I'm a Profiteer in Cold War Germany

Chapter 202: Chapter 112: The Provocation Succeeds

The World Newspaper, the Frankfurt Allgemeine Zeitung, the South German Newspaper—nearly all major media outlets reprinted these photos, accompanied by more detailed reports and commentary.

Television stations aired special programs, inviting human rights experts, political scholars, and religious figures to discuss the "humanitarian crisis" in East Germany.

The people of West Berlin began to spontaneously organize demonstrations, holding signs demanding the government "take action" and "save their trapped relatives."

Members of the Social Democratic Party and the CDU initiated a debate in the Federal Parliament, demanding that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs negotiate with the East German Government to exchange humanitarian aid for the release of political prisoners.

Public opinion throughout West Germany was in an uproar.

Werner sat in his secret office, newspapers smuggled from West Germany spread out on the desk before him. He flipped through them one by one, a faint smile on his lips.

The plan had succeeded.

The sword of public opinion was now pressed against the East German Government’s throat.

***********

In early April, inside a conference room at the East German Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Klein sat at one end of a long table, a stack of West German newspapers spread out before him.

There were three other people in the room: the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Herman Knapp; the representative from the Ministry of Justice, Hopter; and the liaison sent from the Stasi—none other than Von Brown.

"The situation is dire." Knapp tossed a copy of *Der Spiegel* onto the table. "Public opinion in West Germany is completely out of control. The Federal Parliament has passed a resolution demanding that their Ministry of Foreign Affairs negotiate with us. If we don’t respond, our international image will deteriorate further."

"Then let’s respond." Hopter pushed his glasses up. "For the past few months, Lawyer Vogel and I have been pushing for the political prisoner trade program, and we’ve discussed it with our colleagues in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of the Interior. With this much public pressure, now is the perfect time to launch it. We can release a portion of the political prisoners as a ’humanitarian gesture.’ This will both alleviate the pressure from public opinion and show the West our ’flexibility.’"

"Release political prisoners?" Von Brown sneered. "Comrade from the Ministry of Justice, do you have any idea what that means? These people are counter-revolutionaries. They are the enemy. On what grounds should we let them go?"

"On the grounds that we need foreign currency," Knapp cut him off. "Comrade from the Stasi, you should know better than anyone how desperate the state is for foreign currency. If the West German Government is willing to pay for these political prisoners, why not sell them?"

Von Brown’s expression changed, but he didn’t refute the point.

Klein had been sitting there silently the whole time, just listening.

He knew it wasn’t his place to speak at a meeting of this level. He was just a section chief from the Ministry of Foreign Trade, called in to observe, mainly because he’d had prior contact with Werner and understood how the underground channels operated.

"Releasing political prisoners is an option, but it must be kept secret," Knapp said. "This kind of thing can’t be made public, or we’ll be attacked by the hardliners at home for compromising with the West. Therefore, we need a secret channel."

"A secret channel?" Hopter frowned. "How would that work, exactly?"

"We need a middleman. This person can’t have an official status, at least not as one of us on the surface. He’d have to operate in a gray area, able to connect with West German businessmen, the Church, even intelligence agencies, but in a way that can’t be traced back to the government."

"Someone like that won’t be easy to find," said Von Brown. "If their record is too clean, West Germany won’t trust them. If it’s too dirty, we won’t dare use them."

"There’s more," Knapp continued. "This person must have established smuggling routes between East and West Germany, be familiar with Black Market operations, and know how to launder money and transfer foreign currency. Most importantly, he has to be smart enough to know what to say and what not to say."

The conference room was silent for a few seconds.

"Comrade Hopter, you mentioned earlier that you had a suitable candidate in mind?" Knapp asked.

Hopter nodded.

"There’s a man named Werner Betelich." He glanced at Klein. "Comrade Klein should know him better than I do."

Knapp turned to Klein.

"Comrade Klein, tell us about him."

Klein cleared his throat and sat up straight.

"Werner Betelich. Twenty-four years old. One of the biggest Black Market merchants in East Berlin." His tone was cautious. "He has established smuggling routes between East and West Germany and has connections with West German businessmen, East German officials, and even the Church. I worked with him for a time. The man is very discreet and knows his limits."

"Is he reliable?" Knapp interjected. "A man like that... couldn’t he turn around and sell us out?"

"He won’t," Klein said. "Werner is very smart; he knows there’s nothing to be gained by betraying us. Besides, our interests are currently aligned. We’ve had a number of successful collaborations, and he wouldn’t risk that."

"Is his background clean?" Knapp asked.

"Clean on the surface," said Klein. "He holds a position as a buyer for a subsidiary of the Ministry of Foreign Trade, which gives him a public identity. But in reality, his main business is on the Black Market. That’s no secret in these circles."

"That’s actually an advantage," Hopter said. "West Germany will find the identity of a Black Market merchant easier to accept. If he were a pure official, they’d suspect a trap."

Knapp considered this for a few seconds.

"Does he have any relationship with the Stasi?"

"He does," Von Brown chimed in. "Werner was an informant for Vonke, provided him with a lot of Black Market intelligence. He later provided me with intel a few times as well. The quality was good."

"Vonke?" Knapp frowned. "The old cadre who’s about to be transferred?"

"Yes," said Von Brown. "But Werner’s relationship with Vonke was purely professional, not a deep connection. And since Vonke is leaving soon, that tie is basically irrelevant."

Knapp nodded and looked at Hopter.

"Do you think he’s suitable?"

"He’s suitable," Hopter said with certainty. "Werner’s identity is gray, but not black. He’s capable, but not flashy. He’s connected, but not deeply entangled. Most importantly, he understands the rules of quid pro quo and knows when to keep his mouth shut. He’s exactly the kind of person we need."

Knapp nodded.

"Then we’ll use him. But there are a few conditions." He held up three fingers. "First, this project must be kept absolutely secret. No one in the country can know. Second, all transactions must go through official channels, no more private operations like before. Third, Werner must be placed under strict supervision. Every single one of his transactions must be reported."

"Who will supervise him?" Hopter asked.

"The Ministry of Foreign Affairs will take the lead, the Ministry of Justice will provide support, and the Stasi will be responsible for security clearance." Knapp looked at Von Brown. "Comrade Von Brown, does your side have any objections?"

Von Brown was silent for a few seconds.

"No objections. But I demand that all of Werner’s contacts be registered and filed. If he contacts anyone he shouldn’t, we have the right to terminate the cooperation at any time."

"Agreed." Knapp nodded. "One more thing. Find a reliable lawyer to act as a legal consultant. This business will involve legal documents and release procedures; we must have a professional overseeing it."

"Lawyer Vogel," said Hopter. "He has been pushing this project from the start. He’s very experienced in this area and has close ties with the Church, which can serve as a legitimate cover for external communications."

"He’s the one." Knapp picked up his coat. "The code name for this project is ’Humanitarian Release.’ Remember, absolute secrecy. If word of this leaks, everyone in this room will be held responsible."

With that, he pushed the door open and left the conference room.

Hopter and Von Brown also left, one after the other.

Only Klein remained, sitting alone and staring at the newspapers on the table.

Those photos—of relatives separated by barbed wire, letters passed over the wall, a crying mother.

Klein suddenly had a strange feeling.

These photos had appeared at just the right time.

’It was as if someone had arranged it all on purpose.’

He thought of Werner’s eyes, always smiling, and the self-assured tone he had when he spoke.

Klein shook his head, stood up, and left the conference room.

’Some things are better left unexamined.’

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