lebanon.

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He said, "That's what the Olympics are about. Here I can talk to them. That's what the Olympics are."

0:15:210:15:28

He went over and asked, "How were your results?" and "How did it go?"

0:15:280:15:34

To my big amazement, I saw that the people responded,

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shook hands with him and talked to him.

0:15:390:15:42

They asked him about his results.

0:15:420:15:45

I will never forget,

0:15:450:15:47

he turned around with a huge smile on his face

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and said, "You see? This is what I dreamt about."

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After ten days, Andre's fencers finished their competitions.

0:15:580:16:03

He and Ankie went to Holland to spend time with their baby,

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whom they'd left with Ankie's parents.

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So the next morning, at ten o'clock, he had to take the train to Munich.

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He woke up a little late.

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We got to the station, the train had left.

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I thought, "He'll get in trouble. They're waiting in Munich for him."

0:16:280:16:33

He said, "Oh, well, another day with you."

0:16:330:16:36

I said, "Let's try the other train station." About 30 miles onwards.

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So we raced to the next station. In Eindhoven he jumped on the train.

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The train was already in the station.

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I remember running by the train,

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and he left. That was the last time I saw him.

0:16:540:16:59

On the night of September 4, as Andre arrived back at the village,

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the Israeli delegation was enjoying a night out, watching Fiddler On The Roof.

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They returned to the village at midnight.

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With the help of members of the East German team,

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the terrorist leaders had studied the Olympic village

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prior to the attack.

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They headed for the Israeli men's quarters.

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The Israelis were in five apartments.

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Apartment 1 housed the team coaches. The terrorists went there first.

0:20:200:20:25

As they broke in, wrestling coach Moshe Weinberg tried to stop them.

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He was shot and wounded.

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In Apartment 5, the Israeli team leader was awakened.

0:21:000:21:05

We heard a shot. I didn't see anyone.

0:21:050:21:08

I went back to bed.

0:21:080:21:11

The terrorists demanded that Weinberg

0:21:110:21:14

show them where the others were.

0:21:140:21:17

He led them past Apartment 2, which housed the field athletes,

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to Apartment 3, which contained weightlifters and wrestlers.

0:21:220:21:27

He thought they might have a chance of overpowering the terrorists.

0:21:270:21:32

The terrorists are already holding all five of Zubari's roommates.

0:21:470:21:52

One of them, weightlifter David Berger, suggests they attack the terrorists,

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saying, "We have nothing to lose."

0:21:580:22:00

But a gunman understands and jabs a machine gun into Zubari's waist,

0:22:000:22:05

ordering him back to Apartment 1.

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As Gad Zubari ran away, the already wounded Weinberg

0:23:080:23:12

jumped on the terrorists. He was shot and killed.

0:23:120:23:16

I heard some other shots.

0:23:250:23:28

I walked again to the window, and there I was looking again.

0:23:280:23:33

Then I realised that Moshe Weinberg

0:23:330:23:35

had been thrown out of the door to the pavement.

0:23:350:23:40

He was naked, without anything on him. I saw that he was dead -

0:23:400:23:45

blood was pooled around him.

0:23:450:23:49

This is when I thought we were attacked by somebody.

0:23:490:23:53

This is ABC!

0:24:280:24:30

I'm speaking to you live from ABC headquarters,

0:24:300:24:34

Munich, West Germany. The Olympics of Serenity

0:24:340:24:39

have become the Olympics of Terror.

0:24:390:24:42

I had a call from the leader

0:24:440:24:47

at six o'clock.

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He said they were there and one Israeli was killed.

0:24:510:24:55

His name is Moshe Weinberg.

0:24:550:24:58

I saw his body carried out into an ambulance.

0:24:580:25:01

That body was smashed.

0:25:050:25:07

It means it was killed by machine gun

0:25:070:25:11

not by a regular gun.

0:25:110:25:13

I was sleeping.

0:25:170:25:19

My parents woke me up, saying,

0:25:190:25:22

"We just heard there was an attack on the Israeli Olympic quarters.

0:25:220:25:28

"They killed the boxing coach." I knew there was no boxing coach.

0:25:280:25:33

I thought, "If it's not the boxing coach, what coach is it? Maybe it's Andre."

0:25:330:25:39

-How many Israelis are they holding?

-Around 16, 17.

0:25:470:25:52

..13 members of the Israeli team as hostages.

0:25:520:25:55

Nobody could tell me if Andre was part of this,

0:26:000:26:04

if he was one of the hostages, if he escaped. Nobody knew.

0:26:040:26:09

The terrorists handed a communique to the police.

0:26:460:26:51

They demanded the release of over 200 revolutionary prisoners.

0:26:510:26:57

If this was not done by 12 noon, the hostages would be executed.

0:26:570:27:03

And you have until 12 o'clock?

0:27:100:27:12

They said at 12 they will shoot.

0:27:120:27:14

I certainly took it seriously. I was at gunpoint.

0:27:160:27:20

There were always two or three machine guns pointed at me.

0:27:200:27:25

The leader had a hand grenade in his hand.

0:27:250:27:29

When he was discussing with me, he always had that grenade.

0:27:290:27:35

The negotiators knew nothing about the terrorists except what they saw.

0:27:400:27:46

Three were visible at any one time - leader Issa, his face blackened,

0:27:460:27:51

Tony, wearing a cowboy hat,

0:27:510:27:55

and another man guarding the balcony door.

0:27:550:28:00

Issa told the negotiators

0:28:000:28:02

that a second Israeli had been shot and killed

0:28:020:28:06

trying to overpower them.

0:28:060:28:08

But the terrorists' leader refused to identify the dead man

0:28:080:28:12

or let his body be removed until all the prisoners had been released.

0:28:120:28:18

My camera crew and I ended up, for all of that long day,

0:28:180:28:23

looking down into this little walkway - very quiet.

0:28:230:28:29

You were looking down into the cockpit of world events.

0:28:290:28:34

We opened up the radios and TV stations to get some information.

0:28:380:28:43

Then at nine o'clock in the morning

0:28:430:28:46

I found out Andre is one of the hostages.

0:28:460:28:49

Joseph Romano, 31 years old, is an Israeli middleweight weightlifter.

0:28:490:28:55

David Berger, 26, is in the light heavyweight class.

0:28:550:28:59

Ze'ev Friedman, also 26, a bantamweight weightlifter.

0:28:590:29:04

These strong men, helpless at the point of sub-machine guns.

0:29:040:29:08

Eliezer Halfin, 24, a freestyle wrestler, is in that room.

0:29:080:29:13

Mark Slavin is 18, a record-holding wrestler.

0:29:130:29:16

The others are Yosef Gottfeund, Jacov Springer, Andre Spitzer,

0:29:160:29:20

Kehat Shorr and Amitzuer Shapira.

0:29:200:29:23

In Israel, the population awoke to the shocking news.

0:29:320:29:37

The Israeli Government made it clear that, in line with their policy,

0:29:390:29:44

no deals would be struck with the terrorists.

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If we should give in,

0:29:470:29:50

no Israeli anywhere in the world

0:29:500:29:53

can feel that his life is safe.

0:29:530:29:56

It's blackmail of the worst kind.

0:29:560:30:00

At this time, I was aide-de-camp of Minister Genscher.

0:30:120:30:16

The minister was shocked, of course.

0:30:160:30:20

He wanted to see the Minister of Interior of Bavaria.

0:30:200:30:27

They talked to each other and they decided to go to the Olympic village.

0:30:270:30:32

GERALD SEYMOUR: In terms of the politicians and the VIPs who came,

0:30:320:30:37

they looked as if they held none of the cards,

0:30:370:30:41

did not understand how to respond or understand the mind-set of the people they were dealing with.

0:30:410:30:49

The Palestinians that one saw -

0:30:520:30:55

there was the feeling that they were in charge and they were dictating.

0:30:550:31:01

Peter Jennings is inside the village. Peter?

0:32:050:32:10

Jim, I am almost directly over the Israeli building.

0:32:100:32:15

It will be a famous number before long.

0:32:150:32:18

It's building 31. It's on Connollystrasse.

0:32:180:32:22

It appears to be confirmed, though anything confirmed is difficult,

0:32:220:32:28

that these guerrillas are from a very extreme left-wing group called Black September.

0:32:280:32:35

Continuous delegations go forward.

0:32:390:32:42

People here waiting, but the mood becoming more tense.

0:32:420:32:47

They have set a deadline of noon - that's an hour and 15 minutes away -

0:32:470:32:52

saying that they were going to kill all of their hostages at that time.

0:32:520:32:57

There were other people involved. A friend of mine was a member of the Arab Council,

0:33:010:33:07

and he also came to negotiate.

0:33:070:33:11

Israel was adamant that no deal could be struck with the terrorists.

0:33:530:33:58

To buy time, the negotiators told Issa

0:33:580:34:01

that they were still awaiting a definitive answer from Jerusalem.

0:34:010:34:06

They begged him to postpone his deadline.

0:34:060:34:09

Issa responded with a new threat.

0:34:090:34:12

One Israeli would be shot publicly

0:34:120:34:15

every hour that their demands remained unmet.

0:34:150:34:18

We were, I think, a little bit naive. Also the minister.

0:34:180:34:22

The German Government, then, thought they could negotiate with terrorists.

0:34:250:34:31

They were thinking that they could convince them to let the Israelis go.

0:34:310:34:37

But there was no way.

0:34:370:34:40

So, the time to get close to noon and to think,

0:34:530:34:58

"It's almost noon. Are they going to kill him now?" -

0:34:580:35:02

it was like dying a little bit.

0:35:020:35:04

Seconds before the deadly ultimatum was reached,

0:35:090:35:12

the negotiators persuaded Issa to agree to an extension.

0:35:120:35:17

A new deadline was set at 5.00pm.

0:35:170:35:20

-TV PRESENTER:

-The deadline now is five o'clock Munich time.

0:35:200:35:25

It is 1.25 here in Munich - three and a half hours to the deadline.

0:35:250:35:30

The Israeli Olympic Committee has now named the second dead man

0:35:370:35:42

as Joseph Romano, a 31-year-old middleweight weightlifter.

0:35:420:35:47

A lot of people I meet in the street or at work,

0:36:110:36:16

when they hear about me being the daughter of Joseph Romano...

0:36:160:36:21

..they say, "Oh, you know, when I was little I admired your father.

0:36:240:36:30

"He was like this and like that."

0:36:300:36:33

All the time, I hear new stories and new things

0:36:330:36:37

about my father.

0:36:370:36:39

And that's how I know him.

0:36:390:36:42

Of course, not enough,

0:36:420:36:45

like I can't imagine his voice.

0:36:450:36:49

I can't imagine him... calling my name.

0:36:520:36:56

They let Joseph Romano bleed to death between all his friends,

0:37:280:37:33

as a warning that if anybody tried to grab a Palestinian's weapon,

0:37:330:37:38

this would be their lot.

0:37:380:37:40

Nobody has the right to do that.

0:37:400:37:43

In a way... I didn't like Issa, of course, because of what he was doing.

0:37:500:37:55

But I could have liked him when I met him elsewhere.

0:37:550:37:59

He was not violent.

0:37:590:38:02

I would have even trusted him in his word.

0:38:020:38:06

Not his compatriots. They were like "Galgenvogel" - gallow birds.

0:38:060:38:12

But Issa was different from them.

0:38:120:38:15

We were not only negotiating on how to handle this.

0:38:180:38:23

We were also going into the grounds of the whole thing.

0:38:230:38:28

I said, "Why are you doing it?"

0:38:280:38:31

He said, "We are sorry for you, but you offered us a showcase.

0:38:310:38:36

"And we have to use this to show our possibility

0:38:360:38:40

"to so many millions of people in the world

0:38:400:38:44

"who are watching your Olympic Games."

0:38:440:38:48

RADIO: ..Five Palestinian terrorists are holding nine Israelis hostage.

0:38:480:38:54

TV: Mark Spitz, the American swimming star

0:38:540:38:57

who won seven gold medals, was placed under heavy guard

0:38:570:39:01

shortly after the drama unfurled.

0:39:010:39:04

Within hours, Spitz was hustled out of Germany.

0:39:040:39:07

Spitz is a Jew, and it was feared an attempt might be made to seize him.

0:39:070:39:13

Demonstrations sprang up around the world.

0:39:130:39:16

There was outrage that the Olympic ideal of peace and brotherhood

0:39:160:39:21

had been so shamelessly destroyed.

0:39:210:39:24

But there was also a growing sense of anger

0:39:250:39:29

at the International Olympic Committee

0:39:290:39:32

for refusing to halt the Games in the light of what had happened.

0:39:320:39:37

The Olympic Committee, at that time, was very arrogant - very arrogant.

0:39:370:39:43

They felt they had nothing to do with it.

0:39:430:39:46

The head of the Olympic committee has announced that,

0:39:460:39:51

as of this hour, the Games of the 20th Olympiad will continue.

0:39:510:39:56

MUSIC: "Immigrant Song" by Led Zeppelin

0:39:560:40:01

# Aaaah

0:40:040:40:08

# Aaaah

0:40:080:40:12

# We come from the land of the ice and snow

0:40:120:40:14

# From the midnight sun where the hot springs blow

0:40:140:40:18

# The hammer of the gods Will drive our ships to new lands

0:40:180:40:25

# To fight the horde

0:40:250:40:27

# Singing and crying

0:40:270:40:30

# "Valhalla, I am coming!"

0:40:300:40:36

# On we sweep with threshing oar

0:40:380:40:42

# Our only goal will be the western shore

0:40:420:40:47

# Aaaah

0:40:510:40:55

# Aaaah... #

0:40:550:40:58

APPLAUSE AND CHEERING DROWNS SONG

0:40:580:41:03

# ..fields so green

0:41:050:41:09

# Can whisper tales of gore

0:41:090:41:12

# Of how we calmed the tides of war

0:41:120:41:17

# We are your overlords. #

0:41:170:41:22

-TV PRESENTER:

-This is a live shot you're looking at right now.

0:41:460:41:51

We're moving in now on the windows,

0:41:510:41:54

behind which eight or nine terrified living human beings are being held prisoner.

0:41:540:42:01

The demands have been many. There is someone right now.

0:42:010:42:05

That has to be one of the guerillas.

0:42:050:42:08

One of them is believed to be a woman.

0:42:080:42:11

This has happened time and time again - the head coming out.

0:42:110:42:16

Within 200 yards of that building,

0:42:160:42:20

there's a kind of a man-made pond,

0:42:200:42:23

where the athletes lie in the sun, and that's what they're doing now.

0:42:230:42:28

They're sunning themselves, swimming, talking with others,

0:42:280:42:33

and yet this grim, terrible thing is taking place inside the village.

0:42:330:42:37

There were people running round the training track.

0:42:370:42:41

I thought, "OK, you've trained for four years." But it seemed wrong.

0:42:410:42:46

There was something selfish, slightly obscene about the atmosphere there.

0:42:460:42:53

The Germans decided that the time had come

0:44:000:44:04

for them to take the initiative.

0:44:040:44:07

Food was brought in with the hope that the hostages would be fed,

0:44:070:44:11

and in such large quantities that that no man could carry it alone.

0:44:110:44:16

The police hoped that guerrillas would come out and be overpowered

0:44:160:44:21

and that the two chefs could gain access and count the Arabs inside.

0:44:210:44:26

It was the police commissioner and myself

0:44:260:44:30

with two policemen clad as chefs.

0:44:300:44:33

But the idea was not to poison the food, but that someone of us

0:44:330:44:38

could enter the room, because nobody knew the number of the terrorists.

0:44:380:44:44

The deception had no effect.

0:44:440:44:47

The negotiators told the Israeli ambassador that the plan had failed.

0:44:470:44:52

The ambassador repeated again that no deal would be made.

0:44:520:44:56

The Israeli ambassador was watching, together with me, what was going on,

0:44:570:45:02

and he was not very happy about this.

0:45:020:45:05

He asked for a phone and he phoned the prime minister in Israel.

0:45:050:45:10

The Israelis wanted to send a team.

0:45:100:45:14

That was rejected by the German Government, of course.

0:45:140:45:19

NEW SPEAKER: The Prime Minister had a long talk with Kanzler Brandt.

0:45:210:45:26

I remember her report saying that he refused that any Israeli team

0:45:260:45:33

would come to Germany to do the action.

0:45:330:45:37

And...

0:45:370:45:39

the general feeling was that if the German Army

0:45:390:45:44

would take it upon itself,

0:45:440:45:49

then they are capable of doing it well in Germany

0:45:490:45:53

and there was no necessity to send the Israeli team.

0:45:530:45:58

At the time, the head of the Mossad...

0:45:580:46:01

and Moshe Dayan spoke with the Prime Minister

0:46:010:46:06

and they insisted that I should go to be present to see

0:46:060:46:12

how the Germans do this operation.

0:46:120:46:15

Zvi Zamir immediately flew to Munich, arriving early that evening.

0:46:150:46:21

Almost 11 hours after the start of the crisis,

0:46:260:46:32

the Olympic committee bowed to pressure and suspended the Games.

0:46:320:46:37

A few competitions will finish, then the Games will be suspended.

0:46:370:46:43

At 10am tomorrow in the Olympic stadium,

0:46:430:46:46

there will be a memorial service for the two dead men.

0:46:460:46:50

The Olympic Games are reduced to utter silence,

0:47:220:47:26

and one tantalising head poking out of a door.

0:47:260:47:30

Something has to happen.

0:47:300:47:33

It was kind of

0:47:550:47:58

a bizarre, surreal situation

0:47:580:48:02

in which we journalists surrounded the event with every possible camera.

0:48:020:48:07

Endless cameras around the village.

0:48:070:48:10

It was a great story

0:48:120:48:15

to many TV stations and media round the world.

0:48:150:48:19

In the Olympics, such an event.

0:48:190:48:23

Perhaps some of the stations took a very cynical approach to it,

0:48:230:48:28

saying "What an audience we'll get now."

0:48:280:48:32

On a lovely late summer afternoon, the tense vigil continues.

0:48:320:48:37

In just half an hour,

0:48:370:48:40

the deadline will have expired.

0:48:400:48:43

Late in the afternoon, I suddenly saw that the window of the hostages' apartment was open.

0:49:010:49:08

I saw Andre in front of the window.

0:49:080:49:11

They asked him, "Is everybody OK there? What is the situation?"

0:49:110:49:16

Andre said everybody was OK, except for one.

0:49:160:49:21

When the Germans asked who was the one and what had happened to him,

0:49:210:49:25

he was not allowed to say that and got hit by the butt of one of the Palestinians' rifles.

0:49:250:49:31

He was pushed away and they closed the curtains.

0:49:310:49:35

That was the last time that I saw him.

0:49:350:49:40

After that, Mr Genscher said

0:49:450:49:47

he wished to have a direct discussion with the Israeli hostages.

0:49:470:49:53

Mr Schreiber said he wished to accompany him.

0:49:530:49:57

They said, "No, you are policeman."

0:49:570:50:00

I said, "All right, then it's me." So we went up there

0:50:000:50:03

and it was a terrible impression, I must say.

0:50:030:50:08

One was bound to a chair, the others were on the two sides tied together.

0:50:110:50:18

The one who was killed was lying there and the wall was full of blood.

0:50:180:50:24

Then we had a discussion.

0:50:380:50:40

And the discussion was

0:50:400:50:43

absolutely covered by the...

0:50:430:50:46

..um...

0:50:480:50:50

..very depressed mood of the hostages.

0:50:520:50:56

They feared two things.

0:51:010:51:04

They feared a possible storm,

0:51:040:51:06

because they knew they could be killed if the police stormed in.

0:51:060:51:11

They feared the terrorists, to be in their power

0:51:110:51:16

with an uncertain fate,

0:51:160:51:18

an uncertain future.

0:51:180:51:21

They wished to come to a conclusion which might save their lives,

0:51:210:51:26

but they were not very hopeful.

0:51:260:51:29

One report attributed to Will Grimsley of the Associated Press

0:51:550:51:59

says a police lieutenant told him that at five o'clock Munich time

0:51:590:52:04

a volunteer squad of police would storm the Israeli team headquarters

0:52:040:52:09

and would come in shooting.

0:52:090:52:13

These are the volunteer squad of 38 West German border guards.

0:52:130:52:18

Due to complicated laws, the German Army aren't allowed to participate.

0:52:180:52:24

That policeman dressed as an athlete is holding a machine gun.

0:52:240:52:29

The commissioner of the police, Mr Schreiber, selected some policemen.

0:52:290:52:35

He asked them, "Have you ever shot a gun?"

0:52:350:52:40

And that was it. They had no training, nothing.

0:52:400:52:44

Jim, there are now a great many

0:52:520:52:55

of those security men in athletic uniforms

0:52:550:52:59

moving in various directions.

0:52:590:53:02

I don't want to instigate any false drama,

0:53:020:53:06

but it looks like the start of a deployment.

0:53:060:53:09

Walking cautiously on the roof,

0:53:510:53:54

hopefully not being heard in the rooms below.

0:53:540:53:58

You see how close these two men are.

0:54:120:54:15

They couldn't be 20 feet...

0:54:150:54:19

He gets down on his hands and knees.

0:54:220:54:25

That's to get a better look up.

0:54:250:54:27

Outside our studio here and around the Olympic village,

0:54:390:54:44

a crowd of 75-80,000 has gathered, awaiting the outcome of this.

0:54:440:54:48

This building swarming with Germans trying to rescue the Israelis.

0:54:530:54:58

The deadline appears to us to be less than one minute away.

0:55:000:55:05

Anything to report, Peter?

0:55:050:55:07

The commando looks very much more nervous now.

0:55:070:55:11

He has an apprehensive, darting-about look,

0:55:110:55:15

almost as though they sense something is imminent.

0:55:150:55:19

Once again there's a delegation under the building.

0:55:240:55:29

The Arab guard, not on the window but on the balcony below him

0:55:290:55:34

is negotiating with them.

0:55:340:55:36

We've gotten an official time check. It's 5pm. This is the deadline.

0:55:430:55:48

The storming could happen at any moment.

0:55:480:55:51

If you'd told me that the Germans did not have a trained storm squad,

0:56:420:56:47

I would have disbelieved you.

0:56:470:56:51

Everybody in 1972 was totally transfixed

0:56:510:56:55

by a myth of utter German ruthless efficiency.

0:56:550:56:59

14 minutes to six, Munich time.

0:57:120:57:15

The terrorists were getting nervous. They knew time was against them.

0:57:170:57:23

And they certainly knew, or guessed, that running out of time

0:57:230:57:29

was an attempt by our side

0:57:290:57:31

to get better prepared for a final decision.

0:57:310:57:35

At 6pm, the Palestinians issued a new demand.

0:57:590:58:03

They wanted a long-distance jet

0:58:030:58:05

to fly them and their hostages to an unspecified Arab country.

0:58:050:58:10

The German Government and the organising committee decided we weren't allowed

0:58:100:58:17

to let foreigners bring out guests of our country to the Olympic Games.

0:58:170:58:22

We decided to make the terrorists believe that we'd let them fly out,

0:58:220:58:27

but try everything to then kill them or bring them into prison

0:58:270:58:34

before they could leave the country.

0:58:340:58:37

To move the thing from the Olympic compound

0:59:160:59:21

in order to let the Games carry on. This was their main objective.

0:59:210:59:27

The Israeli team and its rescue was secondary to that.

0:59:280:59:34

The staff group decided to bring them to the public airport of Munich.

0:59:410:59:47

I said, "Listen, that's crazy. You have another private airport."

0:59:470:59:52

So I proposed to make Furstenfeldbruck the target.

0:59:520:59:57

The police plan revolved around a decoy Boeing 727,

1:00:101:00:14

which was to be left on the runway, its engine idling.

1:00:141:00:18

On board would be policemen disguised as flight crew

1:00:181:00:22

The Palestinians and Israelis would arrive by helicopter.

1:00:221:00:26

When Issa inspected the plane, the crew would overcome him.

1:00:261:00:30

Five snipers on the tower and around the airfield

1:00:301:00:34

would fire on the remaining terrorists.

1:00:341:00:38

Vehicles would rush in to get the hostages.

1:00:381:00:41

The police still believed there would be a total of four to five terrorists.

1:00:411:00:48

This is Peter Jennings in the Olympic Village.

1:01:321:01:36

The village is built on various levels.

1:01:361:01:39

Underneath all the buildings here there's a network of roads.

1:01:391:01:44

Those alleyways have been used to bring in a massive security force.

1:01:441:01:50

Just a short while ago,

1:01:501:01:52

it's been noticed that there was considerable activity there.

1:01:521:01:57

-NEW REPORTER:

-In the last 30 minutes there was a flurry of activity - cars speeding off.

1:01:571:02:04

There's now a corridor of departure available to the Arabs

1:02:041:02:09

should they be now coming out, as now seems likely.

1:02:091:02:14

There is a quiet now, and an expectancy.

1:02:141:02:18

The Palestinians and Israelis were to be flown by helicopter

1:02:371:02:42

to Furstenfeldbruck airport.

1:02:421:02:45

But how would they get to the helicopters on the edge of the village?

1:02:451:02:51

They decided to walk via the underground car park.

1:02:511:02:55

The police saw another ambush opportunity

1:02:551:02:59

and placed marksmen here.

1:02:591:03:01

But Issa insisted on checking the route first.

1:03:011:03:05

So we walked there.

1:03:051:03:08

One terrorist had a machine gun in my back.

1:03:081:03:11

At that time, some of the gunmen of the German police

1:03:111:03:16

were lying in the side streets.

1:03:161:03:19

When we approached, they were crawling away.

1:03:191:03:23

So the terrorists immediately found out that there was danger.

1:03:271:03:30

They decided to use a bus and not to walk.

1:03:301:03:35

REPORTER: The terrorists brought the Israelis to the underground car park and onto a bus.

1:03:451:03:51

Robert Thompson, a Canadian water polo player, saw them leave.

1:03:511:03:56

-THOMPSON:

-They brought seven Israelis out and put them on the bus.

1:03:561:04:01

Then they went back inside and brought out more.

1:04:011:04:04

There was one fellow standing in front of the bus with a machine gun.

1:04:041:04:09

What were the Israelis doing?

1:04:091:04:13

They were tied. Their hands were tied in front of them,

1:04:131:04:18

tied like that. Then around the back they had ropes

1:04:181:04:22

and were tied together.

1:04:221:04:24

The first man that got out was the man with the pith helmet.

1:05:291:05:34

He went to the helicopter and made a complete check.

1:05:341:05:38

He checked in and out, back, middle and front of the helicopter.

1:05:381:05:43

When everything looked all right, he signalled.

1:05:431:05:47

Four hostages marched out with their hands tied in front.

1:05:481:05:52

Behind them was an Arab with some kind of weapon.

1:05:521:05:56

It was quite frightening. It wasn't James Bond - it was the real thing.

1:05:561:06:01

-AMERICAN REPORTER:

-It took just five minutes to reach the helicopter,

1:06:031:06:08

but in that time a critical piece of information was revealed -

1:06:081:06:13

there are not four Arab guerrillas but eight.

1:06:131:06:16

And there are only five police marksmen at the airport.

1:06:161:06:21

One of the helicopters proceeds out over the Olympic site, over the main stadium.

1:07:101:07:17

The second helicopter is following it,

1:07:171:07:20

moving around this tremendously high, major Olympic tower,

1:07:201:07:26

as they depart to a destination we, of course, as yet do not know.

1:07:261:07:31

We, with the German team,

1:07:341:07:37

we moved to the third helicopter.

1:07:371:07:40

The third helicopter now moving right by us,

1:07:401:07:44

right over the Olympic village, passing over the main stadium.

1:07:441:07:48

All the lights are on in this Olympic site, which for more than a week has been a place of serenity,

1:07:481:07:56

an Olympic village, which was happy and today has been shattered

1:07:561:08:01

by this tragedy.

1:08:011:08:04

MUSIC: "It's Not Too Beautiful" by the Beta Band

1:08:051:08:10

# You'd like to feel her heart

1:08:181:08:22

# Float away some day

1:08:221:08:25

# I cried a hundredth time

1:08:271:08:32

# Things never came my way

1:08:321:08:36

# But I will find

1:08:371:08:40

# But I will find... #

1:08:421:08:46

The marksmen, who had no radio link,

1:09:551:09:58

were still only expecting five terrorists.

1:09:581:10:02

Nobody from the village thought to inform them that there were now known to be eight.

1:10:021:10:08

We rushed quickly to the main building, moved to the second floor.

1:10:081:10:13

It was dark...dark in the place.

1:10:131:10:16

There were very many people in the corridors.

1:10:161:10:20

around and behind the building.

1:10:201:10:23

From the building we could watch and see the two helicopters landing in front of us.

1:10:231:10:29

As the helicopters bearing the Palestinians and Israelis landed,

1:10:371:10:42

the police squad on the decoy plane,

1:10:421:10:45

fearing they were undertrained, took a vote to abandon the mission.

1:10:451:10:50

This was seconds - not even minutes -

1:10:571:11:00

before the helicopters landed.

1:11:001:11:03

I told the minister, I said,

1:11:061:11:08

"I'm sure this will blow the whole affair."

1:11:081:11:12

The Germans had marksmen on top of the control tower and on the ground.

1:11:121:11:17

But they had no communications between each other.

1:11:171:11:21

When the first marksman opened fire, they would all open fire. There was no co-ordination of targets.

1:11:211:11:29

Now the leader of the team, he and another one

1:11:481:11:52

went to check the aircraft.

1:11:521:11:55

The Palestinians obviously missed the crew.

1:11:571:12:01

They were yelling. They were excited.

1:12:011:12:05

MACHINE-GUN FIRE

1:12:061:12:09

The key marksman

1:12:401:12:43

was moving to another position when the shooting started.

1:12:431:12:48

So he missed the crucial shot against the Black September commander.

1:12:481:12:52

Issa made it back to the cover of the helicopters unscathed.

1:12:521:12:57

Sniper 2 was more successful,

1:12:571:13:00

seriously wounding Issa's deputy.

1:13:001:13:02

Snipers 3 and 4 fired on the six terrorists guarding the helicopters.

1:13:021:13:08

Inexplicably, they killed only one.

1:13:081:13:11

Sniper 5 did not fire a single shot.

1:13:111:13:14

Because the helicopters had landed in the wrong place,

1:13:141:13:18

he was now in the direct line of fire of his fellow marksmen.

1:13:181:13:23

Like the others, he had no bullet-proof vest or steel helmet.

1:13:231:13:28

He was hopelessly exposed.

1:13:281:13:31

A policeman standing by a window inside the tower

1:13:311:13:35

was killed by a stray bullet.

1:13:351:13:38

They weren't capable.

1:13:381:13:40

I doubt whether the snipers were really snipers.

1:13:401:13:44

I listened to their shots.

1:13:441:13:47

One was lying on the roof, not far from us.

1:13:471:13:51

He wasn't firing a sniper's rifle.

1:13:511:13:54

They didn't see it! They didn't see the targets.

1:13:541:13:57

Unbelievable.

1:13:571:14:00

The latest word is that "all hell's broken loose" out there.

1:14:021:14:06

There's still shooting going on.

1:14:061:14:09

All seems to be confusion.

1:14:091:14:11

We've no idea what has happened to the hostages.

1:14:111:14:15

I hoped the Israelis could get out of the helicopter.

1:14:421:14:46

They'd tied them together, and so they couldn't leave the helicopters.

1:14:461:14:52

The entire area is ringed off by armed troops keeping people away.

1:15:031:15:08

We tried to approach and were stopped by an officer.

1:15:081:15:12

He said, "Do not come close. They're armed."

1:15:121:15:16

It's total confusion out there.

1:15:181:15:21

Just about everybody has gotten into their cars and driven to the area, clogging the roads.

1:15:211:15:28

Police reinforcements have a bad time getting there because these people,

1:15:281:15:34

clogging up the roads.

1:15:341:15:36

I decided to try and find the commander of the police.

1:15:411:15:46

Then we said, "What else? What are you doing?"

1:15:461:15:51

Then he said he was waiting

1:15:511:15:54

for armoured cars to arrive from somewhere near Munich.

1:15:541:15:59

The police had forgotten to order the armoured cars

1:15:591:16:03

to come to the airport earlier.

1:16:031:16:06

It was 20 minutes after shooting began when they radioed for them.

1:16:061:16:11

Because the roads were congested, they didn't arrive for an hour,

1:16:111:16:17

by which time most of the fighting was over.

1:16:171:16:20

No word on the hostages.

1:16:221:16:25

We asked them to let us go on the roof

1:16:311:16:35

and try to negotiate with the terrorists.

1:16:351:16:39

They refused at the beginning.

1:16:391:16:42

But then they said, "All right, on certain conditions." We went on the roof,

1:16:421:16:49

and started to speak Arabic to the terrorists.

1:16:491:16:52

Their reply was clear - very clear. They opened fire on the building.

1:16:521:16:59

They fired into the tower. I told the minister to lie down.

1:16:591:17:04

He touched down, under the desk of the commander.

1:17:041:17:08

Very funny.

1:17:081:17:10

..From our view today.

1:17:101:17:13

And I still hear...the bullets...

1:17:141:17:18

er...bursting into the...

1:17:181:17:23

into a cupboard, you know?

1:17:231:17:26

Where they had put up some aircraft models or something.

1:17:261:17:30

That all was flying down.

1:17:301:17:33

One of the surviving terrorists now made a dash for it,

1:17:331:17:37

heading straight for sniper 5.

1:17:371:17:41

As the terrorist ran towards him, sniper 5 fired his only shots -

1:17:411:17:46

point blank into the man's face.

1:17:461:17:49

Seeing these shots, police reinforcements at the scene,

1:17:491:17:53

not knowing the position of their own snipers,

1:17:531:17:57

mistakenly identified sniper 5

1:17:571:17:59

and the helicopter pilot hiding beside him as terrorists.

1:17:591:18:04

They opened fire on them. Both were seriously wounded.

1:18:041:18:09

-ANKIE SPITZER

-At midnight came the official announcement

1:18:111:18:16

of the German government spokesman, who said all the Israelis are saved

1:18:161:18:22

and all the terrorists are dead.

1:18:221:18:24

I'm glad that, as far as we can see,

1:18:241:18:28

the police action was successful.

1:18:281:18:31

It's an unfortunate interruption of the Olympic Games,

1:18:311:18:35

but if all that comes out

1:18:351:18:37

as we hoped it will come out, or has come out,

1:18:371:18:42

it will be forgotten after a few weeks.

1:18:421:18:45

People all over Holland were calling me.

1:18:561:19:00

A neighbour came with champagne

1:19:001:19:03

and we all were very glad.

1:19:031:19:07

I think that I went to sleep.

1:19:071:19:10

Then the Israeli ambassador in The Hague called me.

1:19:101:19:15

He said, "I just heard the news. Congratulations.

1:19:151:19:18

"Everybody is saved and OK."

1:19:181:19:21

Originally they said the hostages were safe. Now that's been changed.

1:19:251:19:30

A spokesman said, "We are afraid the information given so far is too optimistic."

1:19:301:19:37

So I called the Olympic Village.

1:19:401:19:42

I called every half hour. Each time the news got worse. At 3am I said,

1:19:421:19:48

"If you know something happened, you tell me now,

1:19:481:19:53

"because I've been waiting from 7am, and now it's 3am. I just want to know about Andre."

1:19:531:19:59

We keep hearing that the indications are not good,

1:20:071:20:11

that there may be very bad news.

1:20:111:20:14

After almost two hours of fighting,

1:20:181:20:20

one of the surviving Palestinians threw a hand grenade

1:20:201:20:24

into the eastern helicopter.

1:20:241:20:27

The helicopter was with fuel and, within minutes,

1:20:271:20:31

the helicopter and the area around it was on fire.

1:20:311:20:35

Simultaneously, one of his comrades sprayed a full clip of bullets

1:20:351:20:40

into the other helicopter.

1:20:401:20:42

Then there was silence.

1:20:421:20:45

I said, "I have to go and look what the police are doing."

1:20:451:20:49

Then I said to the captain of the police company there,

1:20:491:20:54

"Are you going to do something? You must move your people there.

1:20:541:20:59

"You pull out the hostages or whatever. Do something!"

1:20:591:21:04

They didn't do anything. "I have no orders," he said.

1:21:041:21:09

It was...

1:21:101:21:12

It was a really tragic story.

1:21:121:21:15

So...we could only look, you know?

1:21:151:21:18

Then you could hear them yelling, you know.

1:21:181:21:23

My father used to say our greatest hopes and our worst fears

1:21:241:21:28

are seldom realised.

1:21:281:21:30

Our worst fears have been realised.

1:21:301:21:33

They've now said there were 11 hostages,

1:21:331:21:37

two killed in their rooms yesterday morning.

1:21:371:21:41

Nine were killed at the airport tonight. They're all gone.

1:21:411:21:47

SOLEMN MUSIC FADES IN

1:22:091:22:13

That afternoon, the Games continued.

1:25:471:25:50

The surviving members of the Israeli team flew home with their dead.

1:25:501:25:56

The five dead Palestinians' bodies were handed over to Libya,

1:25:571:26:01

where they received a hero's funeral.

1:26:011:26:05

The three surviving terrorists never stood trial.

1:26:301:26:35

Seven weeks later a Lufthansa jet

1:26:371:26:40

en route from Beirut to Frankfurt was hijacked.

1:26:401:26:44

The hijackers demanded the release of the Munich terrorists.

1:26:441:26:48

With indecent haste, and without consulting the Israeli government,

1:26:481:26:54

the Germans handed over the three prisoners.

1:26:541:26:57

The circumstances of the hijack were suspicious.

1:26:581:27:02

Why were only 12 passengers on the plane? Why no women or children?

1:27:021:27:08

Why such haste in agreeing to the hijackers' demands?

1:27:081:27:12

One of the Palestinians involved has now revealed it was a set-up,

1:27:121:27:18

organised by the German government in collusion with the terrorists.

1:27:181:27:23

The Germans thought it would prevent further attacks on their country

1:27:231:27:29

and dispose of the embarrassing evidence of their failure.

1:27:291:27:33

I think, er... I think it's probably true, yes.

1:27:331:27:38

At this time, the mentality was so. Really.

1:27:401:27:45

On such questions, Willy Brandt,

1:27:451:27:49

always made this gesture.

1:27:491:27:52

I can't say more.

1:27:541:27:56

Did you shoot any hostages?

1:28:051:28:08

It's not important to say if I killed an Israeli or not.

1:28:081:28:14

What did you achieve?

1:28:141:28:17

INTERPRETER TRANSLATES

1:28:171:28:20

HE REPLIES IN ARABIC

1:28:221:28:24

We have made our voice heard by the world.

1:28:241:28:29

Are those your words?

1:28:291:28:32

The same thing.

1:28:351:28:37

They have made their voice heard by the world, who has not heard before.

1:28:371:28:42

It was only a year and three months that I was married to Andre Spitzer.

1:29:111:29:16

But I remember that year as the most beautiful

1:29:181:29:22

and wonderful year of my life.

1:29:221:29:24

This is the grave of Amitzuer Shapira, the athletics coach.

1:29:341:29:39

He had four little children - one my age.

1:29:391:29:43

And here is Kehat Shorr.

1:29:431:29:46

he was the shooting coach.

1:29:461:29:49

Eliezer Halfin was a wrestler.

1:29:511:29:54

So was Mark Slavin, who I think was only 18 years old.

1:29:541:30:00

And here's my father's grave.

1:30:021:30:05

It says his name, Andre Spitzer.

1:30:061:30:10

It says, "Son of Tibor, fencing coach.

1:30:101:30:13

"Murdered by... Killed by murderers in the Olympic Games in Munich

1:30:141:30:20

"as a representative of the Israeli sport."

1:30:201:30:23

Then his date of birth and of his murder.

1:30:231:30:27

I always bring him sunflowers, because it's his favourite flower.

1:30:271:30:32

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