Munich 1972: Minister of the Interior releases the last Olympic files – to avoid a scandal

Created: 2022-06-02 05:32

By: Dirk Walter

Fürstenfeldbruck 1972: Several hostages died in this burned-out BGS helicopter.

© Franz Schmotz/Fürstenfeldbrucker Tagblatt

In three months there will be commemorations for the attack on Israeli athletes at the 1972 Olympic Games.

Bavaria's Minister of the Interior has now released the last files.

He hopes a dispute with the victims' families can be resolved.

Munich – Ankie Spitzer is Andre Spitzer's widow.

The 27-year-old was a trainer for the Israeli fencers – he was shot by the terrorists in one of the helicopters that had landed at the Fürstenfeldbruck air base on September 5, 1972.

Ankie Spitzer has long been a spokesperson for the bereaved.

She is now making it clear in several interviews that the relatives could stay away from the planned commemorations.

"We were invited and of course we would come if there was a reason to say thank you," she told ARD at her home in Tel Aviv.

"I'm supposed to speak there and I can't imagine standing there and saying thank you for everything that's been done.

No, Germany did nothing at all.”

The victims' families, she makes clear, are waiting for signs that someone will take responsibility for the disaster in the attempted rescue of the hostages.

No one said, "We're sorry.

We made wrong decisions.

We were incompetent," said Ankie Spitzer.

And further: "They were arrogant and humiliated us all the time."

Before the commemoration in Munich: Minister of the Interior releases the last Olympic files

In Bavaria, there is growing concern about a scandal.

The fact that the relatives are boycotting the commemorations would probably be registered worldwide.

Bavaria's Interior Minister Joachim Herrmann (CSU) tells our newspaper: "I very much hope that we can also welcome all the victims' relatives in September to set a sign together against forgetting." As a sign, Herrmann is now relying on "maximum transparency", as he points out.

The last files of the ministry were recently handed over to the archives - files from the ministry itself, but also "residual files" from the Munich police headquarters.

The files address advance planning for any police operations related to the games.

Among other things, the establishment of a "ban mile" around the Olympic facilities is being considered.

But it didn't come about.

The Munich police chief at the time, Manfred Schreiber, was in charge of the operation in 1972, which has been harshly criticized to this day.

Most of the files had already migrated to the archives in 2013, including files from the LKA and the State Office for the Protection of the Constitution.

Herrmann assures that the documents can be viewed “in particular by the victims and their relatives”.

"I will also inform Ms. Spitzer personally about this."

Spokesperson for the victims' families: Ankie Spitzer © dpa Picture-Alliance / Karel Prinsloo

1972 Olympics in Munich: commemorations planned for September - with the relatives?

So far, two commemorations with the relatives are planned for September 5th.

In the morning there will be a ceremony at the so-called place of remembrance in the Olympic Park.

There are "positive signals" that Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and his Israeli counterpart Isaac Herzog are coming, says Ludwig Spaenle, the Bavarian Commissioner for Jewish Life and Against Anti-Semitism, who is involved in the preparations.

A memorial service with a state reception is planned for the afternoon of the same day at Fürstenfeldbruck Air Base.

800 to 900 people have been invited, including a 100 to 200-strong delegation from Israel.

For months, the PK S1 department in the Bavarian Ministry of the Interior, which is responsible for political strategy and is in charge here, has been planning the celebrations.

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To the dispute about guilt comes a dispute about money.

The relatives are demanding further compensation.

Ankie Spitzer's suggestion is that money from Libya that was frozen by the Federal Republic should be used for victim compensation.

Government circles say the compensation issue has been closed.

"I can understand the attitude of the relatives," says Ludwig Spaenle, "especially when you see what was paid in other cases."