Idi Amin Praised the Munich Olympic Killings in a 1972 Telegram
Uganda · GEOPOLITICS
Key Facts
- —What happened Idi Amin sent a telegram on 11 September 1972 to United Nations Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim, Golda Meir and Yasser Arafat praising the Munich killings of 11 Israeli athletes.
- —Why it mattered The telegram publicly embraced antisemitic violence and linked Uganda’s policy shift to a highly visible global terror attack.
- —The backdrop Amin had already broken diplomatic relations with Israel and expelled Israeli personnel in 1972 as Uganda reoriented toward Arab and non-Western patrons.
- —The money angle Uganda had received Israeli military and technical support before the rupture, while Amin then sought backing from Libya and other Arab states.
- —What comes next The episode fed a broader Cold War and regional realignment in which African states became arenas for competing Israeli, Arab, Western and Soviet influence.
The Amin Munich killings telegram of 11 September 1972 triggered immediate global outrage and exposed how quickly Uganda’s alliances had shifted from Israel toward Arab patrons.
Idi Amin sent a telegram on 11 September 1972 to United Nations Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim, Golda Meir and Yasser Arafat praising the Munich killings of 11 Israeli athletes. He called Germany the “most appropriate locale” because of the Holocaust.
A telegram that shocked the world
The telegram arrived six days after Palestinian militants took Israeli athletes hostage at the Munich Olympics. Amin did not merely express sympathy for the attackers; he framed the killings as a fitting response to the Holocaust.
The message went to three very different recipients: the head of the United Nations, the Israeli prime minister, and the leader of the Palestine Liberation Organization. That distribution list alone signalled a deliberate provocation.
According to the Jewish Coalition for African Relations, the telegram marked a sharp break from Uganda’s earlier relationship with Israel. Amin had once benefited from Israeli military and technical support.
From partnership to rupture
Before 1972, Uganda and Israel maintained close security ties. Israeli advisers and technical experts had worked inside Uganda, helping build state capacity.
That changed rapidly as Amin sought new patrons. He broke diplomatic relations with Israel and expelled Israeli personnel in 1972.
The New African Magazine has documented how Amin’s turn reflected a broader reorientation. Uganda moved toward Arab and non-Western allies, including Libya.
Money, power and the Cold War contest
The rupture was not purely ideological. Uganda had received Israeli military and technical support before the split, a relationship with real material value.
After the break, Amin sought backing from Libya and other Arab states. Anti-Israel rhetoric became a tool to consolidate support at home and attract resources abroad.
The Munich statement fed a wider Cold War and regional realignment. African states became arenas for competing Israeli, Arab, Western and Soviet influence, a dynamic that still shapes diplomacy today.
The backlash and its limits
The backlash was immediate because the telegram publicly embraced antisemitic violence. It linked Uganda’s policy shift to a highly visible global terror attack.
Yet Amin remained in power for years afterward. The outrage did not immediately dislodge him or reverse his foreign policy turn.
This pattern fits the broader story covered in Africa: The New Scramble, where external powers compete for influence and African leaders leverage those rivalries for survival.
Regional read-through
Uganda’s pivot away from Israel mirrored moves by other African states during the 1970s. Arab oil money and political solidarity offered an alternative to Western and Israeli partnerships.
The Munich telegram showed how quickly a leader could weaponise a global crisis for domestic and diplomatic gain. It also revealed the risks of tying national policy to acts of terror.
For investors and diplomats watching Eastern Africa today, the episode is a reminder that alliances in the region can shift with a single leader’s calculations.
What to watch next
The historical record is now well established through sources such as the Jewish Coalition for African Relations and New African Magazine. No new documents have emerged to change the core facts.
The lasting question is how Uganda’s post-1972 alignment shaped its development path. The country’s subsequent history, including the Entebbe raid of 1976, flows directly from this rupture.
For readers tracking geopolitics, the Amin Munich killings remain a case study in how ideology, money and violence intersect in African statecraft.
Frequently Asked Questions
What did Idi Amin say about the Munich killings?
Idi Amin sent a telegram on 11 September 1972 praising the Munich killings of 11 Israeli athletes and calling Germany the “most appropriate locale” because of the Holocaust.
Who received Amin’s telegram about Munich?
The telegram went to United Nations Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim, Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir and Palestine Liberation Organization leader Yasser Arafat.
Why did Uganda break relations with Israel in 1972?
Amin broke diplomatic relations and expelled Israeli personnel as Uganda reoriented toward Arab and non-Western patrons, seeking backing from Libya and other Arab states.
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