Berlin police hostages died in the assault. Among them was Wilhelm
Funk, the prefect of West Berlin police. Funk, along with his fellow
officers, will be buried on Friday with full police honors.
Colonel Rose, who had worked extensively with Funk in the past, called
his death 'a loss that will be deeply felt, but is best put behind us.'
The funeral service at the Wilmersdorf cemetery is expected to draw
thousands of loyal West Germans.
Minutes of the Special Inter-Allied Intelligence Conference on
Disposition of the Phoenix Case. Schloss Bellevue, West Berlin
[Present: (US) Colonel Godfrey Rose, Chief of Military Intelligence,
West Berlin; US Undersecretary of State John Taylor/ (USSR) Colonel Ivan
Kosov' Grigori Zemenek, Chairman of KGB/ (UK) Sir Neville Shaw, Director
General mI-5; Peter Billingsley, Special Counsel to Her Majesty/ (FRG)
-Senator Karl Holer, Aide to the Chancellor; HansDietrich Muller,
Director of Operations for the BND (West German Intelligence) Meeting
chaired by Undersecretary Taylor] Following passage excerpted from the
questioning of Julius K. Schneider, Kripo Detective First Grade:
[Taylor] Detective Schneider, is it your opinion, then, the Russians
will carry through with their purge of Stasi officers who are listed on
Captain Hauer's list?
[Zemenek] I strenuously object, Mr. Undersecretary! I have assured
this council that all appropriate measures are being taken.
[Taylor] Then you should have no objection to Herr Schneider answering
the question.
[Schneider] I believe the Russians will vigorously pursue such a purge.
(pause) It's the political members of Ph@nix I worry about, sir, on both
sides of the Wall. I doubt that Captain Hauer's list contained a
full [Miiller] Objection! There is no evidence whatsoever that the
Phoenix cult has influence in the political hierarchy of the Federal
Republic! If there is such evidence, our Russian comrades should force
the Stasi to open their infamous blackmail files, so that we may see who
is vulnerable to coercion.
[Hofer] I do not think that will be necessary, gentlemen. The
Chancellor has full confidence that our colleagues in the BND can root
out whatever remains of this atavistic, but entirely anomalous reversion
to the Nazi period of Germany's history.
[unintelligible grumbling on all sides] [Taylor] Gentlemen, I understand
the ramifications of the Phoenix matter. What I'm having difficulty
accepting is that Rudolf Hess actually survived the war and lived until
just a few days ago. The man would have been over ninety years old.
[Rose] (laughter) Ever watch the Today show, Mr. Undersecretary ?
[Taylor] I don't follow you, Colonel.
[Rose] Every morning Willard Scott flashes up pictures of people having
their birthdays. Every picture he puts up is of someone over a hundred
years old. Hell, Prisoner Number Seven only died six weeks ago!
[Billingsley] (clears throat) Gentlemen, I am loath to waste Detective
Schneider's valuable time with trivialities. If I may, I would like to
return to the question of the Hess material. The security of the
Spandau papers, the Zinoviev papers, and other related artifacts. Her
Majesty's government is most concerned to know that all such material is
now in the possession of the United States government, particularly, in
Colonel Rose's Military Intelligence office here in West Berlin.
Detective Schneider?
[Schneider] Sir?
[Billingsley] Is it your opinion that all tangible evidence of Rudolf
Hess's actual mission in 1941 has now been suppressed? That no physical
artifacts remain?
[Schneider] Artifacts?
[Billingsley] Photocopies, photographs, tapes, et cetera?
[Schneider] (lengthy pause) To the best of my knowledge, that is true.
[Shaw] Frankly, I'm much more concerned about the Russian promise.
For the record, I want us all to be absolutely clear on that. In
exchange for the list of Phoenix members compiled by Captain Hauer, the
Soviet government will drop all public pursuit of the Rudolf Hess case.
[Kosov] (burst of unintelligible Russian) [Zemenek] Colonel Kosov!
I apologize, gentlemen. Yes, that is the agreement. My signature
carries the weight of the Politburo.
[Billingsley] Thank you, Mr. Chairman. And we are agreed,
then-unanimously-that the Israeli government will not be informed of the
contents of any of these documents?
[Rose] From what we've learned about the secret Israeli/ South African
nuclear agreements, and the involvement of Rudolf Hess, I doubt the
Israelis would make the story public even if they knew.
[sounds of agreement] [Taylor] Well, then, gentlemen. If we've finished
with Detective Schneider, may I suggest that we adjourn for lunch?
We can resume at two Pm.
[Abstract concluded] 1.45 Pm. Martin Luther Hospital. British Sector,
West Berlin Professor Natterman looked up in surprise from his hospital
bed. Framed in the doorway was the huge, hatted figure of the Kripo
detective whom Natterman had last seen killing a Russian in a South
African hotel room. Natterman shook his head to clear the fog of pain
medication.
'Guten Abend, Professor,' Schneider said.
Natterman nodded.
'You look worse than you did in South Africa.'
'Infection,' Natterman explained. 'By the time I reached a hospital
here in Germany, sepsis had set in. They say I'll be cured in two weeks
or so.'
Schneider smiled. 'Good for you.' He removed his hat and overcoat and
stepped closer to the hospital bed. 'You know, Professor, I just came
from a meeting where a lot of Allied officials asked me a lot of
questions about the Hess case.'
Natterman looked suddenly wary.
'They wanted to know if any evidence of the truth remained. If there
were any photocopies, tapes, anything like that. You know? When I
thought about it, I did seem to remember some photographs Captain Hauer
had in the hotel room. Or negatives.'
Natterman lay still as a stone.
Schneider sniffed the hospital air with distaste. 'I hate these
