Chapter 3 The Target

1200 Zulu, Monday, July 6, 1981, Bonn, Germany

Maria strolls through the displays of robots and automation equipment at the European Automation and Robotics show held this year in Bonn. Her plain gray skirt and jacket with a white blouse and her modest makeup suggest a woman engineer or salesperson attending the show. Her cover story is she’s from Munich due to her southern German accent and because she is familiar with the city from her year at the University.

Leon told her, “Use your first name but a fake German last name. Be inconspicuous and watch other people. If questioned say you are a new salesperson for a Munich manufacturing company attending the show to learn about competitors' automation equipment. Hopefully this will explain being at the show and not knowing much about the equipment”.

 She tries to appear interested in the equipment on display and picks up advertising brochures, adding them to the black cloth tote bag handed out by one of the manufacturers. She actually focuses on the people looking at the equipment. Most are engineers from European companies with a real interest in the equipment. It is easy to spot them as usually they are in respectable, but not expensive, business clothes and they talk about the equipment with the people assigned to the displays.

Leon taught Maria to look for individuals with bad haircuts or wearing cheap suits, typical of East Europeans, who collect lots of brochures and take photographs of the equipment but don’t talk to the people at the displays. After a couple of years of practice, she can now pick them out. If she spots one it is possible the person is paid by an East European or Soviet intelligence agency to collect data about western technology. They are likely targets to assess as a possible double agent.

Maria knows Leon classifies these people as targets during the assessment; candidates if they pass his screening tests, recruits if they agreed to work for the West and finally assets if they provide useful intelligence. Usually targets turn out to be West Europeans with bad haircuts or with cheap East European suits bought from relatives in the East. As Leon told Maria when she first became his trainee recruiting agents takes lots of patience.

After an hour of observing Maria identifies three men who might be targets. Watching these three carefully she eliminates two. Both talk seriously to the people with the displayed equipment. The third man seems more promising. He is a tall handsome man, perhaps in his early thirties with black hair cut short. His blue suit is respectable but his shoes are cheap looking; not shoes a West European businessman would wear. He appears to her to be Jewish or perhaps Slavic, either way, a possible East European. She doesn’t see him talking to anyone and a couple of times she sees him photographing the robots.

Maria decides to take a direct approach. She walks casually to the same display of robots he is examining and while keeping her eyes on the robots says in German, "Do you think these Siemens robots are as good as the Fanuc robots?"

He turns to face her, pauses a moment and then replies, "I am not sure, I am in engineering but new to automation and robotics so I have the same question."

Maria smiles to herself thinking this is promising; he is probably using the same cover story as me. Reacting quickly she says with a big smile, "Ah, I am in sales and also new to this business, I just started working for Ruhr in Munich, how about you?"

The man laughs and replies with a nice smile, revealing decent, but not perfect teeth, "Me too, I just started a couple weeks ago for the Myre Company in Dresden."

Maria, nearly convinced he is using a cover story and finding him attractive, decides to press forward thinking  even if he doesn't progress from target to candidate he is worth seducing for the joy of the sex. She looks directly into his eyes and in her medium seductive voice says, "I’m getting bored looking at all this equipment. How about we get a cup of coffee and share how we came to be selling robots we don't understand?"

She sees a promising brightening in his eyes and he responds warmly, "Yes, good idea, I am getting bored here as well. Let's go to the coffee shop, I am Klaus, what is your name?"

"Maria, Maria Baum," she replies using the cover name she chose for this assignment.

At the coffee shop, they sit across from each other with their coffee and explore each other's backgrounds. Klaus asks, “How did you get into sales and why did you choose to work for a technical company rather than in clothing or cosmetics?”

Maria explains: “I chose sales because I like working with people. I wanted to travel and felt the automation company would offer more travel opportunities than retail sales.” Then she adds, as she gazes intently into Klaus's eyes: “I really prefer working with men. I think a technical field like automation and robotics will attract smart younger men like you.”

“You flatter me, Maria. How did you get hired by a company like Ruhr without any sales experience?”

This is Maria's opportunity to bait the hook. If Klaus is an agent he will jump at the chance to gather information on advanced western technology. She replies: "It's an interesting story. Ruhr is developing a new technology for automation and robotics they believe will revolutionize the field if it performs as they expect. Their marketing research suggests attractive women are best for enticing customers, expected to be mostly men, to learn what makes the new technology revolutionary. The technology is so different they feel experience selling the current technology isn't necessary. They wanted an unmarried person with an international background who was willing to travel a lot. I am originally from America; I am unmarried and want to travel so they hired me."

Maria notes Klaus's eyes open just a bit wider at the mention of revolutionary technology. Maybe he's taking the bait she thinks.

"Very exciting," replies Klaus, "My job is to design new equipment for Myre. Our current products use five-year-old technology and sales will be poor until we introduce state of the art equipment. Can you tell me about Ruhr's new technology?"

"No, they consider it a big proprietary secret and I haven't started that phase of my training yet. I am here to learn about our competitor's equipment. Then I can tell customers why our new equipment is better.  I start training on our new equipment in ten days after I return to Munich."

"Does that mean you are going to be in Bonn for the next week or so?

"Yes, after this week’s show I spend next week with a Ruhr consultant, one of their retired salesmen, who now lives in Bonn. He’ll teach me the basics of selling automation equipment. I'll have two sessions with him each day. It's a good arrangement as it leaves me time to be a tourist in Bonn."

This is Maria's not so subtle way of letting Klaus know she is available for further time together. Then she adds, "Well, I guess I should go back and try to learn more about robots."

"Oh, I am enjoying getting to know you. Perhaps we can dine together this evening, I hate eating alone.”

"I would like that," Maria says in her almost best seductive voice.

"Where are you staying if I may ask?"

"Right here in the Hotel Kamela Grand," answers Maria as sweetly as she can knowing it will make it easy to get Klaus in her room since she had decided during coffee she wants to seduce him. Rather she had decided the best approach with Klaus was to let him believe he is seducing her. If he believes he is in control it will be easier for her to maintain control.

"I am staying here as well, shall we eat here?"

"Yes, let's eat here," she replies thinking Klaus is following her lead just as she wants.

"Do you like sushi? We can eat in the Yunico restaurant."

"No, I would rather eat in the Rheinalm. I like the Alpine atmosphere and being able to see the Rhine."

"Good, I'll make reservations for 8:00 if that's ok and meet you at the restaurant."

"Perfect, Klaus, I'll see you there," Maria answers in her most seductive voice believing her plan is falling into place perfectly.

1800 Zulu, Monday, July 6, 1981, Hotel Kamela Grand, Bonn

Maria dresses for dinner in her shortest and tightest black dress displaying her near-perfect figure and cut low enough to keep Klaus's eyes busy watching for the chance to see more. She chooses makeup to make her eyes and lips seductive. As she prepares she reviews her plan for the evening. At dinner, Maria plans to encourage Klaus to seduce her and at the same time apply the techniques she learned from Leon for assessing a target as a possible candidate.

The first step in Leon's process is to determine if the target has a strong passion that can be exploited. It might be greed for money, hatred of a country, an ethnic group, a philosophy or a culture or it can be an addictive passion for sex, gambling or even drugs. Although any agency whose people have access to valuable intelligence will try to screen out anyone with addictive behaviors people are good at hiding personal problems from their employers.

Combining seduction with target assessment over dinner is easier than it might seem. Maria will let Klaus talk, listen while gazing into his eyes and let Klaus share his passions, which most men do sooner or later. The trick is not to get them too eager for sex before they reveal useful information. When Maria is satisfied with the progress for the evening she will say the wine is going to her head making her a little tipsy. She’ll ask if Klaus minds walking her to her room. If Klaus is responding the way she hopes she’ll say she feels better after the walk and invite him in. If not she’ll just excuse herself for the evening and hope he asks to see her again.

Maria arrives at the entrance to the Rheinalm exactly at 8:00 pm and is pleased to find Klaus waiting. The look in his eyes tells her she picked the right dress and makeup.

“You are lovely tonight Maria, I am glad you agreed to have dinner with me.”

“Thank you, Klaus. I’m glad you asked me. I don’t like eating alone in restaurants either.”

They are shown to their table and when they are seated Klaus asks, “Do you like white wine.”

“Yes, I like white better than red.”

 Klaus orders a bottle of Rhine wine, not too cheap but not too expensive. They discuss the menu and what foods they like while waiting for the wine.

When the wine is poured and they each have a sip Klaus asks, "Tell me more about you Maria?"

Maria’s cover story includes her true background. This makes it easy to avoid mistakes. She starts by telling him she grew up in Indiana. Soon Klaus leads her to talk about her parents. When he learns her mother is Jewish he wants to know about her mother's parents. He shows great interest when he learns her father is from France. She lets Klaus assume her father is also a Jew. He asks about her father's family in France and she says they didn’t survive the war.

Then the waiter comes to their table and they stop talking to order dinner. “What would you like Madam?”

“I’ve not quite decided. Take his order first.”

Klaus orders the sauerbraten with red cabbage. Maria says, “I’ll have that also.” She doesn't want to risk ordering something that might annoy Klaus or worse give away her cover.

Klaus continues the conversation about Maria’s family: “Where did your mother’s family live before emigrating to America?”

“Some small town in Ukraine or Poland, I’m not sure.”

“Do you know anything about them?”

 “I don’t know the town they came from but Mother said they were merchants who bought goods in Minsk, in Vilna, and in Lviv and resold them in small towns near their home.”

“Why did they emigrate to America?”

“Neither Mother nor my grandparents ever talked about it; maybe they didn't know. I always assumed it was to avoid a pogrom likely taking place in their town.”

“Did any of your relatives die in the Holocaust?”

 This she knows, “My grandparents said all their relatives perished in the war as far as they knew.”

"Maria, do you or your family blame the Germans, the Russians or the Americans for the loss of these relatives?"

Klaus’s question takes her by surprise. What can he possibly mean? And what does this reveal about Klaus? She decides to play it straight.

 "I never thought about it being anyone’s fault other than the Germans Klaus, why do you ask?"

"Because my family was killed near the end of the war.  I blame the Americans. If they had invaded France a year or even six months earlier I am convinced the Germans would have been forced back faster and my family would have survived."

"How tragic for you Klaus. But didn’t the Germans kill your family?"

"Yes the Germans did, but I believe they wouldn't have had the opportunity if they had to deal with an American and British invasion of France much earlier."

"How did you survive Klaus?"

"Actually, I believe I was born in France to Jewish parents. Just before the Normandy invasion, we were put on a train, probably headed to a camp in Poland or Eastern Germany. The train made a stop and the people in our car were able to open a door and jump from the train. They and my parents ran across a field. My parents gave me to a farm family, barely taking the time to tell them my name was Claude and continued to run. The farmer’s wife hid me under their potatoes when the SS searched their house. They changed my name to Klaus and passed me off as the baby son of relatives killed in one of the bombings. When I was older they told me they heard the SS shooting all the people who escaped from the train so they assumed my parents were killed. They said my parents wore armbands marking them as Jews and spoke French."

Maria had an idea that might yield some helpful information. She asks, "So do you blame me since I am American by birth?"

"No, you are a Jew like me. I am sure your Mother’s family would have wanted America to invade Germany earlier. It's possible it could have saved some of their relatives that were killed."

The waiter serves their dinners and Maria welcomes the interruption. It gives her time to reflect on Klaus's reasons for blaming America for his parents’ death. To give her more time to think she turns the conversation to the food.

"Is your sauerbraten done to your liking, Klaus?"

"It's very good. Actually, I like sauerbraten however it’s prepared."

"Oh, would you pour me another glass of wine, please? I am enjoying the wine you selected Klaus, you have good taste. Do you know wines well?"

"No, I am not very familiar with wines, especially wines in Western Europe, but I'm glad you like it."

Sensing Klaus has no passion for food or wines Maria changes the conversation again. "I have told you all about me Klaus, tell me more about you?"

He repeats he was raised by the German family, whose name was Schultz, which he kept as his own since they didn’t know the name of his parents. He says, “They made sure I studied French as well as German and English in school. Otherwise, they treated me as their own son. I didn’t assume my Jewish identity until after I finished school and left my home with the Schultzs. They were both killed in an auto accident shortly afterward. I inherited the farm and sold it. That gave me money to pay for engineering school.”

The remainder of Klaus's story about himself sounds to Maria like a cover story he has told many times or has rehearsed over and over. Maria concludes she is not getting any information useful to assess Klaus as a candidate other than his high interest in her Jewish background and blaming America for the deaths of his birth family. When they finished eating she switches to her plan for seducing Klaus by asking him to walk her back to her room.

This part of her plan better than she imagines. Klaus acknowledges her subtle invitation to have sex and kissing her tenderly proceeds slowly. She doesn't have to use any of her special techniques to make the sex exciting. She is delighted when he asks if he can see her again before he leaves her room in the early morning. As she drifts off to sleep she thinks to herself the process of assessing Klaus is going to be fun and exciting. She even wonders if she likes him a little. She wants to go back over the evening and particularly the sex in her mind but she is too sleepy. It will have to wait until morning.

800 Zulu, Tuesday, July 7, 1981, Hotel Kamela Grand, Bonn

Maria doesn’t wake up until 8:30 the next morning. She fixes some coffee in her room and thinks about the previous evening before showering and getting dressed. She can skip the exhibition for the morning as she has better things to think about than robots. When the coffee is ready she takes her cup and sits down to try to assess what she learned about Klaus. But she can’t stop thinking about the great sex. Trying to understand what made sex with Klaus different she reviews every moment of it from the first kiss until Klaus leaves her room. She can’t decide what made it special. Was it his smell or his soft voice or his anticipating her desires? Though she’s had sex with numerous men in college and after she’s never experienced such pleasure as with Klaus. Now she isn’t sure she wants him to be a candidate for anything other than her lover.