Knowledge Brings Fear

BND book

I was so lucky to obtain a copy of the currently hottest book in Germany, "Bedingt Dienstbereit" by Norbert Juretzko. Juretzko has been a spook for the german intelligence agency BND and he describes his career there, the people, the operations and the prevailing stupidity and sabotage from above. The BND is trying to prevent the book from beeing distributed. After reading the book, I could fully understand why.

Even if only half of the stuff Juretzko describes is true, the BND will have serious problems finding sources in the future. Their old enemies from the Staatssicherheit must be choking from laughter when reading the book. In the end the old boys network seems to have decided to protect a traitor who sold out whole operations to the russians, because exposing him would have caused too much collateral damage in the establishment. My last remaining illusions about Germany having a professional intelligence evaporated.