The Central Council of German Jews protested today to Chancellor Willy Brandt against his government’s decision to free the three surviving Munich terrorists in exchange for the passengers and crew of a hijacked Lufthansa airliner. A statement issued by the executive committee of the Council said: “The government handled the incident in a state of panic. This kind of behavior by the authorities augers very badly for the future.”
The statement warned that “The Munich surrender brings in its wake new security risks for the Federal Republic.” It said that German Jews felt “entitled to ask what conclusions the German government has drawn from the Olympic games tragedy and whether the speech by the President of the Federal Republic at the memorial service for the 11 Israeli victims had any relevance for the government and Lufthansa?” The Council demanded to know “Whether it is intended to continue to fly civil aircraft to countries that are making it possible for terrorists to commit air piracy and afterwards treating the air pirates as heroes?”
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
