Chapter 226 - 9: An Official of the West German Federal Intelligence Agency Detained in East Germany

Chapter 226: Chapter 9: An Official of the West German Federal Intelligence Agency Detained in East Germany

Werner nodded and walked quickly toward Gunter’s office.

The hallway was quiet, with only the echo of his leather shoes on the marble floor.

Gunter’s office was in a corner on the third floor. Werner knocked twice.

"Come in."

Gunter sat behind his desk, a pile of documents spread out before him.

"Sit." Gunter gestured to the chair opposite him without looking up. "I hear you’ve been busy lately."

"Yes, Minister." Werner sat up straight in the chair. "I completed five procurements last month, all delivered on time."

"I know." Gunter finally looked up, peering at Werner over his glasses. "Otto speaks very highly of you. Says you’re efficient and your channels are reliable."

Werner didn’t reply. He knew Gunter hadn’t called him in just to praise him.

Sure enough, Gunter paused, pulled a file from a drawer, and pushed it across the desk to Werner.

"Political prisoner exchanges."

Werner felt a jolt.

This was a business he knew all too well—for the past year, he had participated as a gray-market middleman, coordinating with Lawyer Vogel, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Ministry of Justice to operate this channel.

Ostensibly, it was the lawyers and officials running the operation. In reality, he was the one coordinating many of the moving parts: contacting the payers in West Germany, arranging transit routes, and handling all sorts of unsavory details.

This pipeline had earned East Germany a great deal of foreign currency, and he himself had taken a considerable commission from it.

’But what does Gunter mean by bringing this up now?’

"This area of business is being restructured." Gunter lit a cigarette, the smoke curling in front of his face. "The previous model was too fragmented—the Ministry of Foreign Affairs handled external negotiations, the Ministry of Justice managed release procedures, Lawyer Vogel acted as the intermediary, and you provided support from the periphery. This kind of multi-headed management is inefficient and prone to errors."

Werner read between the lines.

’When he says "prone to errors," what he really means is that the profits are too spread out, and the higher-ups are getting greedy.’

"So, the higher-ups have decided that from now on, this business will be managed exclusively by Koko." Gunter flicked his ash. "The Ministry of Foreign Affairs will continue to handle external negotiations, and the Ministry of Justice will only manage release procedures, but all pricing, settlement, and profit distribution will be centrally coordinated by us at Koko."

Werner understood.

The political prisoner exchanges were now well-established, a stable source of revenue.

That being the case, rather than letting multiple departments do their own thing, it was better to bring it under Koko’s unified management—after all, Koko was the agency specifically responsible for earning foreign currency.

"And what about Lawyer Vogel—"

"He’ll continue doing his job, but from now on, all transactions must go through our accounts." Gunter exhaled a puff of smoke. "As for you, since you’ve been involved in this business and are familiar with the process, and now that you’ve joined Koko, it’s perfect for you to stay in charge. Your status will be different, though—before, you were a peripheral, gray-market middleman. Now, you’re an official Koko coordinator."

Werner nodded.

This change wasn’t necessarily a bad thing for him.

While he’d lose the freedom of operating in a gray area, having an official status would actually make things more convenient.

"This is the first list of names." Gunter pushed the file over. "The West Germans have already confirmed they’re willing to pay these prices. Your mission is to coordinate the entire process—liaise with the Ministry of Justice on release procedures, confirm payment from West Germany with Lawyer Vogel, and finally, arrange the transfer."

Werner took the file, his eyes sweeping over the list.

Next to each name was a price—ranging from twenty thousand to one hundred thousand West German Marks.

His gaze stopped on one name.

Klaus Weinert, fifty-three years old. Crime: Espionage. Release price: One hundred thousand West German Marks.

Suddenly, a warning alarm sounded in his mind from the system.

[WARNING: High-risk target. Klaus Weinert, a senior official of the West German Federal Intelligence Agency (BND), was arrested in East Berlin in 1958. This individual has knowledge of multiple East German intelligence networks. Upon release, he may investigate West German businessmen who have dealings with East Germany, posing a severe threat to your procurement channels.]

Werner’s mind raced.

He recalled the name Klaus Weinert from this body’s original memories—when the man was arrested five years ago, the Stasi had trumpeted the news, claiming they’d caught a big fish from the West German Intelligence Agency. But after that, there was no more news. He had clearly been locked away in prison ever since.

The fact that West Germany was now willing to pay a high price of one hundred thousand Marks to buy him back was unusual in itself.

The typical political prisoner went for fifty thousand at most; this price was double that.

The West Germans were shrewd. Their willingness to pay such a high price could only mean one thing: this man was extremely important to them.

And once a high-ranking intelligence officer like him returned to West Germany, the first thing he would do was surely to sort through intelligence and restart his work.

He would inevitably investigate West German businessmen who did business with East Germany—because these people were likely East Germany’s source of foreign currency, and possibly even intelligence channels.

Reynard would be the first to be targeted.

This West German businessman was Werner’s most important procurement channel. Nearly everything, from industrial equipment to consumer goods, had to go through him.

If Klaus Weinert set his sights on Reynard and began investigating his deals with East Germany, the entire supply chain would be exposed.

When that happened, not only would Reynard be finished, but Werner’s own operations at Koko would be severely affected.

’I have to find a way to stop this man from returning to West Germany.’

"Minister." Werner looked up, his voice calm. "Something about this Klaus Weinert doesn’t feel right."

Gunter frowned. "What doesn’t feel right?"

"The price." Werner turned the file around, his finger pointing to the one-hundred-thousand-Mark figure. "You see, the other political prisoners are fifty thousand at most. This man is double that. West Germany’s willingness to pay such a high price shows how important he is to them."

"Isn’t that normal?" Gunter said. "He’s a West German intelligence officer. Of course he’s important."

"It’s precisely because he’s important that we must be careful." Werner leaned forward slightly. "Minister, think about it. This man was captured in 1958 and has been imprisoned for five years. In five years, he definitely hasn’t had access to any new intelligence in our prisons. Yet the West Germans are still willing to pay one hundred thousand Marks to get him back. What does that tell you?"

Gunter was silent for a few seconds. "Go on."

"It means that what’s in his head is still valuable five years later," Werner said in a low voice. "Before his capture, he was a senior BND official. He must possess information on many of East Germany’s intelligence networks. Perhaps the Stasi didn’t manage to extract everything from him during their interrogations back then. If we send him back now, we’re essentially handing West Germany an intelligence goldmine."

"Are you saying he might still possess intelligence we aren’t aware of?"

"It’s very likely." Werner nodded. "Besides, Minister, have you considered what he’ll do once he’s back in West Germany?"

Gunter didn’t speak, just stared at Werner.

"He’ll definitely resume his work," Werner said. "As an intelligence officer who’s been locked up for five years, the first thing he’ll do when he gets back is organize the intelligence he has, see what’s still useful and what’s outdated. In the process, he’s very likely to investigate West Germans who have business dealings with East Germany—because those people are important channels for East Germany to acquire foreign currency and materials."

"Once he starts investigating, our procurement network will be exposed." Werner paused. "When that time comes, it won’t just be my channels that are affected. Koko’s entire procurement operation in West Germany will run into trouble."

Gunter took off his glasses and slowly wiped them with a handkerchief.

The office was quiet for a few seconds, with only the occasional sound of a car from outside the window.

"What do you suggest?" he finally asked.

"Postpone his release," Werner said. "At the very least, have the Stasi interrogate him again to confirm he isn’t withholding any important information. If there’s still intelligence we haven’t extracted, it’s better to get it now than to have him use it against us after he returns to West Germany."

Gunter stared at him for a few seconds, then put his glasses back on.

"You know, Werner," he said, his voice soft, "I’ve met many people. Some only see the money in front of them, thinking one hundred thousand Marks in hand is all that matters. Others can see further, and know that some money isn’t worth the trouble." He paused. "Looking at you now, I believe you belong to the latter group."

"I just don’t want to cause trouble for Koko," Werner said. "One hundred thousand Marks is a lot of money, but if it costs us our entire West German procurement channel, it would be penny-wise and pound-foolish."

Gunter nodded and picked up the phone.

"Connect me to the Stasi’s Foreign Intelligence Department. I need to speak with Colonel Reiner von Brown."