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A NETFLIX ORIGINAL DOCUMENTARY SERIES
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APRIL 1, 1991
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PRESS
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April 1 was Easter Monday.
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I was in the newsroom until about 10 p.m.
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And then headed home
to Düsseldorf-Unterrath.
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That's when I noticed...
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the city was full of blue lights.
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Fire trucks, ambulances, police cars.
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I'd never seen anything
like it in my whole career.
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Not then or ever since.
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I followed the police cars.
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And they all drove
to Kaiser-Friedrich-Ring...
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which is where the rich and famous live.
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I still didn't know what had happened.
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I asked a policeman,
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"Can you tell me what's going on?
The whole city is on lockdown."
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He said, "Not just the whole city.
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All the freeways are closed.
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We're imposing a dragnet."
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I asked, "What could have happened?"
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He said, "The worst kind of crime."
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He said, "You've heard of Mr. Rohwedder?"
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-"Who's Rohwedder?"
-"You don't know Rohwedder?
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He's the President
of the Treuhand in Berlin.
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He's liquidating the GDR."
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My wife and I
had returned from a ski trip.
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We were traveling
back to Düsseldorf that night.
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We passed the Rohwedder house.
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It was all lit up.
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Twenty meters in front of the house,
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I met a policeman
and asked him just one question:
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"Is he dead?"
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"Yes."
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I knew what had happened.
It was unambiguous.
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Good evening, ladies and gentlemen.
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We at ZDF apologize
for interrupting your regular program.
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The reason for this interruption
is sad and shocking.
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The head of the Treuhand Agency,
Detlev Rohwedder,
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was reportedly killed
in his Düsseldorf apartment
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on Monday evening at around 10:30 p.m.
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GERMANY
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The German Reich.
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No one intends to build a wall!
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Unity and justice and freedom
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...insane attacks by barbaric terrorists.
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For the German fatherland
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Risen from ruins
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Our fatherland, reunited.
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Flourish, German fatherland
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I was on a ski trip in Austria.
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My security agents
woke me up in the night
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and said, "Rohwedder has been murdered."
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I had only been skiing for two days.
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I'd really looked forward
to that ski trip.
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He said, "Here, take your camera
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and go photograph the top window."
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I said, "But I can't see anything."
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He said, "Just take a shot
with your flash.
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You'll see what you photographed later."
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I was at home when I received a call
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informing me there
had been an attack on Rohwedder.
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I immediately understood the situation.
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Our Investigation Unit drove there.
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The Crime Scene Unit was alerted.
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And we immediately
got to work that very night.
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Many police arrived.
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At some point, the Federal Criminal
Police Office arrived.
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Unidentified men took command.
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And I was pushed aside.
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We arrived between 3:00 and 4:00 a.m.
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We went into the house
to get an initial look.
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When we entered
Mr. Rohwedder's study on the upper floor,
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his body was still lying there.
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Mr. Rohwedder lay dead on the ground
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opposite the window
in front of the bookshelf.
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-Good evening, Mr. Schmock.
-Hello, Mr. Voss.
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Mr. Schmok, has Rohwedder's
murder been confirmed
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by the Düsseldorf
Ministry of the Interior?
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Yes, it has been confirmed.
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The city is in shock.
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He was an exceptionally kind man.
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He, however, knew the danger
he was in because of this new position.
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We can be sure
that this was a political murder.
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Back in the newsroom, the first thing
I did was develop the film.
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I still remember clearly,
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I was horrified by what I saw.
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You can see the two shots
that had penetrated standard window glass.
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One shot killed Karsten Rohwedder.
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The second injured his wife,
who was standing behind him.
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If the local police had implemented
the suggested security measures,
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they would not
have installed standard glass,
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but bullet-proof glass,
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which would have prevented
the shots from penetrating.
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To this day, I don't understand
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why bullet-proof windows
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were only installed
on the ground floor of his house.
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In my house,
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all the windows and doors were designed
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to make such a direct attack impossible.
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Yes, one can feel both anger and pity.
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Anger and pity.
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Anger, because what you wanted
to protect wasn't protected,
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and pity for those who trusted the state,
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and whom the state could not protect...
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or did not want to protect.
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This is the daily news.
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The head of the Treuhand
in Berlin, Rohwedder,
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has reportedly been murdered.
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The Federal Prosecutor General
declined to confirm
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whether the RAF
had carried out the attack.
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They do not expect
to find the perpetrator soon,
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or perhaps ever.
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Minister of Finance Waigel,
who supervised the Treuhand,
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interrupted his Easter vacation
and traveled to Bonn.
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Rohwedder is, I think...
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the martyr, or a martyr,
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of German reunification.
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So, I am deeply...
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thankful for his courage...
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and willingness to take on
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this dangerous job at the Treuhand Agency.
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For the good of Germany.
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MARTYR
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Rohwedder was the head of the world's
biggest industrial holding company.
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That holding company controlled
some 15,000 GDR enterprises.
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Shipyards, steel foundries,
the textile industry, chemical industry.
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By Western standards,
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these companies had every
problem it was conceivable to have.
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Each of these 15,000 companies
needed major restructuring.
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A colossal task.
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It was probably the first time
that an agency, like the Treuhand
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had to integrate all these companies,
to restructure, liquidate, and sell them.
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Mrs. Breuel, could you give us
your reaction to the assassination?
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All of the employees are very sad
and feel committed now
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to continuing Mr. Rohwedder's work.
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That's our job,
and we're dedicated to getting it done.
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Awful.
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00:11:07,120 --> 00:11:09,360
Terrible. I'm at a loss for words.
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It's terrible. He was my boss.
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I'm... sad.
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Outraged, actually.
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I've been wondering...
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where were the measures to protect him?
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The day after Rohwedder's murder
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I came to the Treuhand office.
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It was buzzing.
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The wheels were still turning.
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There were investors,
managers who wanted loans,
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investors inquiring
about their take over bids.
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And I felt totally out of place.
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Just imagine:
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You're working in an organization
and then the leader is shot and killed.
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What kind of a sick system
does such a thing?
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A man gives up
a secure position in the West
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to come to the East
and tackle this whole thing.
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All those braggarts
in Munich or Bonn or wherever,
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comfortable and safe,
all talk and no action...
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Here was a man who came here
and faced this challenge.
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And they shoot him? I thought it was sick.
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00:12:24,160 --> 00:12:27,960
The economy of the former GDR
is on the brink of collapse.
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The new states of Germany are facing
an ever-growing mountain of problems.
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Mr. Rohwedder, many people
are wondering why you took this on.
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5 WEEKS
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UNTIL THE MURDER
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Perhaps, we can consider
your background for some context.
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You were born in 1932,
the son of a bookseller.
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In Gotha, which is in Thuringia.
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Did your Central German origin
influence your decision?
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Yes, I've always been interested
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in the so-called "new" states of Germany.
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I was often in the GDR
during my time in Bonn.
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Reunification has meant a lot to me
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and that's why, despite all the criticism
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and denunciation of my work...
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I'm proud to be able to do this job.
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And this allows me to see past
the difficulties we're facing.
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Oversized companies,
intransigent staff, outdated machinery,
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low productivity, and, above all,
products that are difficult to sell.
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The Treuhand Agency is overwhelmed
by the magnitude of the problems.
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-What do you think of Treuhand?
-Not much.
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-Why?
-Their restructuring has destroyed things,
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without creating new jobs.
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My wife already lost her job.
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Everyone is scared.
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Today, we're worse off than before.
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You feel discouraged,
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because you don't know
if you'll keep your job or not.
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We face rapidly rising unemployment
due to a large number...
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00:14:17,760 --> 00:14:19,400
of collapsing companies.
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Yes, the unemployment rate is depressing.
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00:14:37,680 --> 00:14:41,160
In some areas
it is devastating and alarming,
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and the people have
every right to feel distressed,
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because every worker is doing a good job
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and that makes decisions
like this very hard.
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We...
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don't take decisions
like this lightly at Treuhand.
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Whenever we make a decision, we think
about what it means for the people.
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00:15:21,320 --> 00:15:23,080
I've worked here for 18 years.
200
00:15:23,760 --> 00:15:28,440
And at the age of 43
I won't find work, anywhere.
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00:15:29,040 --> 00:15:31,880
The job center is sending me
from one place to the next.
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00:15:31,960 --> 00:15:34,080
The welfare office is doing the same.
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00:15:34,160 --> 00:15:36,800
My apartment is a hole in the wall.
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I'm on the verge of a nervous breakdown.
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Honestly.
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00:15:40,840 --> 00:15:44,880
And with just 500 marks
of unemployment benefits,
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00:15:44,960 --> 00:15:49,320
I'm at the point where I might as well
just hang myself right now.
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00:15:50,080 --> 00:15:53,280
And I'll take my kids with me. I will.
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I'm telling you.
I won't leave them alone here.
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Did you really turn the gas on yesterday?
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00:16:02,360 --> 00:16:04,720
I just didn't know what to do anymore.
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We'll get through this.
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00:16:10,440 --> 00:16:11,760
We'll fight.
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00:16:17,840 --> 00:16:21,720
OCTOBER 1989
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00:16:21,800 --> 00:16:26,360
18 MONTHS
UNTIL THE MURDER
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00:16:30,720 --> 00:16:32,720
BERLIN, CAPITAL OF THE GDR
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00:16:33,840 --> 00:16:36,840
Nobody went hungry in the GDR.
Everybody had a home.
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00:16:37,320 --> 00:16:38,640
Nobody was homeless.
219
00:16:38,720 --> 00:16:43,720
Things like that were
well organized in the GDR.
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00:16:43,800 --> 00:16:46,480
The companies functioned.
The people worked hard.
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00:16:47,280 --> 00:16:49,120
But it was a hamster wheel.
222
00:16:49,200 --> 00:16:52,640
Nothing came of it.
It didn't produce any wealth.
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00:16:53,640 --> 00:16:56,280
If the Berlin Wall hadn't fallen in 1989,
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in two, three, less than five years,
the whole thing would have imploded.
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00:17:03,160 --> 00:17:05,560
The internal structure of the system...
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00:17:06,720 --> 00:17:08,480
was collapsing from within.
227
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No violence!
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People were no longer willing to stand up
for its intrinsic values.
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Freedom!
230
00:17:18,200 --> 00:17:20,800
Thousands of mostly
young people in many cities
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00:17:20,880 --> 00:17:23,080
are demanding freedom
and political reform.
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00:17:25,920 --> 00:17:28,560
This November 9 is a historic day.
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00:17:28,640 --> 00:17:32,720
The GDR announced that
its borders are now open to everyone.
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The gates in the wall are wide open.
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Everyone who was in politics back then
will remember November 9
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until the end of their lives.
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However... amidst the joy
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there was an immediate question:
239
00:18:11,480 --> 00:18:12,880
And what now?
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00:18:13,360 --> 00:18:15,880
What's in the future
for the Minister of Finance?
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00:18:22,760 --> 00:18:27,760
At the Ministry of Finance,
we had already started to consider...
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00:18:28,640 --> 00:18:29,960
days in advance
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00:18:30,040 --> 00:18:34,800
what had to happen to lead the GDR
out of its devastating economic situation.
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00:18:36,600 --> 00:18:39,920
To this day, I'm still impressed
by the innovation
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00:18:40,000 --> 00:18:42,040
of our Ministry of Finance.
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00:18:43,480 --> 00:18:47,520
In 1989, the Berlin Wall fell.
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From November on...
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I was in a heightened state
of alertness and vigilance,
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00:18:56,200 --> 00:18:59,840
like I had never
experienced in my life.
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00:18:59,920 --> 00:19:03,360
There was a two-volume manual on the GDR.
251
00:19:03,440 --> 00:19:06,960
I bought it so that I could learn
about all the different institutions.
252
00:19:07,040 --> 00:19:10,360
And there were also studies
on the economy of the GDR.
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00:19:10,760 --> 00:19:13,960
I studied all of it,
and then I said to myself,
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00:19:14,040 --> 00:19:18,080
with my youthful hubris
at the age of just 44,
255
00:19:18,160 --> 00:19:21,600
"Nobody knows more
about the GDR than I do now."
256
00:19:21,680 --> 00:19:24,640
And I tackled things with that mentality.
257
00:19:25,600 --> 00:19:28,360
It was a decisive moment,
258
00:19:28,440 --> 00:19:32,480
to restructure the economic
and social order of the GDR.
259
00:19:33,160 --> 00:19:34,320
So that meant...
260
00:19:35,680 --> 00:19:40,560
Introducing competition, private ownership
and an independent monetary policy.
261
00:19:41,760 --> 00:19:46,880
We had already thought
about all this for the people of the GDR.
262
00:19:56,720 --> 00:20:03,360
On November 14, I received a call
from the Council of Ministers.
263
00:20:03,440 --> 00:20:05,400
"We need you in the government."
264
00:20:06,000 --> 00:20:10,400
Half an hour later,
I held the highest office of my life.
265
00:20:10,800 --> 00:20:13,760
It was my second son's birthday that day.
266
00:20:14,560 --> 00:20:15,400
Wonderful!
267
00:20:16,080 --> 00:20:18,720
And then it started.
268
00:20:20,800 --> 00:20:26,520
I didn't sense any malice
in the national or international press.
269
00:20:27,000 --> 00:20:29,360
It was rather, "She is brave."
270
00:20:29,440 --> 00:20:33,280
Or, "In her line of business,
she wants to make a difference."
271
00:20:33,360 --> 00:20:35,520
That was the basic tenor.
272
00:20:35,600 --> 00:20:38,160
Christa Luft openly stated
the government's plan
273
00:20:38,240 --> 00:20:42,480
to make a radical, yet controlled,
transition to a market economy.
274
00:20:42,560 --> 00:20:44,400
We're aiming for a market economy
275
00:20:44,480 --> 00:20:50,200
that proves to be economically efficient
and internationally competitive.
276
00:20:50,280 --> 00:20:53,000
We wanted to allow free trade
277
00:20:53,080 --> 00:20:56,040
and to support
small independent businesses.
278
00:20:56,760 --> 00:21:00,960
We had passed a joint venture law
in the People's Chamber.
279
00:21:01,680 --> 00:21:08,160
These things weren't just on paper,
some of them had already been introduced.
280
00:21:11,760 --> 00:21:14,200
For a few weeks we really believed
281
00:21:14,280 --> 00:21:18,000
that the country would
make major progress and get better.
282
00:21:19,200 --> 00:21:22,240
That a GDR would develop
without the problems
283
00:21:22,320 --> 00:21:27,400
of the past, meaning
the Stasi and the oppression
284
00:21:27,480 --> 00:21:31,720
and the political cronyism. We thought
it would be more open and relaxed.
285
00:21:32,880 --> 00:21:34,400
A sort of paradise.
286
00:21:35,760 --> 00:21:40,400
And many people tried
to realize their dreams.
287
00:21:40,480 --> 00:21:44,000
Every other person
opened a cafe or a bar.
288
00:21:44,400 --> 00:21:49,920
They were like kids in a toy shop
who were finally allowed to play.
289
00:21:50,000 --> 00:21:52,960
You could sense their joy as they said,
290
00:21:53,040 --> 00:21:55,640
"Here you go, some white wine...
291
00:21:56,160 --> 00:21:58,080
Yes, we're only open in the evenings."
292
00:21:58,160 --> 00:22:00,480
Often they were apartments
in back buildings,
293
00:22:00,560 --> 00:22:04,440
where people had started
meeting and drinking in the evenings.
294
00:22:05,000 --> 00:22:07,240
Everyone did what they thought was right.
295
00:22:07,320 --> 00:22:09,280
One person sold sausages,
296
00:22:09,360 --> 00:22:12,840
another had salads
with olives and exotic stuff like that.
297
00:22:12,920 --> 00:22:18,160
Everyone was living out their dreams
with an incredible sense of joy.
298
00:22:32,240 --> 00:22:35,760
We must find our own way,
use the chance we have now.
299
00:22:35,840 --> 00:22:37,360
There's a lot to change here,
300
00:22:37,440 --> 00:22:40,920
but we want something different
from West Germany and capitalism.
301
00:22:41,000 --> 00:22:44,800
Nations, hear the signal!
302
00:22:44,880 --> 00:22:50,200
We want this
to remain our country
303
00:22:50,280 --> 00:22:53,960
and we don't want anyone else
to decide its fate.
304
00:22:57,200 --> 00:23:00,480
Sometimes I felt out of place
305
00:23:00,560 --> 00:23:02,560
and the men felt awkward, too.
306
00:23:02,640 --> 00:23:09,000
Near the beginning of my tenure
in January 1990,
307
00:23:09,280 --> 00:23:14,240
I had a meeting with around 15 managers
from the former East German states.
308
00:23:14,720 --> 00:23:16,400
I was the only woman!
309
00:23:16,480 --> 00:23:19,840
And I had to give the introductory speech.
310
00:23:19,920 --> 00:23:23,360
You've been accused
of beating around the bush,
311
00:23:23,440 --> 00:23:26,560
for not using the term
"social market economy" yet.
312
00:23:26,640 --> 00:23:29,120
What kind of regulatory framework
do you envision?
313
00:23:29,200 --> 00:23:32,480
Come on, that's not fair.
314
00:23:32,560 --> 00:23:35,520
I only had, I don't know,
three minutes to talk.
315
00:23:35,600 --> 00:23:37,560
And I made it very clear
316
00:23:37,640 --> 00:23:41,560
that we are working to create
a functioning domestic market
317
00:23:41,640 --> 00:23:44,440
that operates according
to market principles.
318
00:23:44,520 --> 00:23:50,440
That was when I met Rohwedder
for the first time in real life.
319
00:23:50,840 --> 00:23:52,880
He was a giant...
320
00:23:54,040 --> 00:23:55,960
an impressive figure.
321
00:23:56,680 --> 00:23:59,840
He played up his experience
as a restructuring expert.
322
00:23:59,920 --> 00:24:03,160
He had developed that expertise
at Hoesch, which was well-known.
323
00:24:04,400 --> 00:24:06,800
Rohwedder said what needed to be done.
324
00:24:06,880 --> 00:24:12,360
The GDR companies had to prove
themselves on the global market.
325
00:24:12,440 --> 00:24:13,360
That was crucial.
326
00:24:13,840 --> 00:24:17,600
But not every company
had to be privatized immediately.
327
00:24:17,680 --> 00:24:20,560
I believe if the GDR continues
to develop at this pace,
328
00:24:20,640 --> 00:24:24,240
we will soon have a framework
329
00:24:24,320 --> 00:24:27,480
that will provide jobs
and a good standard of living.
330
00:24:27,560 --> 00:24:30,080
We must create a sense of a new beginning,
331
00:24:30,160 --> 00:24:34,680
and this works best
if both parties cooperate constructively.
332
00:24:34,760 --> 00:24:36,800
I also got the impression
333
00:24:36,880 --> 00:24:41,600
that he wasn't someone
who goes in like a bull in a china shop.
334
00:24:42,080 --> 00:24:44,040
He was cautious...
335
00:24:44,120 --> 00:24:49,840
and considered, not zealous or vain.
336
00:24:49,920 --> 00:24:52,200
But he did want to leave a legacy.
337
00:24:52,600 --> 00:24:54,440
Thank you for coming.
338
00:24:54,520 --> 00:24:57,040
Now back to the studio in Berlin-Wedding.
339
00:24:58,160 --> 00:25:01,200
My political experience had taught me
340
00:25:01,280 --> 00:25:07,040
that things had to mature
until a certain time...
341
00:25:07,120 --> 00:25:09,040
like a fine cheese.
342
00:25:09,120 --> 00:25:11,480
But then it has to be eaten.
343
00:25:11,560 --> 00:25:14,160
Otherwise it starts
to smell and it's too late.
344
00:25:14,240 --> 00:25:20,880
A process had begun, which, of course,
I wished would end in reunification.
345
00:25:25,040 --> 00:25:28,600
I was completely convinced
that the GDR was worthless.
346
00:25:30,560 --> 00:25:33,280
Naturally, the GDR was of another opinion.
347
00:25:33,720 --> 00:25:37,440
But it didn't matter
what the GDR's assets were worth.
348
00:25:37,800 --> 00:25:40,080
The truth would come out eventually.
349
00:25:45,120 --> 00:25:46,560
At the end of January,
350
00:25:46,640 --> 00:25:49,840
I thought I had
a viable and well-informed concept
351
00:25:50,640 --> 00:25:52,280
for a monetary union.
352
00:25:53,200 --> 00:25:56,040
It was a 15-page document.
353
00:25:56,520 --> 00:25:59,280
It had to stay a secret
for another 14 days
354
00:25:59,360 --> 00:26:02,640
until we had made
all the necessary preparations.
355
00:26:02,720 --> 00:26:04,880
And in mid-February, it was time.
356
00:26:05,520 --> 00:26:09,480
FEBRUARY 13, 1990
357
00:26:09,600 --> 00:26:14,040
14 MONTHS
UNTIL THE MURDER
358
00:26:29,560 --> 00:26:30,840
MINISTER OF FINANCE
359
00:26:30,920 --> 00:26:35,000
The Ministers of Economics Luft
had approached us
360
00:26:35,080 --> 00:26:39,480
and demanded a special subsidy
of 15 billion Deutschmarks.
361
00:26:39,560 --> 00:26:42,480
There were also some
West German politicians,
362
00:26:42,560 --> 00:26:45,000
even cabinet ministers, who told me,
363
00:26:46,280 --> 00:26:49,120
"Maybe instead of fifteen billion,
you could give them
364
00:26:49,840 --> 00:26:53,320
ten or eight, or at least seven.
365
00:26:53,400 --> 00:26:54,920
You'll have to do that."
366
00:26:55,560 --> 00:26:57,760
Back then I said, "No."
367
00:27:01,680 --> 00:27:05,800
We flew from Schoenefeld Airport to Bonn.
368
00:27:08,240 --> 00:27:11,160
Then we took a helicopter
369
00:27:11,240 --> 00:27:14,480
and landed in the garden
of the West German Chancellery.
370
00:27:17,280 --> 00:27:22,400
Helmut Kohl was standing outside,
lined up with his whole team.
371
00:27:24,280 --> 00:27:27,520
It felt like we were going to a funeral.
372
00:27:27,600 --> 00:27:30,640
They were all quite somber.
373
00:27:32,120 --> 00:27:33,760
Then we were invited in.
374
00:27:34,600 --> 00:27:38,880
Half the cabinet members
were sitting in the NATO room.
375
00:27:39,320 --> 00:27:43,120
Next to Kohl, sat Waigel and many others.
376
00:27:43,200 --> 00:27:44,400
Kohl...
377
00:27:45,560 --> 00:27:48,040
was sitting up front like a Buddha.
378
00:27:48,800 --> 00:27:50,000
And...
379
00:27:50,920 --> 00:27:53,760
he told us how great everything was,
380
00:27:53,840 --> 00:27:56,760
and how in a few weeks
it would all be complete.
381
00:27:56,840 --> 00:27:59,320
And then each of us was allowed to speak.
382
00:28:00,120 --> 00:28:01,640
"Chancellor,
383
00:28:02,000 --> 00:28:03,880
GDR's economy is in bad shape.
384
00:28:04,760 --> 00:28:08,000
However, what we need
is an injection of penicillin,
385
00:28:08,080 --> 00:28:10,920
and not a lethal injection.
386
00:28:12,880 --> 00:28:14,400
Give us time.
387
00:28:14,960 --> 00:28:18,120
We need two, three, maybe four years
388
00:28:18,200 --> 00:28:22,000
to prepare for a step like this.
389
00:28:22,080 --> 00:28:24,320
Otherwise not everyone will make it."
390
00:28:24,400 --> 00:28:25,880
Phew! And then he said...
391
00:28:28,160 --> 00:28:30,280
Back then I said, "No.
392
00:28:31,000 --> 00:28:32,920
That economic system
393
00:28:33,800 --> 00:28:35,880
won't get a single pfennig or mark
394
00:28:36,560 --> 00:28:38,720
However, we'll give you even more,
395
00:28:39,360 --> 00:28:42,120
but only if you establish
396
00:28:42,200 --> 00:28:47,160
a fundamentally different
economic and social system."
397
00:28:47,600 --> 00:28:51,120
That's when we thought of...
398
00:28:51,600 --> 00:28:55,000
offering the GDR a monetary union,
399
00:28:55,240 --> 00:28:57,520
contingent on certain conditions.
400
00:28:59,000 --> 00:29:02,080
They didn't want to hear about it.
401
00:29:02,680 --> 00:29:05,800
The government
wouldn't agree to give us a penny.
402
00:29:05,880 --> 00:29:08,280
Waigel said, "No.
403
00:29:08,840 --> 00:29:12,360
Completely impossible.
And we need to speed all of this up too."
404
00:29:14,640 --> 00:29:16,120
MINISTER OF FINANCE
405
00:29:19,360 --> 00:29:22,200
This was, of course,
one of the most interesting,
406
00:29:22,280 --> 00:29:24,440
challenges I ever came across
407
00:29:24,520 --> 00:29:30,520
in my political life,
in my life as Minister of Finance.
408
00:29:30,600 --> 00:29:34,480
Never had a whole national economy
409
00:29:34,560 --> 00:29:38,720
been transformed that way before.
410
00:29:39,320 --> 00:29:44,200
Rohwedder warned against a monetary union
between East and West Germany.
411
00:29:44,280 --> 00:29:46,280
He called it a high-risk project
412
00:29:46,360 --> 00:29:49,360
that would cause many
GDR companies to go bankrupt
413
00:29:49,440 --> 00:29:52,920
if they were suddenly exposed
to international competition.
414
00:29:53,000 --> 00:29:55,560
This could lead
to high levels of unemployment.
415
00:29:58,720 --> 00:30:04,240
We were looking for a special person
to be President of the Treuhand,
416
00:30:04,840 --> 00:30:09,000
someone who could tackle
this enormous and unusual task.
417
00:30:10,560 --> 00:30:13,680
And Rohwedder had
very special qualifications for the job.
418
00:30:18,560 --> 00:30:22,800
Helmut Kohl and I both believed
419
00:30:22,880 --> 00:30:26,760
we should ask him to take it on.
420
00:30:26,840 --> 00:30:30,000
Rohwedder, CEO of the Hoesch company
based in Dortmund,
421
00:30:30,080 --> 00:30:34,120
is set to privatize
the GDR's formerly state-owned companies.
422
00:30:37,200 --> 00:30:40,040
It's quite likely that at first,
423
00:30:40,120 --> 00:30:43,560
Rohwedder wasn't aware
of the scale of what was to come.
424
00:30:46,000 --> 00:30:49,480
He hesitated about taking over
the chairmanship of the board.
425
00:30:49,560 --> 00:30:50,880
I remember that.
426
00:30:51,720 --> 00:30:54,760
He hesitated, but it was inescapable.
427
00:30:54,840 --> 00:30:57,040
He let himself be held responsible.
428
00:30:57,120 --> 00:30:59,000
He served...
429
00:30:59,520 --> 00:31:01,840
Let's just say it:
He served his fatherland.
430
00:31:02,360 --> 00:31:04,600
9 MONTHS
431
00:31:04,680 --> 00:31:07,680
UNTIL THE MURDER
432
00:31:11,040 --> 00:31:14,960
Mass layoffs began soon.
433
00:31:15,040 --> 00:31:17,160
For the first time,
434
00:31:17,240 --> 00:31:20,880
people who had always had secure jobs
now had to flock to employment services.
435
00:31:20,960 --> 00:31:22,120
Next please!
436
00:31:22,200 --> 00:31:28,240
The East Germans were crushed
by this incredible sense of frustration.
437
00:31:28,320 --> 00:31:32,360
The anger towards
the Treuhand was really strong.
438
00:31:32,440 --> 00:31:34,000
JOBS FOR ALL!
439
00:31:36,400 --> 00:31:42,400
You're one of the most-hated
West Germans in all of East Germany.
440
00:31:42,480 --> 00:31:46,080
One stroke of your pen
causes thousands of job cuts.
441
00:31:46,160 --> 00:31:50,320
760,000 people have already lost
their jobs in the new German states.
442
00:31:50,400 --> 00:31:53,200
How, Mr. Rohwedder, do you cope
with this on a human aspect,
443
00:31:53,280 --> 00:31:57,120
when economic reasons require you
444
00:31:57,200 --> 00:31:59,360
to put many people out on the street?
445
00:32:06,720 --> 00:32:09,840
Rohwedder was the most threatened person
446
00:32:09,920 --> 00:32:13,080
in all of Germany at the time.
447
00:32:14,440 --> 00:32:19,480
The risk assessment I personally signed
448
00:32:19,560 --> 00:32:23,000
was forwarded to all the security-related
authorities in Germany.
449
00:32:23,080 --> 00:32:26,320
The Federal Public Prosecutor
and the Ministry of the Interior.
450
00:32:26,400 --> 00:32:28,880
We came to the conclusion
451
00:32:28,960 --> 00:32:32,720
that Rohwedder is a K-106 person.
452
00:32:32,800 --> 00:32:38,120
This decision implies
that we categorized Rohwedder
453
00:32:38,200 --> 00:32:41,680
in the highest threat level there is.
454
00:32:43,200 --> 00:32:46,840
Anti-terror Concept 106.
455
00:32:46,920 --> 00:32:48,480
This category stipulates:
456
00:32:48,800 --> 00:32:52,880
High risk people are to be monitored
via "covert measures."
457
00:32:52,960 --> 00:32:58,000
These would show whether the VIP
was being "targeted by terrorists."
458
00:32:58,080 --> 00:32:59,840
The K-106 decision
459
00:32:59,920 --> 00:33:03,560
meant that the local police were
to monitor Rohwedder's surroundings
460
00:33:03,640 --> 00:33:06,360
and inform him of suspicious activity.
461
00:33:06,440 --> 00:33:11,520
Through covert operations
we would anticipate
462
00:33:11,600 --> 00:33:15,960
specific attacks on Rohwedder.
463
00:33:16,040 --> 00:33:18,160
That is the purpose of K-106.
464
00:33:25,240 --> 00:33:28,000
This is where the Rohwedder family lived.
465
00:33:28,720 --> 00:33:30,560
It is in Villa Maximilian.
466
00:33:32,880 --> 00:33:38,000
The house was in an area
where people weren't short of money.
467
00:33:38,560 --> 00:33:41,560
The area is full of grand villas.
468
00:33:42,120 --> 00:33:44,760
It's an area
where strangers attract attention.
469
00:33:45,320 --> 00:33:48,280
Outsiders draw attention.
470
00:33:48,800 --> 00:33:51,080
Even I would have attracted attention.
471
00:33:53,160 --> 00:33:57,280
In 1991, when Rohwedder was murdered,
472
00:33:57,760 --> 00:34:01,320
I was working
for the Düsseldorfer Express
473
00:34:01,400 --> 00:34:03,360
as a crime reporter.
474
00:34:04,040 --> 00:34:05,600
And I'm still there today.
475
00:34:05,680 --> 00:34:07,640
TREUHAND-BOSS ROHWEDDER MURDERED!
476
00:34:07,720 --> 00:34:11,000
The attack was planned
a long time in advance.
477
00:34:11,080 --> 00:34:13,440
The way it was carried out...
478
00:34:14,360 --> 00:34:16,360
It should have attracted attention.
479
00:34:17,000 --> 00:34:19,320
Unfortunately, no police noticed,
480
00:34:19,960 --> 00:34:21,760
and no bodyguards noticed either.
481
00:34:21,840 --> 00:34:23,440
Because they weren't there.
482
00:34:24,200 --> 00:34:26,760
He was secluded in that house,
483
00:34:26,840 --> 00:34:30,160
and the only time he saw the police
484
00:34:30,240 --> 00:34:32,800
was maybe every four hours
when a patrol car passed.
485
00:34:33,440 --> 00:34:35,240
12 DAYS
486
00:34:35,320 --> 00:34:37,480
UNTIL THE MURDER
487
00:34:43,160 --> 00:34:46,120
Federal Bureau of Criminal Investigation,
488
00:34:46,200 --> 00:34:48,200
"Treuhand Task Force.
489
00:34:48,680 --> 00:34:51,800
Safety precautions were taken
at Dr. Rohwedder's house.
490
00:34:52,800 --> 00:34:55,760
It was found
that the video surveillance system,
491
00:34:55,840 --> 00:34:58,560
had been switched off
on the day of the attack.
492
00:34:59,680 --> 00:35:04,680
The last recordings
are from March 21, 1991."
493
00:35:10,160 --> 00:35:13,240
The Rohwedder case
has been on my mind ever since.
494
00:35:14,480 --> 00:35:16,920
And I had always wanted...
495
00:35:17,840 --> 00:35:19,920
to speak with Mrs. Rohwedder about it.
496
00:35:20,680 --> 00:35:22,920
There were two telephone interviews...
497
00:35:23,560 --> 00:35:24,520
with her.
498
00:35:26,440 --> 00:35:29,960
Mrs. Rohwedder complained bitterly.
499
00:35:30,600 --> 00:35:32,160
Almost crying on the phone,
500
00:35:32,760 --> 00:35:35,520
that her husband
would still be alive today
501
00:35:36,720 --> 00:35:42,240
if more had been done
to keep the two of them safe.
502
00:35:42,920 --> 00:35:46,080
"When he was brought
back home on Holy Thursday
503
00:35:46,160 --> 00:35:48,760
by his two liaison officers,
504
00:35:48,840 --> 00:35:50,320
I said that to them.
505
00:35:50,400 --> 00:35:52,800
They responded coolly,
506
00:35:52,880 --> 00:35:54,000
"What do you expect?
507
00:35:54,080 --> 00:35:56,840
Are we to come across the river by boat?
508
00:35:56,920 --> 00:36:00,480
We have covert investigations in place."
509
00:36:01,120 --> 00:36:05,080
I suggested the house be protected
with a guard sitting at the door.
510
00:36:05,160 --> 00:36:07,840
Anyway, they didn't do anything."
511
00:36:09,840 --> 00:36:14,560
NIGHT OF THE MURDER
512
00:36:14,760 --> 00:36:16,640
Now, I come to the day of the attack.
513
00:36:17,440 --> 00:36:19,160
As part of the security operation,
514
00:36:19,240 --> 00:36:25,480
the Rohwedder house was checked
on April 1, 1991 during the late shift
515
00:36:25,560 --> 00:36:29,800
at 3:05 p.m., 5:55 p.m., 8:10 p.m.
516
00:36:29,880 --> 00:36:32,760
There was no check carried out
during the night shift.
517
00:36:32,840 --> 00:36:36,520
There were clear signs
that something was brewing.
518
00:36:36,880 --> 00:36:38,920
The phone would ring,
519
00:36:39,000 --> 00:36:42,160
but when we picked up,
there was silence.
520
00:36:42,600 --> 00:36:44,760
Then our doorbell rang at night.
521
00:36:44,840 --> 00:36:48,120
I looked down, but there was nobody there.
522
00:36:48,640 --> 00:36:50,920
Mrs. Rohwedder was full of bitterness
523
00:36:51,480 --> 00:36:53,000
that nothing had been done.
524
00:36:53,640 --> 00:36:56,560
And three and a half hours later,
her husband was dead.
525
00:37:16,480 --> 00:37:20,760
Preliminary report of the autopsy
of Detlev Karsten Rohwedder.
526
00:37:20,840 --> 00:37:23,600
Bullet lodged in the chest,
having entered the back,
527
00:37:23,680 --> 00:37:26,040
directly to the left
of the center of the body,
528
00:37:26,120 --> 00:37:29,800
perforating it
from the lower left to upper right.
529
00:37:30,480 --> 00:37:33,360
The thoracic spine
was transected and shattered
530
00:37:33,440 --> 00:37:36,120
at the level
of the fifth thoracic vertebra,
531
00:37:36,200 --> 00:37:38,920
completely severing the spinal cord.
532
00:37:39,000 --> 00:37:40,760
Trachea was completely transected.
533
00:37:40,840 --> 00:37:43,840
Cause of death:
internal hemorrhage.
534
00:38:04,480 --> 00:38:06,640
A very disturbing image.
535
00:38:08,360 --> 00:38:12,840
For such a career to end that way.
536
00:38:12,920 --> 00:38:14,480
If I can put it like that.
537
00:38:16,560 --> 00:38:20,600
It's also an indictment of the state...
538
00:38:20,680 --> 00:38:21,720
this image.
539
00:38:22,560 --> 00:38:24,560
That it was incapable
540
00:38:25,080 --> 00:38:28,280
of keeping a person like that
541
00:38:28,360 --> 00:38:29,640
from being killed.
542
00:38:42,120 --> 00:38:45,240
POLICE
543
00:38:50,000 --> 00:38:51,880
At 6 p.m. this evening,
544
00:38:52,000 --> 00:38:54,080
a bouquet of flowers lies on the hedge
545
00:38:54,160 --> 00:38:56,520
outside the Rohwedder house in Oberkassel.
546
00:38:56,600 --> 00:38:59,240
Detlev Karsten Rohwedder,
head of the Treuhand
547
00:38:59,320 --> 00:39:02,080
was not given the highest level
of protection by the police.
548
00:39:03,600 --> 00:39:08,040
The Chief of Police of Düsseldorf
didn't protect Rohwedder
549
00:39:08,120 --> 00:39:10,720
the way he should have been protected.
550
00:39:10,800 --> 00:39:13,560
They decided not to do it.
551
00:39:13,640 --> 00:39:15,920
This was a willful act.
552
00:39:16,000 --> 00:39:17,640
There was no coordination.
553
00:39:17,720 --> 00:39:21,160
The State Criminal Police in Duesseldorf
was a very weak police force
554
00:39:21,240 --> 00:39:23,320
when it came to counter-terrorism,
555
00:39:23,400 --> 00:39:26,440
a very weak criminal investigation agency.
556
00:39:27,000 --> 00:39:30,680
In fact, it was the weakest
in the whole of Germany.
557
00:39:32,880 --> 00:39:35,360
Everyone tried to pass the blame.
558
00:39:35,840 --> 00:39:38,840
I got the impression
that it was complete chaos.
559
00:39:41,000 --> 00:39:43,880
That also concerned
the matter of the windows.
560
00:39:45,320 --> 00:39:48,000
There was bulletproof glass
installed downstairs,
561
00:39:48,080 --> 00:39:49,720
but not upstairs.
562
00:39:51,280 --> 00:39:54,440
"Security employees of Hoesch,
charged with the safety measures,
563
00:39:54,520 --> 00:39:56,920
responded during a telephone interview
564
00:39:57,000 --> 00:40:00,520
that the Rohwedder family requested
565
00:40:00,600 --> 00:40:04,440
bulletproof glass
only on the first floor."
566
00:40:07,520 --> 00:40:09,280
Mrs. Rohwedder said
567
00:40:09,360 --> 00:40:12,200
that they also wanted
the upstairs to be protected.
568
00:40:12,280 --> 00:40:14,640
"That's my husband's office
569
00:40:14,920 --> 00:40:17,560
and we want to have
the special glass there, too."
570
00:40:18,200 --> 00:40:21,880
The Federal Prosecutor General
and the Bureau of Criminal Investigation,
571
00:40:21,960 --> 00:40:24,000
that I questioned several times,
572
00:40:24,440 --> 00:40:26,840
refused to provide any information,
573
00:40:27,280 --> 00:40:30,680
saying it would impact
Germany's security interests.
574
00:40:31,200 --> 00:40:33,560
Lead by
the Federal Criminal Police Office,
575
00:40:33,640 --> 00:40:38,720
a special Treuhand Task Force
was established by the Düsseldorf Police.
576
00:40:38,800 --> 00:40:42,480
By their own admission,
they've made hardly any progress.
577
00:40:42,560 --> 00:40:45,840
They've received
more than 100 leads from the public,
578
00:40:45,920 --> 00:40:48,200
but few of them were promising.
579
00:40:52,040 --> 00:40:53,720
Nothing. We had nothing.
580
00:40:56,280 --> 00:40:58,560
We didn't know if it was a man or a woman,
581
00:40:58,640 --> 00:41:00,000
if it was two, three, or five,
582
00:41:00,080 --> 00:41:05,880
whether they came by train,
car, motorcycle, or a boat down the Rhine.
583
00:41:10,640 --> 00:41:13,920
I chartered a helicopter on April 3.
584
00:41:15,080 --> 00:41:18,200
I wanted to document what had happened...
585
00:41:19,240 --> 00:41:20,880
from the air.
586
00:41:23,200 --> 00:41:26,720
It cost a thousand, but it was worth it.
587
00:41:26,800 --> 00:41:29,840
I saw the crime scene from the helicopter,
588
00:41:29,920 --> 00:41:34,360
because I wanted to know
how the perpetrators had arrived.
589
00:41:39,680 --> 00:41:44,080
I saw the Rohwedder house
underneath me from the air.
590
00:41:44,920 --> 00:41:47,400
I could still see the police barrier tape.
591
00:41:47,480 --> 00:41:49,760
I could still see a lot of patrol cars.
592
00:41:50,600 --> 00:41:52,760
And I could still see the chair.
593
00:41:52,840 --> 00:41:56,600
It was apparently the chair
where the sniper had sat.
594
00:41:57,440 --> 00:42:00,280
The sniper had hidden
in a community garden.
595
00:42:00,360 --> 00:42:03,240
Armed with a gun,
he sat here on this garden chair
596
00:42:03,320 --> 00:42:05,640
until his victim went into the study.
597
00:42:08,360 --> 00:42:11,880
They also found binoculars
at the crime scene...
598
00:42:13,000 --> 00:42:15,680
a hand towel
and a letter claiming responsibility.
599
00:42:17,360 --> 00:42:21,520
The letter claiming responsibility
that was found at the scene
600
00:42:21,600 --> 00:42:25,000
is still being analyzed.
601
00:42:31,240 --> 00:42:35,320
We concluded the letter was authentic
602
00:42:35,400 --> 00:42:37,800
and it matched our assumptions.
603
00:42:37,880 --> 00:42:40,120
We had said from the start
604
00:42:40,200 --> 00:42:42,640
that if there was an attack on Rohwedder,
605
00:42:42,720 --> 00:42:46,240
we'd receive a justification like this.
606
00:42:51,000 --> 00:42:54,960
In the letter claiming
the attack on Rohwedder,
607
00:42:55,720 --> 00:42:59,720
the RAF described
608
00:42:59,800 --> 00:43:03,800
how the factories
609
00:43:04,840 --> 00:43:06,560
were being crushed,
610
00:43:06,640 --> 00:43:10,680
and how the Western system
was being imposed on them
611
00:43:10,760 --> 00:43:13,720
without any care
for the fate of the people.
612
00:43:17,000 --> 00:43:22,080
Those are the exact words
you'll find in the RAF letter.
613
00:43:26,280 --> 00:43:29,280
I can read it to you. I have it here.
614
00:45:25,000 --> 00:45:28,200
Subtitle translation by Marisa Pettit