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A NETFLIX ORIGINAL DOCUMENTARY
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[gunshot]
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APRIL 1, 1991
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[ominous music plays]
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PRESS
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[Classen] April 1st was Easter Monday.
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I was in the newsroom
until around 10:00 p.m....
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and then headed home
to Dusseldorf-Unterrath.
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-[siren]
-That's when I noticed...
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the city was full of blue light.
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[sirens wail, horns honk]
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Fire trucks, ambulances, police cars.
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I've never seen anything like it
in my whole career,
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never before and never since.
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[sirens continue]
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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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Rich, famous people live there.
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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 freeways are closed.
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We're running a dragnet."
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I asked him,
"What must have happened?"
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He said,
"The very worst kind of crime."
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[sirens]
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He said,
"You must have heard of Mr. Rohwedder."
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"Who's Rohwedder?"
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"You don't know him?
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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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[sirens continue]
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[Hoffmann-Becking] My wife and I were
on a skiing holiday.
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We were traveling
back to Dusseldorf that night.
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We passed the Rohwedder house.
It was all lit up.
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And 20 meters in front of the house
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I met a policeman
and asked him just one thing,
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"Is he dead?"
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"Yes."
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I knew what had happened.
It was crystal clear.
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Good evening, ladies and gentlemen.
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ZDF apologizes
for interrupting this movie.
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There is a sad and shocking reason
for this interruption.
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The head of the Treuhand Agency,
Detlev Rohwedder,
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was reportedly killed
in his apartment in Dusseldorf
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on Monday evening,
at around 10:30 p.m..
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GERMANY
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[upbeat theme music plays]
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[Hitler] The German Reich.
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[Ulbricht] Nobody intends to build a wall!
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[reporter] West and East Germany -
a divided nation.
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♪ Unity and justice and freedom ♪
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[reporter 2] Red Army Faction.
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[reporter 3] ...insane attacks
by barbaric terrorists.
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♪ For the German fatherland ♪
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♪ Risen from ruins ♪
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[Reagan] Tear down this wall!
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Our fatherland, reunited.
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♪ Flourish, German fatherland ♪
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A PERFECT CRIME
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[telephone rings]
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[Waigel] I was skiing in Austria.
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My security agents woke me up
in the night and said,
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"Rohwedder has been murdered."
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I had only been skiing for two days.
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And I'd been really looking forward
to that skiing vacation.
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[sirens wail]
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[Classen] He said,
"Go photograph the top window."
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I said, "But I can't see a thing."
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He said,
"Just turn on the flash and shoot.
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You'll find out
what you've photographed later on."
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[shutter clicks]
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[telephone rings]
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[Hofmeyer] I was at home
when the phone rang.
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I knew right away
why he had been attacked.
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BUREAU OF CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION
HEAD OF COUNTER-TERRORISM
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-[sirens]
-[radio chatter]
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[Hofmeyer] Our investigation units
went over there,
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the crime scene task force was alerted
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and they started work right away,
in the middle of the night.
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[sirens wail]
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[Classen] Huge numbers of police arrived,
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including
the Bureau of Criminal Investigation.
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Strangers took command of the situation.
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I was forced away.
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[Fundermann] We arrived
between 3:00 and 4:00 a.m.
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First we went into the building
to see what the situation was.
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The body was still lying in the study
on the first floor.
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BUREAU OF CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION
HEAD OF COMMUNICATION
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Mr. Rohwedder was across from the window,
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slumped on the floor
in front of the bookshelves.
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[telephone rings]
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-Evening, Mr. Schmok.
-[Schmok] Hello, Mr. Voß.
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Has the Ministry of the Interior
in Dusseldorf
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confirmed Rohwedder's murder?
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[Schmok] Yes, it has been confirmed.
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The city is in shock.
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He was an extremely likeable person,
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but he knew that his new role
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also posed a danger to him.
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We can be sure
that this was a political act.
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[telephone disconnects]
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[Classen] Back in the newsroom,
the first thing I did
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was develop the film.
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I remember it so clearly.
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I was shocked by what I saw.
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[Fundermann] You can see two bullets
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have passed through
this completely normal glass window.
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One bullet struck and killed
Detlev Karsten Rohwedder.
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The second bullet injured his wife,
who was standing behind him.
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If the local police
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had put
sufficient protection measures in place,
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there wouldn't have been normal glass
in these windows,
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but bulletproof glass
that stopped the bullets getting through.
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[Waigel] To this day
I still don't understand
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why only the ground floor of his house
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had safety windows installed.
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In the house where I lived,
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all of the windows
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and all of the doors were designed
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to protect against a direct attack.
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[Hofmeyer] Feelings of anger and pity.
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Anger and pity.
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Anger because the thing
you wanted to protect wasn't protected,
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and pity for the people
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who placed their trust in the country
and the country couldn't protect
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or didn't want to protect.
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[reporter] This is the daily news
on First German Television.
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Head of the Treuhand Agency, Rohwedder,
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has reportedly been murdered.
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The victim was a key figure
in the so far futile attempt
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to overhaul the economy
of what was once communist East Germany.
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[reporter 3] The left-wing
Red Army Faction claim they killed him,
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but a German security official
has said the Stasi,
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the former East German secret police,
may also have been involved.
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[reporter 4] The Federal
Prosecutor General declined to confirm
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whether the RAF really 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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[reporter 5] Finance Minister Waigel,
who supervised the Treuhand,
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interrupted his Easter vacation
and traveled to Bonn.
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[Waigel] Rohwedder is, I think...
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the martyr, or a martyr,
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of German reunification.
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And in view of that...
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there was a deep sense of gratitude
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towards him
for his courage and willingness
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to take on that hazardous role
at the Treuhand.
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For the good of Germany.
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MARTYR
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[techno beat plays]
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[Brahms] Rohwedder was the boss
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of the world's biggest
industrial holding company.
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There were around 15,000 GDR companies
in that holding company.
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Dockyards, steel foundries,
the textile sector, the chemical sector.
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By Western standards,
those companies had every problem
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it was possible to have.
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And each of those 15,000 companies needed
major restructuring.
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[Hoffmann-Becking] A huge task.
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It was probably the first time
that an agency, the Treuhand Agency...
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TREUHAND BUSINESS LAWYER
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...had to group all of the companies,
restructure, liquidate and sell them.
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TREUHAND AGENCY
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[reporter] Mrs. Breuel,
your reaction to the attack...
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All of the staff 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. Terrible.
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I'm lost for words.
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-It's terrible. He was my boss.
-I'm... sad.
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Outraged, actually.
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I'm wondering...
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why there were no measures
in place to protect him?
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[Scheunert] The day after Rohwedder's
murder
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I arrived at the Treuhand.
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It was buzzing.
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The wheels were still turning.
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Investors were standing there,
managers who wanted loans,
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investors who wanted information
about their transfer applications.
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I walked around feeling
totally out of place.
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Uh... just think about it:
you work in an organization
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and then the boss is shot and killed.
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What kind of sick structures
cause that to happen?
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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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Unlike all of those smart alecks
in Munich or Bonn or wherever,
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sitting there safe and sound
and shooting their mouths off,
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uh, he came over and faced the challenge.
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And that man gets shot dead.
I thought it was sick.
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[interviewer] The economy in 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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Maybe a look at your background can help
us explain it.
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You were born the son of a bookseller
in Gotha in 1932.
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That's in Thuringia.
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You're from Central Germany.
Did that inform your decision?
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[Rohwedder] Yes,
I was always very 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 always meant a lot to me
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and that's why, despite all the criticism,
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and all of the disapproval
that could be leveled at my work,
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I'm proud to be able to do this job
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and that allows me to see past
the difficulties we're facing.
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[narrator] Oversized companies,
self-important 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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[reporter] What do you think
of the agency?
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-Not a lot.
-Why not?
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So far their restructuring
has destroyed things,
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not created jobs.
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My wife already lost her job.
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Everyone is scared.
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Right now we're worse off
than we were before.
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You feel unhappy in yourself
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because you don't know
if you'll keep your job or not.
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[explosion]
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[Rohwedder] The situation is characterized
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by soaring unemployment levels,
a large number...
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TREUHAND PRESIDENT
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...of companies collapsing.
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[inaudible dialogue]
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-[inaudible dialogue]
-[sad music]
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[Rohwedder] Yes,
the unemployment is depressing.
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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 the agency.
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Whenever we make a decision,
we think about what it means for people.
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[sad music]
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[factory worker] I worked here 18 years.
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And at the age of 43
I won't find any work anywhere.
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The job center is sending me
from one place to the next.
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The welfare office is doing the same.
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The apartment isn't an apartment,
it's a dump.
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I'm on the verge of a nervous breakdown.
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Honestly.
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And with just 500 Marks
unemployment benefit
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I'm at the point where I might as well
just hang myself right now.
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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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[interviewer] Did you really turn
the gas on yesterday?
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I just didn't know what to do.
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[woman] We'll get through this.
250
00:16:10,400 --> 00:16:12,120
We'll fight.
251
00:16:17,840 --> 00:16:21,720
OCTOBER 1989
252
00:16:21,920 --> 00:16:26,360
18 MONTHS
UNTIL THE MURDER
253
00:16:28,240 --> 00:16:30,600
[upbeat music plays]
254
00:16:30,680 --> 00:16:32,720
EAST BERLIN
255
00:16:33,880 --> 00:16:37,240
[Scheunert] Nobody went hungry in the GDR.
Everybody had an apartment.
256
00:16:37,320 --> 00:16:38,640
Nobody was homeless.
257
00:16:38,720 --> 00:16:43,720
Things like that
were so well organized in the GDR.
258
00:16:43,800 --> 00:16:46,480
The companies functioned.
The people worked hard.
259
00:16:47,280 --> 00:16:49,120
But it was like a hamster wheel.
260
00:16:49,200 --> 00:16:52,640
Nothing came of it.
It didn't produce any wealth.
261
00:16:53,640 --> 00:16:56,280
If the Berlin Wall hadn't fallen in 1989,
262
00:16:56,760 --> 00:17:01,800
in two, three, less than five years,
it would have imploded.
263
00:17:01,880 --> 00:17:03,080
[crowd cheering]
264
00:17:03,160 --> 00:17:05,560
The system
and the whole internal structure
265
00:17:06,640 --> 00:17:08,800
were so broken down.
266
00:17:09,280 --> 00:17:10,840
[protestor] No violence!
267
00:17:10,920 --> 00:17:15,360
People were no longer willing to stand up
for the intrinsic values anymore.
268
00:17:15,960 --> 00:17:18,120
Freedom!
269
00:17:18,200 --> 00:17:19,720
[reporter] Thousands
of mostly young people
270
00:17:19,800 --> 00:17:23,720
in many cities are demanding freedom
and political reform.
271
00:17:25,920 --> 00:17:28,560
[anchor] This November 9th
is a historic day.
272
00:17:28,640 --> 00:17:32,720
The GDR has announced that its borders
are open with immediate effect.
273
00:17:32,800 --> 00:17:35,120
The gates in the wall are wide open.
274
00:17:35,200 --> 00:17:39,320
[crowd reveling]
275
00:17:39,400 --> 00:17:42,720
[reveling continues]
276
00:17:45,440 --> 00:17:50,040
[Waigel] For everyone who was
politically active, November 9th is a day
277
00:17:50,880 --> 00:17:53,360
they will remember their whole lives.
278
00:17:53,440 --> 00:17:56,160
[reporter] East Berliners were overcome
as they crossed the border
279
00:17:56,240 --> 00:17:58,760
that's been closed to them for 28 years.
280
00:17:58,840 --> 00:18:02,680
It was clear this would be
one of Berlin's most dramatic days.
281
00:18:05,720 --> 00:18:09,120
[Waigel] But in the midst of the joy
282
00:18:09,200 --> 00:18:11,400
there immediately came the question:
283
00:18:11,480 --> 00:18:12,880
And what now?
284
00:18:13,360 --> 00:18:15,880
What's in store for the Finance Minister?
285
00:18:18,040 --> 00:18:20,280
[cheering]
286
00:18:22,760 --> 00:18:27,160
[Waigel] Days before,
in the Ministry of Finance,
287
00:18:27,240 --> 00:18:29,960
we had already starting thinking
about what had to happen
288
00:18:30,040 --> 00:18:34,800
in order to lead the GDR
out of its disastrous economic situation.
289
00:18:36,600 --> 00:18:38,600
I'm still amazed to this day
290
00:18:38,680 --> 00:18:42,600
at the level of innovation
our Ministry of Finance showed.
291
00:18:43,480 --> 00:18:46,440
[Sarrazin] In 1989,
when the Berlin Wall fell...
292
00:18:46,520 --> 00:18:48,560
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
HEAD OF UNIT
293
00:18:48,640 --> 00:18:52,640
...from November on
294
00:18:52,720 --> 00:18:55,640
I was on full alert,
295
00:18:56,200 --> 00:18:59,840
in a way that I had never been before.
296
00:18:59,920 --> 00:19:03,320
There was a two-volume manual on the GDR.
297
00:19:03,400 --> 00:19:06,840
I got it so that I could learn
about all the different institutions.
298
00:19:06,920 --> 00:19:10,680
And there were also studies
on the economy of the GDR.
299
00:19:10,760 --> 00:19:13,960
I got my hands on all of it
and then I said to myself,
300
00:19:14,040 --> 00:19:18,080
in my youthful arrogance,
at the age of just 44,
301
00:19:18,160 --> 00:19:21,600
"Nobody knows more
about the GDR than I do now."
302
00:19:21,680 --> 00:19:24,640
And I tackled things with that mentality.
303
00:19:25,520 --> 00:19:28,320
[Waigel] It was a decisive moment,
304
00:19:28,400 --> 00:19:32,680
the time to restructure
the economic and social order of the GDR.
305
00:19:33,160 --> 00:19:34,560
So that means...
306
00:19:35,640 --> 00:19:40,560
competition, property,
independent monetary policy.
307
00:19:41,760 --> 00:19:46,880
We had thought about all of those things
for the people in the GDR.
308
00:19:51,000 --> 00:19:56,120
[telephone rings]
309
00:19:56,720 --> 00:20:03,360
[Luft] On November 14th, I received a call
from the Council of Ministers.
310
00:20:03,440 --> 00:20:05,400
"We need you in the government."
311
00:20:06,000 --> 00:20:09,080
Half an hour later,
I held the highest office of my life.
312
00:20:09,160 --> 00:20:10,400
MINISTER OF ECONOMY GDR
313
00:20:10,800 --> 00:20:13,760
It was my second son's birthday that day.
314
00:20:14,560 --> 00:20:15,400
Wonderful!
315
00:20:15,960 --> 00:20:18,720
And then it all just went from there,
didn't it?
316
00:20:20,800 --> 00:20:24,160
I didn't sense any malice
in the national or international press.
317
00:20:24,240 --> 00:20:29,360
It was more like, "She's brave."
318
00:20:29,440 --> 00:20:33,280
Or, "In her line of business,
people want to make a difference."
319
00:20:33,360 --> 00:20:35,520
That was the general feeling.
320
00:20:35,600 --> 00:20:38,160
[narrator] Christa Luft stated plainly
321
00:20:38,240 --> 00:20:42,480
the government's plan to make a radical
but regulated, shift to a market economy.
322
00:20:42,560 --> 00:20:44,400
For us it's about a market economy
323
00:20:44,480 --> 00:20:50,200
that proves to be economically efficient
and internationally competitive.
324
00:20:50,280 --> 00:20:53,000
[Luft] We wanted to use freedom of trade
325
00:20:53,080 --> 00:20:56,040
to encourage people to set up
small independent businesses.
326
00:20:56,760 --> 00:21:00,960
We had passed a joint venture law
in the People's Chamber.
327
00:21:01,680 --> 00:21:06,280
Things like that weren't
just in the planning stages,
328
00:21:06,360 --> 00:21:08,520
some of them had already been introduced.
329
00:21:11,760 --> 00:21:14,200
[Flake] For a few weeks we really believed
330
00:21:14,280 --> 00:21:18,080
that the country would make huge progress
and get better.
331
00:21:19,200 --> 00:21:22,240
That a GDR would develop
without the downsides...
332
00:21:22,320 --> 00:21:23,680
RAMMSTEIN KEYBOARDIST
333
00:21:23,760 --> 00:21:27,400
...that we had before,
meaning the Stasi and the oppression
334
00:21:27,480 --> 00:21:29,440
and the political cronyism.
335
00:21:29,520 --> 00:21:31,840
We thought it would be
more open and relaxed.
336
00:21:32,840 --> 00:21:34,400
A sort of paradise.
337
00:21:35,760 --> 00:21:40,400
And many people tried
to realize their dreams.
338
00:21:40,480 --> 00:21:44,000
Every second person opened up
a cafe or a bar.
339
00:21:44,480 --> 00:21:49,920
They were like kids in a toy shop
who were finally allowed to play.
340
00:21:50,000 --> 00:21:52,960
You could sense their joy as they said,
341
00:21:53,040 --> 00:21:55,640
"Here you go, some white wine...
342
00:21:56,160 --> 00:21:58,120
Yes, we're only open in the evenings."
343
00:21:58,200 --> 00:22:00,360
Often they were apartments
in back buildings
344
00:22:00,440 --> 00:22:04,440
where people had begun meeting
and drinking in the evenings.
345
00:22:05,000 --> 00:22:07,240
Everyone did what they thought was right.
346
00:22:07,320 --> 00:22:09,280
One person had sausages,
347
00:22:09,360 --> 00:22:12,840
another person had salads
with olives and exotic things like that.
348
00:22:12,920 --> 00:22:18,160
Everyone was living out their dreams
with an incredible sense of joy.
349
00:22:18,240 --> 00:22:21,960
[techno music plays]
350
00:22:32,240 --> 00:22:35,760
We have to find our own path
and use this chance that we have.
351
00:22:35,840 --> 00:22:37,360
There's a lot to change here,
352
00:22:37,440 --> 00:22:40,920
but without capitalism
or becoming like West Germany.
353
00:22:41,000 --> 00:22:44,800
♪ Nations, hear the signal! ♪
354
00:22:44,880 --> 00:22:49,920
We want for this to remain our country
355
00:22:50,000 --> 00:22:53,960
and we don't want
anyone else to decide its fate.
356
00:22:54,040 --> 00:22:57,120
[crowd cheers]
357
00:22:57,200 --> 00:23:00,480
[Luft] Sometimes I felt strange
358
00:23:00,560 --> 00:23:02,560
and men felt strange too.
359
00:23:02,640 --> 00:23:09,200
Near the beginning of my office
in January 1990,
360
00:23:09,280 --> 00:23:14,240
I had a meeting with around 15 managers
from the former East German states.
361
00:23:14,720 --> 00:23:16,400
I was the only woman!
362
00:23:16,480 --> 00:23:19,840
And I had to give the introductory speech.
363
00:23:19,920 --> 00:23:23,360
You've been accused
of beating around the bush
364
00:23:23,440 --> 00:23:27,040
and of not having said the phrase
"social market economy" yet.
365
00:23:27,120 --> 00:23:29,120
What does your regulatory framework
look like?
366
00:23:29,200 --> 00:23:32,440
Come on, I refuse to accept that.
367
00:23:32,520 --> 00:23:35,520
I only had, I don't know,
three minutes to talk.
368
00:23:35,600 --> 00:23:37,520
And I stated very clearly
369
00:23:37,600 --> 00:23:41,520
that we're going to start
to create a functioning internal market,
370
00:23:41,600 --> 00:23:44,440
that functions
according to market economy principles...
371
00:23:44,520 --> 00:23:50,440
That was where I saw Rohwedder
for the first time in real life.
372
00:23:50,840 --> 00:23:52,880
He was a giant...
373
00:23:54,600 --> 00:23:55,960
huge and baroque.
374
00:23:56,640 --> 00:23:59,840
He played up his role
as a restructuring expert.
375
00:23:59,920 --> 00:24:03,160
He had developed that expertise at Hoesch.
It was indisputable.
376
00:24:04,400 --> 00:24:06,800
And Rohwedder said what needed to be done.
377
00:24:06,880 --> 00:24:12,360
The GDR companies have to prove themselves
on the global market.
378
00:24:12,440 --> 00:24:13,360
That is crucial.
379
00:24:13,840 --> 00:24:17,600
[Luft] Not every company
had to be privatized right away.
380
00:24:17,680 --> 00:24:20,560
If the GDR keeps up the pace,
381
00:24:20,640 --> 00:24:24,240
then I think we will very soon have
a framework in place
382
00:24:24,320 --> 00:24:27,480
where people can work
and where they want to live.
383
00:24:27,560 --> 00:24:30,000
We should create a new spirit of optimism,
384
00:24:30,080 --> 00:24:32,400
and in my opinion the best way to do that
385
00:24:32,480 --> 00:24:34,680
is for both sides to cooperate.
386
00:24:34,760 --> 00:24:36,800
I also got the impression
387
00:24:36,880 --> 00:24:41,600
that he wasn't someone
who goes in like a bull in a china shop.
388
00:24:42,080 --> 00:24:46,800
He was cautious and considered,
not euphoric
389
00:24:46,880 --> 00:24:49,840
or just serving his own interests.
390
00:24:49,920 --> 00:24:52,200
He wanted to make his mark.
391
00:24:52,680 --> 00:24:54,440
Thank you for coming.
392
00:24:54,520 --> 00:24:57,040
Now back to the studio in Berlin.
393
00:24:58,160 --> 00:25:01,200
My political experiences had taught me
394
00:25:01,280 --> 00:25:07,040
that things have to mature
to a certain point in time like a...
395
00:25:07,120 --> 00:25:09,040
like a fine cheese.
396
00:25:09,120 --> 00:25:11,480
And then they have to be eaten.
397
00:25:11,560 --> 00:25:14,160
Otherwise they start to smell
and it's too late.
398
00:25:14,240 --> 00:25:16,520
That means it was a process.
399
00:25:16,600 --> 00:25:20,880
And of course, I wanted German unity
at the end of it.
400
00:25:25,040 --> 00:25:28,800
I was completely convinced
that the GDR was worthless.
401
00:25:30,560 --> 00:25:33,280
The GDR was
of a different opinion of course,
402
00:25:33,360 --> 00:25:37,120
but it didn't matter
what the GDR fortune was worth.
403
00:25:37,800 --> 00:25:40,080
The truth came out in the end anyway.
404
00:25:41,560 --> 00:25:44,800
[typewriter keys clack]
405
00:25:45,120 --> 00:25:47,600
At the end of January, I found that I had
406
00:25:47,680 --> 00:25:52,280
a feasible and well-thought out concept
for a monetary union.
407
00:25:53,080 --> 00:25:56,440
It was a 15-page document
408
00:25:56,520 --> 00:25:59,280
and it had to stay a secret
for another 14 days
409
00:25:59,360 --> 00:26:02,640
until all of the preparations
had been made.
410
00:26:02,720 --> 00:26:04,880
And then in mid-February the time came.
411
00:26:05,520 --> 00:26:09,480
FEBRUARY 13, 1990
412
00:26:09,560 --> 00:26:14,040
14 MONTHS
UNTIL THE MURDER
413
00:26:14,120 --> 00:26:16,120
[suspenseful music plays]
414
00:26:29,560 --> 00:26:30,840
MINISTER OF FINANCE
415
00:26:30,920 --> 00:26:35,000
[Waigel] At that time,
Minister of Economy Luft came to us
416
00:26:35,080 --> 00:26:39,480
and demanded special compensation
to the tune of 15 billion Deutschmarks.
417
00:26:39,560 --> 00:26:42,480
And some West German politicians,
418
00:26:42,560 --> 00:26:45,000
including cabinet members said,
419
00:26:46,280 --> 00:26:49,120
"Maybe you don't have to give them
15 billion...
420
00:26:49,840 --> 00:26:53,320
but ten or eight or at least seven,
421
00:26:53,400 --> 00:26:54,920
you have to give them that."
422
00:26:55,560 --> 00:26:57,760
Back then I said, "No."
423
00:27:01,680 --> 00:27:05,800
[Luft] We flew from Berlin-Schönefeld
to Bonn with Interflug.
424
00:27:08,240 --> 00:27:11,160
We got off the plane
and into a helicopter,
425
00:27:11,240 --> 00:27:14,480
and landed in the garden
of the Federal Chancellery building.
426
00:27:17,280 --> 00:27:22,280
Helmut Kohl was standing outside,
lined up with his whole team.
427
00:27:24,280 --> 00:27:27,520
I felt like we were all going
to a funeral.
428
00:27:27,600 --> 00:27:30,640
They were all quite stony-faced.
429
00:27:32,120 --> 00:27:33,760
Then we were invited in
430
00:27:34,600 --> 00:27:38,880
and half of the cabinet was sitting there
in the NATO hall.
431
00:27:39,320 --> 00:27:43,120
Next to Kohl sat Waigel,
and many others too.
432
00:27:43,200 --> 00:27:44,400
Kohl...
433
00:27:45,560 --> 00:27:48,040
was sitting at the front like Buddha.
434
00:27:48,800 --> 00:27:50,000
And...
435
00:27:50,920 --> 00:27:53,760
he said something
about how wonderful it all was
436
00:27:53,840 --> 00:27:56,760
and how in a few weeks
it would all be sorted and so on.
437
00:27:56,840 --> 00:27:59,320
And then each of us was allowed to speak.
438
00:28:00,120 --> 00:28:01,320
"Chancellor,
439
00:28:02,000 --> 00:28:03,880
the GDR's economy is in bad shape.
440
00:28:04,760 --> 00:28:08,000
But what we need is an injection
that cures us,
441
00:28:08,080 --> 00:28:10,920
not a lethal injection.
442
00:28:12,880 --> 00:28:14,400
Give us time.
443
00:28:14,960 --> 00:28:18,120
We need two to three, maybe four years
444
00:28:18,200 --> 00:28:22,000
to prepare for a step like this.
445
00:28:22,080 --> 00:28:24,320
Otherwise not everyone will make it."
446
00:28:24,400 --> 00:28:25,800
Fat chance!
447
00:28:28,160 --> 00:28:30,280
[Waigel] Back then I said, "No."
448
00:28:30,880 --> 00:28:33,080
That economic system
449
00:28:33,800 --> 00:28:36,080
won't get a single penny or a single Mark.
450
00:28:36,560 --> 00:28:38,880
We're prepared to offer more,
451
00:28:39,360 --> 00:28:42,520
but only when a system is introduced
452
00:28:42,600 --> 00:28:47,160
that fundamentally changes
that economic and social system.
453
00:28:47,240 --> 00:28:50,880
That's why we thought about
454
00:28:51,600 --> 00:28:55,160
offering the GDR a monetary union,
455
00:28:55,240 --> 00:28:57,520
but under certain conditions.
456
00:28:59,000 --> 00:29:02,080
[Luft] They didn't want to hear about it.
457
00:29:02,680 --> 00:29:05,800
The government wouldn't agree
to give us a penny.
458
00:29:05,880 --> 00:29:08,280
"We will--"
"No," said Waigel.
459
00:29:08,840 --> 00:29:12,040
"Completely impossible.
And we need to speed all of this up too."
460
00:29:14,640 --> 00:29:17,200
We want to do things one step at a time.
461
00:29:19,360 --> 00:29:24,440
[Waigel] It was one of the most
interesting and challenging things
462
00:29:24,520 --> 00:29:26,840
that ever happened to me
in my political career
463
00:29:26,920 --> 00:29:30,520
and in my life as Minister of Finance.
464
00:29:30,600 --> 00:29:34,480
Never had a whole national economy
465
00:29:34,560 --> 00:29:38,720
been transformed in that way before.
466
00:29:39,320 --> 00:29:40,680
[reporter] Rohwedder warned
467
00:29:40,760 --> 00:29:44,200
against a monetary union
between East and West Germany.
468
00:29:44,280 --> 00:29:48,800
It's a high-risk project,
with many GDR businesses forced to close
469
00:29:48,880 --> 00:29:52,920
if they are suddenly exposed
to international competition.
470
00:29:53,000 --> 00:29:55,560
That could lead
to high levels of unemployment.
471
00:29:58,720 --> 00:29:59,800
[Waigel] We were looking
472
00:29:59,880 --> 00:30:04,280
for a special person to be
President of the Treuhand,
473
00:30:04,840 --> 00:30:09,200
someone who could tackle
this huge and unusual task.
474
00:30:10,560 --> 00:30:13,680
And Rohwedder had
very special qualifications for the job.
475
00:30:18,480 --> 00:30:22,800
And Helmut Kohl and I both believed
476
00:30:22,880 --> 00:30:26,760
we should ask him to take it on.
477
00:30:26,840 --> 00:30:30,000
Rohwedder, CEO of Hoesch company
based in Dortmund,
478
00:30:30,080 --> 00:30:34,120
is set to privatize
the GDR's formerly state-owned companies.
479
00:30:37,200 --> 00:30:40,040
[Hoffmann-Becking] It's quite likely
that at first,
480
00:30:40,120 --> 00:30:43,560
Rohwedder wasn't aware
of the scale of what was to come.
481
00:30:46,000 --> 00:30:49,480
He hesitated about taking over
the chairmanship of the board.
482
00:30:49,560 --> 00:30:50,880
I remember that.
483
00:30:51,720 --> 00:30:54,760
He hesitated, but it was inescapable.
484
00:30:54,840 --> 00:30:57,040
He let himself be taken to task.
485
00:30:57,120 --> 00:30:59,000
He was serving...
486
00:30:59,520 --> 00:31:01,840
Let's just say it.
Serving the fatherland.
487
00:31:02,360 --> 00:31:04,600
9 MONTHS
488
00:31:04,680 --> 00:31:07,760
UNTIL THE MURDER
489
00:31:09,200 --> 00:31:11,560
SOCIAL CUTS + COMPANY DESTRUCTION
= TREUHAND
490
00:31:11,640 --> 00:31:14,960
[Brahms] The first major waves
of layoffs came relatively quickly.
491
00:31:15,040 --> 00:31:17,160
For the first time,
492
00:31:17,240 --> 00:31:20,880
people had no right to work
and had to go to a job center.
493
00:31:20,960 --> 00:31:22,120
Next please!
494
00:31:22,200 --> 00:31:28,240
The East German's were crushed
by this incredible sense of frustration.
495
00:31:28,320 --> 00:31:32,360
The anger towards the Treuhandanstalt
had really grown.
496
00:31:32,440 --> 00:31:34,000
JOBS FOR ALL!
497
00:31:36,400 --> 00:31:42,400
You're one of the most-hated West Germans
in all of East Germany.
498
00:31:42,480 --> 00:31:46,080
One stroke of your pen causes
thousands of job cuts.
499
00:31:46,160 --> 00:31:50,320
760,000 people have already lost
their jobs in the new German states.
500
00:31:50,400 --> 00:31:53,200
How do you deal with that
on a human level?
501
00:31:53,280 --> 00:31:57,120
There are economic reasons
that force you to do so,
502
00:31:57,200 --> 00:31:59,360
but so many people are losing their jobs.
503
00:32:06,720 --> 00:32:09,840
[Hofmeyer] Rohwedder was
the most at-risk person
504
00:32:09,920 --> 00:32:13,080
in Germany at that time.
505
00:32:14,440 --> 00:32:19,480
We carried out an analysis, signed by me,
and shared it
506
00:32:19,560 --> 00:32:23,000
with the State Criminal Police,
Constitutional Affairs Officers,
507
00:32:23,080 --> 00:32:26,320
the Federal Public Prosecutor
and the Ministry of the Interior.
508
00:32:26,400 --> 00:32:28,880
We came to the conclusion
509
00:32:28,960 --> 00:32:32,720
that Rohwedder is a K-106 person.
510
00:32:32,800 --> 00:32:38,120
That put Rohwedder
in the highest possible risk category
511
00:32:38,200 --> 00:32:41,680
and declared
that he was in extreme danger.
512
00:32:43,240 --> 00:32:46,840
[narrator] The so-called anti-terror
concept 106.
513
00:32:46,920 --> 00:32:48,480
The approach is as follows:
514
00:32:48,800 --> 00:32:52,880
high risk people are to be monitored
via "covert measures".
515
00:32:52,960 --> 00:32:54,680
These would reveal early on
516
00:32:54,760 --> 00:32:58,000
if these prominent people
were being "spied on by terrorists."
517
00:32:58,080 --> 00:32:59,840
[Hofmeyer] The K-106 decision meant
518
00:32:59,920 --> 00:33:03,560
that the local police authorities
were to check Rohwedder's surroundings
519
00:33:03,640 --> 00:33:06,360
in the knowledge
that there could be spies operating.
520
00:33:06,440 --> 00:33:11,520
We would have set up covert operations
and waited
521
00:33:11,600 --> 00:33:15,960
for there to be an attack on Rohwedder.
522
00:33:16,040 --> 00:33:18,160
That is K-106.
523
00:33:25,240 --> 00:33:28,000
[Classen] This is
where the Rohwedder family lived.
524
00:33:28,720 --> 00:33:30,560
It was Villa Maximilian.
525
00:33:32,880 --> 00:33:38,000
The house was in an area full of people
who weren't short on money.
526
00:33:38,560 --> 00:33:41,560
The area is full of grand villas.
527
00:33:42,120 --> 00:33:44,760
It's an area
where strangers attract attention.
528
00:33:45,320 --> 00:33:48,280
Anything that didn't belong attracted
attention.
529
00:33:48,840 --> 00:33:51,080
Even I would have attracted attention.
530
00:33:53,240 --> 00:33:56,960
In 1991, when Rohwedder was murdered,
531
00:33:57,760 --> 00:34:01,320
I was working
for the Düsseldorfer Express
532
00:34:01,400 --> 00:34:03,480
as a crime reporter.
533
00:34:03,960 --> 00:34:05,600
And I'm still there today.
534
00:34:05,680 --> 00:34:07,640
TREUHAND BOSS ROHWEDDER MURDERED!
535
00:34:07,720 --> 00:34:11,000
The attack must have been planned
a long time in advance.
536
00:34:11,080 --> 00:34:13,760
The way it was carried out,
537
00:34:14,360 --> 00:34:16,360
it should have attracted attention.
538
00:34:17,000 --> 00:34:19,400
Unfortunately, no police noticed,
539
00:34:19,960 --> 00:34:21,760
and no bodyguards noticed either.
540
00:34:21,840 --> 00:34:23,320
Because there weren't any.
541
00:34:24,160 --> 00:34:26,760
He lived all alone in that house,
542
00:34:26,840 --> 00:34:30,160
and the only time he saw the police
543
00:34:30,240 --> 00:34:32,800
was maybe every four hours
when a patrol car passed.
544
00:34:33,440 --> 00:34:35,240
12 DAYS
545
00:34:35,320 --> 00:34:37,480
UNTIL THE MURDER
546
00:34:43,160 --> 00:34:46,120
[narrator] Federal Bureau
of Criminal Investigation,
547
00:34:46,200 --> 00:34:48,200
Treuhand Task Force.
548
00:34:48,680 --> 00:34:51,800
Safety precautions were taken
at Dr. Rohwedder's house.
549
00:34:52,800 --> 00:34:55,760
It was found that
the video surveillance system,
550
00:34:55,840 --> 00:34:58,560
had been switched off
on the day of the attack.
551
00:34:59,680 --> 00:35:04,680
The last recordings are
from March 21st, 1991.
552
00:35:10,040 --> 00:35:13,680
[Classen] The Rohwedder case has been
on my mind ever since then.
553
00:35:14,480 --> 00:35:17,200
And I had always wanted
554
00:35:17,800 --> 00:35:19,920
to talk to Mrs. Rohwedder about it.
555
00:35:20,720 --> 00:35:24,520
There were
two telephone interviews with her.
556
00:35:26,360 --> 00:35:30,120
Mrs. Rohwedder complained bitterly,
557
00:35:30,640 --> 00:35:32,160
almost crying on the phone,
558
00:35:32,720 --> 00:35:35,480
that her husband would still
be alive today
559
00:35:36,640 --> 00:35:42,240
if more had been done to keep
the two of them safe.
560
00:35:42,920 --> 00:35:46,080
[Mrs. Rohwedder] When he was brought
back home on Holy Thursday
561
00:35:46,160 --> 00:35:48,760
by his two escorts,
562
00:35:48,840 --> 00:35:50,320
I said that to them
563
00:35:50,400 --> 00:35:52,800
and they responded coolly with,
564
00:35:52,880 --> 00:35:54,000
"What do you expect?
565
00:35:54,080 --> 00:35:56,840
Are we meant to keep coming
across the river by boat?
566
00:35:56,920 --> 00:36:00,760
We have covert investigations in place."
567
00:36:01,080 --> 00:36:05,080
I suggested the house be protected
with a guard sitting at the door.
568
00:36:05,160 --> 00:36:07,840
They did nothing.
569
00:36:09,840 --> 00:36:14,560
NIGHT OF THE MURDER
570
00:36:14,960 --> 00:36:16,640
[narrator] Now the day of the attack.
571
00:36:17,480 --> 00:36:19,160
The property protection patrol checked
572
00:36:19,240 --> 00:36:25,480
the Rohwedder house
on April 1st, 1991 during the late shift
573
00:36:25,560 --> 00:36:29,800
at 15:05 p.m., 17:55 p.m., 20:10 p.m.
574
00:36:29,880 --> 00:36:32,760
There was no check carried out
during the night shift.
575
00:36:32,840 --> 00:36:36,520
[Mrs. Rohwedder] There were clear signs
that something was brewing.
576
00:36:36,880 --> 00:36:38,920
The phone rang in the night,
577
00:36:39,000 --> 00:36:42,160
and when we picked up,
there was silence.
578
00:36:42,720 --> 00:36:44,760
And then the phone rang again.
579
00:36:44,840 --> 00:36:48,120
I looked down.
Nothing. There was nobody there.
580
00:36:48,640 --> 00:36:50,920
[Classen] Mrs. Rohwedder was
full of bitterness
581
00:36:51,480 --> 00:36:53,000
that nothing had been done.
582
00:36:53,640 --> 00:36:56,560
And three and a half hours later,
her husband was dead.
583
00:37:16,480 --> 00:37:20,760
[narrator] Preliminary report of
the autopsy of Detlev Karsten Rohwedder.
584
00:37:20,840 --> 00:37:23,600
Bullet lodged in the chest,
having entered the back,
585
00:37:23,680 --> 00:37:26,040
directly to the left
of the center of the body,
586
00:37:26,120 --> 00:37:29,800
perforating it from the lower left
to the upper right.
587
00:37:30,480 --> 00:37:33,360
The thoracic spine has been shot through
and shattered
588
00:37:33,440 --> 00:37:36,120
at the level
of the fifth thoracic vertebra.
589
00:37:36,200 --> 00:37:38,920
Complete severing of the spinal cord.
590
00:37:39,000 --> 00:37:40,760
Shot through the trachea.
591
00:37:40,840 --> 00:37:43,840
Death caused by internal bleeding.
592
00:38:04,400 --> 00:38:06,840
A difficult photo.
593
00:38:08,360 --> 00:38:12,840
For a career like that
to end in that way...
594
00:38:12,920 --> 00:38:14,480
If I can put it like that.
595
00:38:16,520 --> 00:38:20,600
And ultimately it's evidence
of the country's incapacity,
596
00:38:20,680 --> 00:38:21,720
that picture.
597
00:38:22,560 --> 00:38:25,000
That it wasn't able
598
00:38:25,080 --> 00:38:28,280
to prevent a person like that
599
00:38:28,360 --> 00:38:29,640
from being killed.
600
00:38:42,120 --> 00:38:45,240
POLICE
601
00:38:50,000 --> 00:38:51,880
[reporter] This evening, 6:00 p.m.
602
00:38:52,000 --> 00:38:54,080
There's a bunch of flowers lying
603
00:38:54,160 --> 00:38:56,520
in front of the Rohwedder house
in Oberkassel.
604
00:38:56,600 --> 00:38:59,240
Detlev Karsten Rohwedder,
head of the Treuhand,
605
00:38:59,320 --> 00:39:02,080
wasn't given the highest level
of police security.
606
00:39:03,600 --> 00:39:08,040
[Hofmeyer] The Dusseldorf Chief of Police
didn't protect Rohwedder
607
00:39:08,120 --> 00:39:10,720
the way he should have been protected.
608
00:39:10,800 --> 00:39:13,560
They decided not to do it.
609
00:39:13,640 --> 00:39:15,920
That's a willful act.
610
00:39:16,000 --> 00:39:17,760
There was no coordination.
611
00:39:17,840 --> 00:39:21,040
The State Criminal Police Office
in Dusseldorf
612
00:39:21,120 --> 00:39:22,960
was incredibly weak
613
00:39:23,040 --> 00:39:26,800
when it came to fighting terrorism.
614
00:39:26,880 --> 00:39:30,680
It was actually the weakest
in the whole of Germany.
615
00:39:32,760 --> 00:39:35,360
[Classen] They all kept saying
someone else was responsible.
616
00:39:35,440 --> 00:39:38,880
I got the impression
that it was complete chaos.
617
00:39:41,000 --> 00:39:43,960
That also included upgrading
the window panes.
618
00:39:45,320 --> 00:39:48,000
There was bulletproof glass
installed downstairs,
619
00:39:48,080 --> 00:39:49,720
but not upstairs.
620
00:39:51,280 --> 00:39:54,440
[narrator] Employees of Hoesch,
the firm in charge of the safety measures,
621
00:39:54,520 --> 00:39:56,440
explained on the phone
622
00:39:56,520 --> 00:39:59,720
that it was the express wish
of the Rohwedder family
623
00:39:59,800 --> 00:40:04,640
for the bullet-resistant glass
only to be installed on the ground floor.
624
00:40:07,520 --> 00:40:09,280
[Classen] Mrs. Rohwedder said
625
00:40:09,360 --> 00:40:12,200
that they also wanted
the upstairs to be protected.
626
00:40:12,280 --> 00:40:14,640
"That's my husband's office
627
00:40:14,720 --> 00:40:17,360
and we want to have the panes there too."
628
00:40:18,200 --> 00:40:21,880
The Federal Prosecutor General
and the Bureau of Criminal Investigation,
629
00:40:21,960 --> 00:40:24,000
who I questioned several times,
630
00:40:24,080 --> 00:40:26,680
refused to provide any information,
631
00:40:27,280 --> 00:40:30,680
saying it would impact
Germany's security interests.
632
00:40:31,200 --> 00:40:33,560
[narrator] Lead by the Bureau
of Criminal Investigation,
633
00:40:33,640 --> 00:40:38,720
a special Treuhand Task Force was set up
in the police HQ in Dusseldorf.
634
00:40:38,800 --> 00:40:42,480
By their own admission,
they've made hardly made any progress.
635
00:40:42,560 --> 00:40:45,840
They've received more than 100 tip-offs
from the public,
636
00:40:45,920 --> 00:40:48,200
but very few of them were promising.
637
00:40:52,000 --> 00:40:53,880
[Fundermann] Nothing. We had nothing.
638
00:40:56,280 --> 00:41:00,000
We didn't find out if it was men, women,
two, three, or five,
639
00:41:00,080 --> 00:41:03,160
whether they came with the train,
with a car, a moped,
640
00:41:03,240 --> 00:41:05,880
or with a paddle boat down the Rhine.
Nothing.
641
00:41:10,640 --> 00:41:14,240
[Classen] I chartered a helicopter
on April 3,
642
00:41:14,920 --> 00:41:18,480
and wanted to document what had happened
643
00:41:19,160 --> 00:41:21,160
from the air.
644
00:41:23,200 --> 00:41:26,720
It cost a grand, but it was interesting.
645
00:41:26,800 --> 00:41:29,920
I flew over the crime scene
in the helicopter
646
00:41:30,000 --> 00:41:34,680
because I wanted to know
how the perpetrators had got there.
647
00:41:39,600 --> 00:41:44,520
I saw the Rohwedder house underneath me
from the air.
648
00:41:44,600 --> 00:41:47,400
I could still see the police barrier tape.
649
00:41:47,480 --> 00:41:49,600
I could still see a lot of patrol cars.
650
00:41:50,600 --> 00:41:52,760
And I could still see a chair,
651
00:41:52,840 --> 00:41:56,600
and it was clearly the chair
where the sniper had sat.
652
00:41:57,440 --> 00:42:00,240
[narrator] The sniper had hidden
in a community garden.
653
00:42:00,320 --> 00:42:03,240
Armed with a gun,
he sat here on this garden chair
654
00:42:03,320 --> 00:42:05,640
until his victim went into the study.
655
00:42:08,360 --> 00:42:11,880
[Classen] They also found binoculars
at the crime scene,
656
00:42:12,880 --> 00:42:15,680
a towel, and a letter of confession.
657
00:42:17,360 --> 00:42:21,520
[reporter] The letter of confession
that was found at the scene
658
00:42:21,600 --> 00:42:25,000
is still being analyzed.
659
00:42:31,240 --> 00:42:35,320
[Hofmeyer] We deemed the letter
to be authentic
660
00:42:35,400 --> 00:42:37,800
and it matched our assumptions.
661
00:42:37,880 --> 00:42:40,120
We said from the start
662
00:42:40,200 --> 00:42:42,640
that if there were an attack on Rohwedder,
663
00:42:42,720 --> 00:42:46,240
we'd expect to receive
an explanation like this.
664
00:42:46,320 --> 00:42:48,320
[dramatic music plays]
665
00:42:51,000 --> 00:42:54,960
In their letter confessing
to the attack on Rohwedder,
666
00:42:55,720 --> 00:42:59,720
the RAF described
667
00:42:59,800 --> 00:43:06,560
how factories were being bulldozed,
668
00:43:06,640 --> 00:43:10,680
and how the Western system was being
imposed on them
669
00:43:10,760 --> 00:43:13,720
without any care
for the fate of the people.
670
00:43:16,640 --> 00:43:22,080
Those are the exact words
you'll find in the RAF letter.
671
00:43:26,280 --> 00:43:29,280
I can read it to you. I have it here.
672
00:43:30,880 --> 00:43:32,880
[suspenseful music playing]
673
00:45:25,000 --> 00:45:28,200
Subtitle translation by Marisa Pettit