The youngish man at the table lifted his pencil, and looking at Fiedler with his hard, cold eyes wide open he asked, “Then why did Mundt liquidate Riemeck, if Riemeck was his agent?”
“He had no alternative. Riemeck was under suspicion. His mistress had betrayed him by boastful indiscretion. Mundt gave the order that he be shot on sight, got word to Riemeck to run, and the danger of betrayal was eliminated. Later, Mundt assassinated the woman.
“I want to speculate for a moment on Mundt’s technique. After his return to Germany in 1959, British Intelligence played a waiting game. Mundt’s willingness to cooperate with them had yet to be demonstrated, so they gave him instructions and waited, content to pay their money and hope for the best. At that time Mundt was not a senior functionary of our Service–nor of our Party–but he saw a good deal, and what he saw he began to report. He was, of course, communicating with his masters unaided. We must suppose that he was met in West Berlin, that on his short journeys abroad to Scandinavia and elsewhere he was contacted and interrogated. The British must have been wary to begin with–who would not be? They weighed what he gave them with painful care against what they already knew, but they feared that he would play a double game. But gradually they realized they had bit a gold mine. Mundt took to his treacherous work with the systematic efficiency for which he is renowned. At first–this is my guess, but it is based, Comrades, on long experience of this work and on the evidence of Leamas–for the first few months they did not dare to establish any kind of network which included Mundt. They let him be a lone wolf, they serviced him, paid and instructed him independently of their Berlin organization. They established in London, under Guillam (for it was he who recruited Mundt in England), a tiny undercover section whose function was not known even within the Service save to a select circle. They paid Mundt by a special system which they called Rolling Stone, and no doubt they treated the information he gave them with prodigious caution. Thus, you see, it is consistent with Leamas’ protestations that the existence of Mundt was unknown to him although–as you will see–he not only paid him, but in the end _actually received from Riemeck and passed to London the intelligence which Mundt obtained_.
“Toward the end of 1959, Mundt informed his London masters that he had found within the Praesidium a man who would act as intermediary between them and Mundt. That man was Karl Riemeck.
“How did Mundt find Riemeck? How did he dare to establish Riemeck’s willingness to cooperate? You must remember Mundt’s exceptional position: he had access to all the security files, could tap telephones, open letters, employ watchers; he could interrogate anyone with undisputed right, and had before him the detailed picture of their private life. Above all he could silence suspicion in a moment by turning against the people the very weapon”–Fiedler’s voice was trembling with fury–“which was designed for their protection.” Returning effortlessly to his former rational style, he continued:
“You can see now what London did. Still keeping Mundt’s identity a close secret, they connived at Riemeck’s enlistment and enabled indirect contact to be established between Mundt and the Berlin command. That is the significance of Riemeck’s contact with de Jong and Leamas. _That_ is how you should interpret Leamas’ evidence, _that_ is how you should measure Mundt’s treachery.”
He turned and, looking Mundt full in the face, he shouted: “There is your saboteur, terrorist! There is the man who has sold the people’s rights!
“I have nearly finished. Only one more thing needs to be said. Mundt gained a reputation as a loyal and astute protector of the people, and he silenced forever those tongues that could betray his secret. Thus he killed in the name of the people to protect his fascist treachery and advance his own career within our Service. It is not possible to imagine a crime more terrible than this. That is why–in the end–having done what he could to protect Karl Riemeck from the suspicion which was gradually surrounding him, he gave the order that Riemeck be shot on sight. That is why he arranged for the assassination of Riemeck’s mistress. When you come to give your judgment to the Praesidium, do not shrink from recognizing the full bestiality of this man’s crime. For Hans-Dieter Mundt, death is a judgment of mercy.”