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New book re-examines the 1972 Munich massacre

According to a long-secret Israeli government document, the Kopel Report, which was made public this year, members of the Israeli Olympic delegation sent to Munich in 1972 talked among themselves about the obvious lack of security at the athletes' living quarters.

In "Striking Back," a blunt, angry book incorporating some of the Kopel Report's findings, Aaron J. Klein analyzes this massacre and the acts of retaliation it prompted. Mr. Klein, a former Israeli intelligence officer and a correspondent in Time magazine's Jerusalem bureau, also describes a world in transition at the time of the Munich attacks. His book makes it clear why this was a pivotal event in the evolution of global terrorism - and why the security budget for the Olympics has since mushroomed, from $2 million in 1972 to $1 billion in 2004.

"Striking Back" is a terser, less dramatic account than George Jonas's 1984 "Vengeance." It is Mr. Jonas's book that is the basis for Steven Spielberg's coming film on this subject. Although "Striking Back" is not linked with the film, its publication is conveniently timed to imply a connection and capitalize on the inevitable debate.

Read entire article at NYT