Chapter 346 - 129: The Attentive Von Brown

Chapter 346: Chapter 129: The Attentive Von Brown

A few days later, the Politburo held an emergency meeting.

As a core member of Koko, Werner was allowed to sit in.

The conference room was thick with smoke. Anger sat at the head of the table, his face ashen.

"Comrades." Anger’s voice was low and forceful. "Word has come from Moscow. The new General Secretary, Gorbachev, intends to push forward his so-called ’reforms.’ I want to make one thing perfectly clear to all of you: the German Democratic Republic needs no reforms."

The room fell silent.

"Our socialist construction is a success," Anger continued. "We have a stable economy, a loyal populace, and a strong national defense. The Soviet Union’s problems are not our problems."

Gunter, sitting next to Werner, cleared his throat softly and stood up. "Comrade Chairman, I believe we need to assess this situation more cautiously. If Gorbachev’s reforms are implemented in the Soviet Union, it could affect our sources of foreign currency and our trade channels."

Anger shot him a cold glance. "Comrade Gunter, Koko’s mission is to earn foreign currency for the state, not to conduct political analysis."

Gunter sat back down, embarrassed.

Werner watched the scene unfold. ’Anger has gotten old,’ he thought.

’The once shrewd and formidable leader is now left with nothing but stubbornness and arrogance.’

’He can’t see that the whole edifice is about to collapse. All he can do is use rigid ideology to mask his inner panic.’

’A man like that is destined to be abandoned by history.’

After the meeting, Werner and Gunter walked out of the conference room together.

"What do you think?" Gunter asked in a low voice.

Werner lit a cigarette and spoke slowly. "Gorbachev isn’t joking. He’s going to play for keeps."

"Meaning?"

"Meaning, we need to prepare for change," Werner said, exhaling a puff of smoke. "The winds in Moscow have shifted, and East Berlin can’t expect to remain unaffected."

Gunter was silent for a moment, then suddenly asked, "What are you preparing for?"

Werner looked at him and smiled. "Making money, Comrade Gunter. Isn’t that our job?"

***************

At the end of March, Werner traveled to West Berlin.

Margaret was waiting for him in her office.

"Werner, long time no see." She extended her hand.

"Margaret." Werner took her hand. "Thank you for making time."

"Your call sounded urgent." Margaret looked him over. "What’s wrong?"

"Gorbachev has taken power," Werner began.

"I know." Margaret lit a long, slender cigarette. "The whole world is talking about it."

"I need you to do something for me," Werner said. "Speed up the asset transfers."

Margaret turned her head to look at him. "How fast?"

"The faster, the better. The situation in the East could get complicated."

Margaret was silent for a moment, taking a drag from her cigarette. "How much are you looking to move?"

"Everything that can be moved," Werner said. "My assets in East Germany—equities, cash—everything that can be laundered, I want it laundered."

"That’s no small sum."

"I know. That’s why I need your help."

Margaret flicked the ash from her cigarette. "What are you offering me?"

"Five percent of the transferred amount."

"Eight percent."

"Deal."

"Alright, tell me the specifics. How do we do this?" Margaret sat back down behind her desk.

Werner took a file out of his briefcase. "This is a list of all the companies and accounts I control in East Germany. I need you to help me set up corresponding shell companies in Switzerland, Austria, and Liechtenstein, then transfer the money out under the guise of trade."

Margaret took the file and scanned it quickly. "These companies are all state-owned on paper?"

"Correct," Werner said. "But I have de facto control."

"This is a huge risk." Margaret frowned. "If the Stasi finds out, you’re finished, and so am I."

"Which is why it has to be seamless," Werner said. "All transfers must go through normal trade channels. All contracts have to be real and verifiable. On the surface, it will all look like Koko’s normal business."

"How much time do I have?"

"Two years," Werner said. "I want to have at least fifty million West German Marks transferred to the West before 1987."

"Fifty million? Werner, just how much have you made all these years?"

Werner just smiled and didn’t answer.

"Alright." Margaret looked over the file again. "I can help you, but you have to give me time. An amount this large will require many intermediate steps."

"I’ll cooperate," Werner said. "If you need any documents or approvals, just tell me. I can get them."

"Then it’s settled." Margaret extended her hand.

The two shook hands again.

***************

Upon returning to East Berlin, Werner immediately threw himself into his new task.

Under the pretext of "responding to potential trade changes brought on by Soviet reforms," he submitted a detailed proposal to Gunter. The core of the plan was to expand direct trade with the West and reduce dependence on the Soviet Union.

"This is a good idea." Gunter nodded after reading it. "But Anger won’t like it."

"He doesn’t need to know all the details," Werner said. "We just have to tell him it’s to earn more foreign currency for the state."

Gunter thought for a moment, then agreed.

Over the next few months, Werner frequently traveled back and forth between East and West Berlin.

In his capacity as the deputy director of Koko, he signed long-term supply agreements with several companies in West Germany.

On the surface, these were all normal trade contracts. In reality, however, every contract contained a secret channel for transferring funds.

For example, Werner had an optical instrument factory in East Germany export products to West Germany at "market price," but the actual transaction price was only half of that. The difference was then deposited into Werner’s Swiss account under the guise of "consulting fees."

In another instance, Werner imported a batch of chemical raw materials from West Germany at a price inflated by thirty percent. The excess money was also funneled into his overseas accounts.

These operations were extremely covert; an outsider would never spot the irregularities. Moreover, every transaction involved the real movement of goods, had complete documentation, and could withstand an audit.

By the end of 1985, Werner had successfully transferred nearly ten million West German Marks.

***************

One December night, Von Brown paid a sudden visit.

Werner was at home, playing with blocks with Felix.

His five-year-old son was concentrating on building a castle, his little face scrunched up in focus.

"Dad, this one won’t fit," Felix said, holding up a block.

"Try a different angle," Werner said patiently.

The doorbell rang.

Anna went to open the door. When she returned, she had a surprised look on her face. "It’s Von Brown."

Werner’s heart skipped a beat, but he remained outwardly calm. "Let him in."

Von Brown was in civilian clothes, a bottle of wine in his hand.

He had a broad smile plastered on his face, a complete departure from his usual high-and-mighty demeanor.

His eyes, which usually scrutinized others, were now somewhat evasive.

"Sorry to intrude, Werner." Von Brown’s tone was so friendly it sounded artificial. "I was just passing by and thought I’d drop in for a visit. Look at Felix, this boy is getting sturdier and sturdier. Oh, and Anna is here too! Long time no see."

Of course Von Brown knew Anna would be here.

He knew about Werner and Anna’s relationship over the years, and he knew they had a child together.

But Von Brown couldn’t say anything about it. It wasn’t that he was magnanimous; it was that Werner was too important to both Koko and the Stasi.

A man who could earn over a hundred million West German Marks for the state each year, an informant who controlled intelligence channels in the West—a man like that deserved to have a blind eye turned to his personal life. What’s more, Anna wasn’t just anybody; she had her own status and connections within the Stasi. Von Brown wasn’t about to make trouble for himself over something like this.

But this fawning attitude tonight was just too abnormal.