Chapter 350 - 133: A Qualified Lie

Chapter 350: Chapter 133: A Qualified Lie

"Keller, contact Reynard at once. Tell him to get all the goods to the border immediately, by tonight."

"Tonight?" Keller said, surprised. "Why the rush?"

"Yes, the sooner the better," Werner said. "Contact Matthias at the border and tell him to prepare the green channel. Whatever it takes, this shipment must get into East Berlin within 48 hours."

"What’s going on?"

"Don’t ask. Just do it."

Werner hung up and immediately dialed Margaret’s number.

"Werner, I was just about to call you." Margaret’s voice was tense. "The West German news is reporting that a Soviet nuclear power plant exploded. They’re saying a radiation cloud is drifting toward Europe."

"I know," Werner said. "That’s why the shipment has to be brought over at once. You can keep some for yourself."

Margaret took a deep breath. "Alright. I’ll arrange it immediately."

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

In the early hours of April 29, three trucks set out from West Berlin, fully loaded with protective equipment and iodine pills.

Matthias was waiting at the border checkpoint.

He had received Werner’s coded signal and knew this shipment was important.

"Hurry it up, skip the inspection," Matthias told the soldiers under his command. "These are Koko’s emergency supplies. Let them through."

"But the regulations—"

"I said let them through, so let them through!"

The soldiers didn’t dare say another word and waved them through.

The three trucks drove into East Germany, heading straight for East Berlin.

By dawn, the goods had arrived at the warehouse Werner rented.

Keller and several workers unloaded the cargo through the night, filling three entire warehouses.

"Boss, all this stuff..." Keller’s face went pale as he looked at the crates of iodine pills. "Do you know something we don’t?"

Werner didn’t answer, merely checking the cargo manifest.

Geiger counters, protective masks, hazmat suits, gloves, and most importantly—five thousand boxes of iodine pills.

"Don’t move anything yet," Werner said. "Wait for my orders."

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

On the afternoon of April 29, the West German media began wall-to-wall coverage of the Chernobyl disaster.

Satellite images showed the radiation cloud drifting westward. It had already covered Poland and the Czech Republic and was projected to reach the border between East and West Germany on the 30th.

The West German Government held an emergency press conference, urging the public to stay indoors, avoid consuming fresh vegetables and milk, and take iodine pills as a preventative measure. Kindergartens and schools were closed, park sandboxes were cordoned off, and all fresh milk and vegetables were pulled from supermarket shelves.

The people of West Berlin panicked, and protective supplies were bought out completely.

Meanwhile, the East German Government remained silent.

In reality, the East German Meteorological Bureau and Nuclear Safety Center had already detected an abnormal spike in background radiation on April 28. The Geiger counter readings were jumping erratically, far exceeding normal levels.

But this data was immediately classified as a "state secret."

The meteorological bureau’s technicians were summoned to a meeting. An official from the political department stood in the conference room, his tone severe. "All data you monitor is to be reported directly to the Politburo. You are not to make any public comments. Any leaks will be treated as treason."

A young scientist couldn’t help but ask, "But the public has a right to know—"

"Shut up!" the official cut him off. "This is a matter of national security. It’s not your concern."

All the monitoring data was sealed in document bags and sent to the Politburo.

Publicly, however, East Germany’s state-run media remained silent.

That evening, the New German Newspaper ran a small, inconspicuous paragraph that vaguely mentioned "a technical malfunction at a Soviet nuclear power plant," before stressing that there was "no impact on the German Democratic Republic."

But the news still managed to reach East Berlin via West German radio and television.

Many families in East Germany had secretly installed antennas to pick up West German broadcasts.

The people of East Berlin began to panic.

"Is it true? A nuclear plant exploded?"

"West Germany says the radiation cloud is coming."

"Why isn’t the government saying anything?"

"Where can we buy iodine pills?"

Rumors swirled as people flocked to pharmacies and stores, desperate to buy iodine pills and masks.

But the stores in East Germany had nothing of the sort.

A pharmacy clerk looked baffled. "Iodine pills? We don’t have them."

"When will you get them?"

"I don’t know. We haven’t heard anything from above."

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

On the afternoon of April 30, the Ministry of Health convened an emergency internal meeting.

"The Ministry of Agriculture reports that vegetables and milk from the Danube Region have all tested for elevated levels of Iodine-131," an official said. "Under current standards, these products cannot be sold."

"Can’t be sold?" another official frowned. "Then what’s the plan? Destroy it all?"

"Destroying it would cause a panic. The public would demand to know why."

Silence fell over the conference room.

Finally, a Politburo representative spoke. "Raise the standard."

"What?"

"Raise the legal radiation safety limit," the representative said. "Increase the current standard fivefold. Then the products will be considered acceptable."

"But if we do that—" a man with the air of a scientist started to object.

"This is a political decision," the representative cut him off. "We cannot allow the public to panic, nor can we let the West laugh at our expense. Just do it."

A few days later, the East German Government issued new "Food Safety Guidelines," which quietly raised the radiation safety limit.

Vegetables and milk that would have been destroyed as hazardous goods in West Germany were now deemed "acceptable products" in East Germany, continuing to appear on store shelves.

The official narrative was meticulously crafted: "The current level of radioactivity in the air poses no immediate threat to health. Residents need only wash vegetables as normal before consumption."

This statement completely sidestepped the fact that Iodine-131 accumulates in the thyroid gland and can lead to cancer.

Meanwhile, at Stasi Headquarters, a different, secret notice was being distributed to high-ranking officials:

"Given the current situation, it is advised that family members temporarily refrain from consuming leafy vegetables. Children should take iodine pills as a preventative measure. Relevant supplies may be collected from the internal store."

The children of the privileged class were already taking their iodine pills.

Meanwhile, ordinary citizens were still at the shops, buying the "acceptable" vegetables.

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

On April 30, at several black market locations in East Berlin, people began discreetly selling protective supplies.

Geiger counters, protective masks, and iodine pills were available at fair prices.

A box of iodine pills went for ten Marks—five times cheaper than in West Berlin.

Word spread through small circles, but Werner deliberately controlled the pace. He avoided any fanfare, simply having his black market contacts release the goods quietly.

"Keep it low-key," Werner told his men. "Sell to those who truly need it. Prioritize families with children."

"Thank you, really, thank you," a mother said, clutching the iodine pills with tears in her eyes. "My child is only three years old. West Germany said the radiation cloud is coming, and I was so scared I couldn’t sleep a wink last night."

"Protect your child," the black market contact said in a low voice. "Stay indoors for the next few days."

"But... the May Day parade is coming up. My work unit says attendance is mandatory..."

The black market contact fell silent and shook his head.

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

May 1st, Labor Day.

In the early morning, the sky over East Berlin was overcast, and the air felt heavy and oppressive.

In Moscow’s Red Square, the grand May Day parade was held as usual.

Gorbachev stood atop Lenin’s Mausoleum, waving to the crowds.

Although he was promoting his "glasnost" reforms, he still chose a policy of concealment regarding Chernobyl.

Since Moscow was holding a parade, East Berlin had to follow suit.

In the early hours, the United Socialist Party had already met to discuss the matter. Someone proposed canceling the parade, but the idea was immediately shot down.

"Moscow is holding their parade, so why should we cancel ours?" Anger slammed his fist on the table. "That would make the West think we’re admitting the Soviet Union is in serious trouble."

"But the radiation—"

"Didn’t the Ministry of Health say there’s no immediate threat?" another Politburo member said. "The parade will go on as scheduled. This is a moment to show the world the solidarity of the socialist bloc."

In the end, the parade was held as scheduled.

But after the meeting, Anger’s secretary quietly passed a message to several Politburo members: "The Chairman says your families and children are excused from attending the parade."

Von Brown of the Stasi also received a similar notice.

He called his wife. "Don’t let the kids go out today. I’m having some iodine pills sent over."

"Isn’t the parade still happening?" his wife asked.

"It is, but it’s better for our own to be cautious."