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| Behind German Spy Cases, Twists Worthy of Films | Behind German Spy Cases, Twists Worthy of Films |
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| BERLIN — The Cold War is long since over, the capital is no longer Bonn — the “small town in Germany” of John le Carré fame — and few nations have exhibited a stronger reaction against the modern surveillance state. | |
| Yet recent weeks have brought new reminders that the Spy vs. Spy game goes on in Germany, which remains caught geographically and historically between Russia and the West. | Yet recent weeks have brought new reminders that the Spy vs. Spy game goes on in Germany, which remains caught geographically and historically between Russia and the West. |
| As Chancellor Angela Merkel said in an interview on Germany’s ZDF television on Saturday, “We no longer live in the Cold War era where everyone is suspicious of everyone.” In the 21st century, she added, secret services should concentrate on important issues. | As Chancellor Angela Merkel said in an interview on Germany’s ZDF television on Saturday, “We no longer live in the Cold War era where everyone is suspicious of everyone.” In the 21st century, she added, secret services should concentrate on important issues. |
| The espionage cases that have caused severe new strains between the United States and Germany grew, paradoxically, out of German concerns about renewed Russian intelligence activity. Based on German news reports and sketchy information provided by government officials on both sides of the Atlantic, the two cases also appear to be linked, at least tangentially, with one now looking far more serious than the other. | The espionage cases that have caused severe new strains between the United States and Germany grew, paradoxically, out of German concerns about renewed Russian intelligence activity. Based on German news reports and sketchy information provided by government officials on both sides of the Atlantic, the two cases also appear to be linked, at least tangentially, with one now looking far more serious than the other. |
| The more troubling case centers on a 31-year-old midlevel employee of the federal intelligence service who was arrested on July 2. He was detained on suspicion of spying for Russia, but then astonished his interrogators by claiming to have passed 218 German intelligence documents to the United States. | The more troubling case centers on a 31-year-old midlevel employee of the federal intelligence service who was arrested on July 2. He was detained on suspicion of spying for Russia, but then astonished his interrogators by claiming to have passed 218 German intelligence documents to the United States. |
| That man, identified only as Markus R., first came on the radar of German counterintelligence on May 28, when he sent an email to the Russian consulate in Munich offering information, the Süddeutsche Zeitung reported Saturday. | That man, identified only as Markus R., first came on the radar of German counterintelligence on May 28, when he sent an email to the Russian consulate in Munich offering information, the Süddeutsche Zeitung reported Saturday. |
| Since the Russian invasion of Crimea, senior German intelligence officials say, the Russians had stepped up their activity in Germany, seeking information on Berlin’s next steps, so counterintelligence was on alert for such contacts. | Since the Russian invasion of Crimea, senior German intelligence officials say, the Russians had stepped up their activity in Germany, seeking information on Berlin’s next steps, so counterintelligence was on alert for such contacts. |
| Markus R. was reportedly eager to impress the Russians, and attached at least one intelligence document to his email: an anonymous denunciation of a Defense Ministry official as a Russian spy that had crossed his desk at the federal intelligence headquarters near Munich, according to Süddeutsche Zeitung. | Markus R. was reportedly eager to impress the Russians, and attached at least one intelligence document to his email: an anonymous denunciation of a Defense Ministry official as a Russian spy that had crossed his desk at the federal intelligence headquarters near Munich, according to Süddeutsche Zeitung. |
| German counterintelligence officials sought to ensnare Markus R. by replying to him from a false Russian email address, suggesting a meeting. Markus R. apparently did not take the bait, and the Germans, casting about for more clues, forwarded the Gmail address used by Markus R. to the Americans, asking if they recognized it. | German counterintelligence officials sought to ensnare Markus R. by replying to him from a false Russian email address, suggesting a meeting. Markus R. apparently did not take the bait, and the Germans, casting about for more clues, forwarded the Gmail address used by Markus R. to the Americans, asking if they recognized it. |
| “There was no reply” from the Americans, as the newsmagazine Der Spiegel put it. Instead, Markus R. shut down the email address. | “There was no reply” from the Americans, as the newsmagazine Der Spiegel put it. Instead, Markus R. shut down the email address. |
| His arrest and subsequent admission that he had actually been working for the United States infuriated the Germans and embarrassed the United States, especially given previous disclosures that the Americans had been eavesdropping on the communications of millions of Germans and had tapped the mobile phone of Ms. Merkel. | His arrest and subsequent admission that he had actually been working for the United States infuriated the Germans and embarrassed the United States, especially given previous disclosures that the Americans had been eavesdropping on the communications of millions of Germans and had tapped the mobile phone of Ms. Merkel. |
| Markus R., according to German news media accounts citing unidentified government and intelligence officials, had been working already two years for the Americans, reportedly receiving 25,000 euros (about $34,000) for those 218 documents, and meeting his handlers three times in Austria, apparently to avoid detection. | Markus R., according to German news media accounts citing unidentified government and intelligence officials, had been working already two years for the Americans, reportedly receiving 25,000 euros (about $34,000) for those 218 documents, and meeting his handlers three times in Austria, apparently to avoid detection. |
| It seems he was not satisfied. Süddeutsche Zeitung, whose reporters have talked to Markus R.’s lawyer, depicted him as someone eager for more money, who apparently arranged a meeting with the Russians for July 19, prompting counterintelligence to detain him — still thinking they were dealing with a spy for Moscow. | It seems he was not satisfied. Süddeutsche Zeitung, whose reporters have talked to Markus R.’s lawyer, depicted him as someone eager for more money, who apparently arranged a meeting with the Russians for July 19, prompting counterintelligence to detain him — still thinking they were dealing with a spy for Moscow. |
| But there was yet another twist in store. The anonymous denunciation of the German defense official that Markus had included in his email to the Russians turned out to be at the heart of a separate case that German counterintelligence officials had been monitoring since August 2010, said Andre Hahn, a member of the parliamentary commission that oversees Germany’s intelligence services. | But there was yet another twist in store. The anonymous denunciation of the German defense official that Markus had included in his email to the Russians turned out to be at the heart of a separate case that German counterintelligence officials had been monitoring since August 2010, said Andre Hahn, a member of the parliamentary commission that oversees Germany’s intelligence services. |
| The defense official, who has not been publicly named, had come under scrutiny after investigators received the anonymous tip saying the official was working for the Russians. The investigators, according to some news reports, also found evidence that the man had taken trips paid for by an American friend. | The defense official, who has not been publicly named, had come under scrutiny after investigators received the anonymous tip saying the official was working for the Russians. The investigators, according to some news reports, also found evidence that the man had taken trips paid for by an American friend. |
| But the evidence was apparently thin, and it was not until this week, in the wake of Markus R.’s arrest and the diplomatic strains it caused with the United States, that the federal prosecutor sent the police to raid the man’s home and office. A day later, Germany demanded that the top United States intelligence official in Berlin leave the country, a step rarely taken by one ally against another. | But the evidence was apparently thin, and it was not until this week, in the wake of Markus R.’s arrest and the diplomatic strains it caused with the United States, that the federal prosecutor sent the police to raid the man’s home and office. A day later, Germany demanded that the top United States intelligence official in Berlin leave the country, a step rarely taken by one ally against another. |
| But a senior German official said Friday that there might not be enough evidence to prosecute the second official for spying for either Russia or the United States. | But a senior German official said Friday that there might not be enough evidence to prosecute the second official for spying for either Russia or the United States. |
| The two sides are now beginning to turn to the task of repairing the German-American relationship. | The two sides are now beginning to turn to the task of repairing the German-American relationship. |
| The German foreign minister, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, will meet Secretary of State John Kerry on Sunday on the sidelines of one of several important American-German joint efforts: negotiations over limiting Iran’s nuclear ability. As Mr. Steinmeier said Friday, the expulsion of the American intelligence official was an inevitable step once it became clear that the United States, long revered for championing democracy after the end of Nazi rule, was spying on Germany. “We need and expect a partnership based on trust,” he said. | The German foreign minister, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, will meet Secretary of State John Kerry on Sunday on the sidelines of one of several important American-German joint efforts: negotiations over limiting Iran’s nuclear ability. As Mr. Steinmeier said Friday, the expulsion of the American intelligence official was an inevitable step once it became clear that the United States, long revered for championing democracy after the end of Nazi rule, was spying on Germany. “We need and expect a partnership based on trust,” he said. |
| For now, a senior German official said, the spying “overshadows everything we do.” In order not to appear to be kowtowing to the Americans, Ms. Merkel needs “something” from Washington, this official said. | For now, a senior German official said, the spying “overshadows everything we do.” In order not to appear to be kowtowing to the Americans, Ms. Merkel needs “something” from Washington, this official said. |
| Germany clearly depends on the United States for its security and, the official estimated, shares 80 percent to 90 percent of its intelligence with Washington. As Ms. Merkel noted in Saturday’s television interview, “We work very closely with the Americans, and I hope that will continue.” So what the United States might give her is not yet clear. Equally murky are the many unanswered questions. Did Markus R. really meet his handlers, as reported, in Austria? Was he even, as Der Spiegel reported on Saturday, run from the American Embassy in Vienna? If so, will ruffled Austrians limit American intelligence operations in their country? How did Markus R. get away with making hard copies of the 218 documents — which filled five large binders — taking them home, scanning them, sending them to his American handlers and storing them on a USB stick found by investigators? | Germany clearly depends on the United States for its security and, the official estimated, shares 80 percent to 90 percent of its intelligence with Washington. As Ms. Merkel noted in Saturday’s television interview, “We work very closely with the Americans, and I hope that will continue.” So what the United States might give her is not yet clear. Equally murky are the many unanswered questions. Did Markus R. really meet his handlers, as reported, in Austria? Was he even, as Der Spiegel reported on Saturday, run from the American Embassy in Vienna? If so, will ruffled Austrians limit American intelligence operations in their country? How did Markus R. get away with making hard copies of the 218 documents — which filled five large binders — taking them home, scanning them, sending them to his American handlers and storing them on a USB stick found by investigators? |
| Guards at the federal intelligence headquarters at Pullach, outside Munich, have no right to conduct body searches of roughly 5,000 employees, said Clemens Binninger, a parliamentary deputy of Ms. Merkel’s center-right party who heads the commission on the secret services. And “you can’t possibly search everyone,” he said. | Guards at the federal intelligence headquarters at Pullach, outside Munich, have no right to conduct body searches of roughly 5,000 employees, said Clemens Binninger, a parliamentary deputy of Ms. Merkel’s center-right party who heads the commission on the secret services. And “you can’t possibly search everyone,” he said. |
| For Mr. Hahn, who sits in Parliament for the Left Party of former East German Communists and Western leftists, the story proves that, like any good spy, you should never rule out anything. | For Mr. Hahn, who sits in Parliament for the Left Party of former East German Communists and Western leftists, the story proves that, like any good spy, you should never rule out anything. |
| “In both cases, we only started probing because people believed it involved the Russian secret service,” Mr. Hahn said. “For me, the discussions of the past few days have shown that we think the Russians and Chinese are willing to do anything. But in the Americans we placed literally blind trust, and this trust is now really shaken.” | “In both cases, we only started probing because people believed it involved the Russian secret service,” Mr. Hahn said. “For me, the discussions of the past few days have shown that we think the Russians and Chinese are willing to do anything. But in the Americans we placed literally blind trust, and this trust is now really shaken.” |
| Others see the whole episode as proof that the United States, mired in its own problems and occupied with multiple crises overseas, cares little about Germany and will not modify its intelligence practices without drastic action from Berlin. | Others see the whole episode as proof that the United States, mired in its own problems and occupied with multiple crises overseas, cares little about Germany and will not modify its intelligence practices without drastic action from Berlin. |
| Expulsion of the C.I.A. chief may jolt some Americans, but it “is still not an action that will have consequences,” said Josef Braml, an American specialist at the German Council on Foreign Relations. “If you are really serious about it, you should cause some economic pain, maybe canceling contracts for some companies that obviously work together with the U.S. security apparatus.” | Expulsion of the C.I.A. chief may jolt some Americans, but it “is still not an action that will have consequences,” said Josef Braml, an American specialist at the German Council on Foreign Relations. “If you are really serious about it, you should cause some economic pain, maybe canceling contracts for some companies that obviously work together with the U.S. security apparatus.” |
| In fact, the German Interior Ministry did just that before the affair of the American agents broke. On June 26, it said it would cancel a contract with Verizon Communications. “The links revealed between foreign intelligence agencies and firms,” the ministry said in a statement, “show that the German government needs a high level of security for its essential networks.” | In fact, the German Interior Ministry did just that before the affair of the American agents broke. On June 26, it said it would cancel a contract with Verizon Communications. “The links revealed between foreign intelligence agencies and firms,” the ministry said in a statement, “show that the German government needs a high level of security for its essential networks.” |