-[dramatic music playing] -[forest animals call]
[owl hooting]
[gunshot]
[classical music playing]
[Matschke] The Rohwedder murder
really was the perfect crime.
The way it was executed…
And now,
30 years later, the whole thing still hasn't been solved yet.
One must, of course, be careful not to lapse into any form of admiration.
This was planned with murderous and cold-blooded precision.
Some details just don't fit in
with this being planned so coldly and professionally:
location, timing, escape options.
-And then such amateurish things -[camera shutter clicks]
like leaving bullet casings behind,
leaving cigarette butts behind,
leaving a towel.
A hair was found on the towel,
but they didn't know what it was at the time.
From this, one might well conclude
that this was maybe meant to be a red herring.
[Wagner] This was either a very well-prepared murder
with excellent forensic support,
as if the crime scene cleaners came in right behind the shooter.
It's almost like bringing your ballistics expert,
your coroner along to the crime scene to try to clean the whole scene.
STATE CRIMINAL POLICE OFFICE
HEAD OF THE STATE SECURITY UNIT BERND WAGNER
It sure seems like this if you find nothing, of course.
So either a highly professional culprit or group of culprits was responsible,
or it was a big-scale orchestration.
[sirens wail]
GERMANY
[upbeat theme music playing]
A NETFLIX ORIGINAL DOCUMENTARY SERIES
[Hitler] The German Reich…
[Ulbricht] Nobody has any intention of building a wall.
[reporter] West and East Germany, a divided nation.
♪ Unity and justice and freedom… ♪
Red Army Faction.
…insane attacks by barbaric terrorists.
♪ …Fatherland ♪
♪ Risen from ruins ♪
[Reagan] Tear down this wall.
Our fatherland, reunited.
♪ Flourish, German fatherland ♪
VICTIM
[Bresser] Detlev Karsten Rohwedder, a man who has huge plans
as head of the powerful and controversial Treuhand.
To get to know him better,
our "complete the sentence" game might come in handy.
The first half sentence is:
Those who want to save jobs at any price are…
…more likely to destroy them than to create new ones.
In business, cruelty…
…is essential.
But it should be buffered a bit so it doesn't hurt too much.
For me, Helmut Kohl's pace towards German Unity is…
…astonishing, but right.
OCTOBER 3, 1990
[rock music playing]
BERLIN
[crowd cheers]
[cheering continues]
"A dream has become reality," says the Chancellor of now all Germans.
At midnight, German Unity has come into effect.
Hundreds of thousands celebrate the Reunification in Berlin.
6 MONTHS
UNTIL THE MURDER
[Ludewig] I met Rohwedder on the eve of Reunification at the Reichstag.
FEDERAL CHANCELLERY, STATE SECRETARY JOHANNES LUDEWIG
I talked to him about how he views the future, and…
He said, "It's difficult, no doubt,
but you know, Mr. Ludewig,
I've visited the companies, I talked to the people there.
I'm convinced
there is enough substance there to make it all work out.
We'll get this done," he said.
"Goodbye." And then he disappeared into the crowd.
That was about an hour,
half an hour before midnight, I remember it clearly.
[firework whistles]
[narrator] Young athletes from both parts of the formerly divided Berlin
hoist the federal German flag in front of the Reichstag.
The bell of freedom rings in a new era of German history.
[Luft] There wasn't just one mood across all of the GDR.
[crowd cheers]
Some people said, "We want the Reunification."
And others said, "We didn't build this country for 40 years…
MINISTER FOR ECONOMIC AFFAIRS GDR CHRISTA LUFT
…just for it to go down the drain and for others to usurp it."
♪ …for the German fatherland ♪
[Over] What alarmed me…
POLITICIAN FREKE OVER
…was this great belief in Helmut Kohl,
in his promises of flourishing landscapes and unity.
I always thought, "Are you crazy?
Now it's your chance to walk a different path."
Until then we had a hope to embark on a "Third Path"
between GDR-type socialism and West German capitalism.
But at that time, it was a country with a euphoria for capitalism.
♪ Unity and justice and freedom For the German fatherland ♪
Dear fellow citizens,
in a few hours, a dream becomes reality.
After more than 40 bitter years of division,
Germany, our fatherland, is reunited.
As a result of our social market economy politics,
in a few years from now, the former East German states of Brandenburg,
Mecklenburg-Vorpommern,
Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt,
and Thuringia will have been turned into flourishing landscapes.
[siren wails]
[Over] On October 3rd,
there was also a huge protest called "Germany, shut up"
against Reunification
with 20 to 30,000 participants.
And among them a lot of West Berlin police,
who let loose for the first time in East Berlin.
[protesters clamor]
[whistling, cheering]
[techno music playing]
[screaming]
[cheering, shouting]
[siren wails]
[Flake] Practically the worst-case scenario for me was Reunification.
I liked the reforms. The fall of the Berlin Wall wasn't necessary…
KEYBOARDIST RAMMSTEIN FLAKE
…but in the end I thought it was a good thing, too.
What really shocked me was the Reunification.
Suddenly, a country was thrust upon us
that was not who we were and did not want to be.
I never wanted to be a citizen of West Germany. For the love of God!
I didn't like their society.
I still don't.
I don't like the way a lot of stuff is being handled,
ownership, real estate,
how their laws were imposed on us,
which we didn't want.
[man on PA] The department store is overcrowded.
Please understand that admission can only be granted in batches.
Don't push, please.
See how orderly the people up front are standing in line.
[reporter] Did things change for you?
Yes, the future has become more uncertain.
-Yeah. -At work and all that.
Everything happened way too fast.
I don't really know what you want to hear.
You know exactly what problems we are facing here anyway, don't you?
[reporter] Can I ask what has changed for you?
The Treuhand continues to destroy companies
and push people into unemployment.
Everything gets sold and yet we are supposed to be happy? Really?
[Waigel] You mustn't forget,
there were reports
that the GDR would be broke by 1991 at the latest.
MINISTER OF FINANCE THEO WAIGEL
There was no market for the GDR's automobile production anymore.
For the huge ships built in Stralsund and elsewhere,
there was no market anymore.
There was no point in continuing a business
if it couldn't sell its products anymore.
There had to be a market,
like we had in the West.
[Scheunert] This contrast between East and West…
You could sense it so much when politicians from Bonn came over.
TREUHAND DIRECTOR DETLEF SCHEUNERT
That was like the Starship Enterprise arriving.
It was like a strange force arriving.
One could sense they didn't feel right,
they didn't know…
They got anxious whenever they entered East Germany.
[Waigel] The peaceful atmosphere
in the West, in the Ministry,
the splashing of the fountain, the polished floors, the silence…
That was another country, a different planetary system.
In Berlin, when you arrived at the Treuhand office in the morning,
workers were already waiting with rods to bang on your car roof.
[woman with bullhorn] …and we stand here in front of this building…
[crowd whistles, cheers]
TRUST AGENCY
[Rohwedder] People seem to think we are this dark, gloomy, powerful castle
here at Berlin Alexanderplatz.
And I'm very sorry about this. It's a big misunderstanding.
I have to work ridiculously hard and live a dog's life, actually.
I enter this office in the morning when it's still dark outside
and I leave at night when it's dark again,
go back to my hotel, do some more work,
catch the last minutes of TV and then go to bed.
5 WEEKS
UNTIL THE MURDER
[Bresser] But Mr. Rohwedder, most observers didn't expect things
to end up so dramatic.
Unemployment is skyrocketing:
700,000 civil service jobs,
400,000 in agriculture,
550,000 in the metal and electrical industries.
I could continue.
If there is no improvement on the horizon soon,
aren't you afraid there might be another revolution
-in former East Germany? -Well…
first of all, we only just drove into the tunnel.
DETLEV ROHWEDDER
Now we have to drive through the tunnel a little bit
without getting scared, and then the light will appear.
TREUHAND VICE PRESIDENT HERO BRAHMS
I was worried about the increasing pressure,
but not about his composure.
It was good, and he was so tough.
He could take a hit, but also strike back.
[Brahms] Politicians could hide perfectly behind the Treuhand.
And of course, he was an ideal scapegoat.
If you read the papers back then, the TV coverage,
everyone was out on a rampage.
PRESSURE ON TREUHAND IS GROWING
The public pressure, including the media's, was enormous.
HARSH CRITICISTM OF TREUHAND
SPIRAL INTO BANKRUPTCY
[Brahms] The mood was aggressive.
This had to have consequences at some point.
[interviewer] Where is your personal pain threshold,
the point you would say, "I will no longer play a part in this?"
I'm quite immune to pain.
It's got to get really, really bad,
unreasonable demands to a degree that none of you would accept.
Actually, you could say everything here is unreasonable.
Everything is disorganized and…
dangerous and dramatic.
[Waigel] Right before Christmas 1990, Rohwedder came to me
at the Ministry of Finance.
He told me he wanted to quit.
I begged him to stay.
Helmut Kohl begged him to stay, too,
and told him, "We need you."
I tried…
to convince him to stay.
I still think of our talk back then.
It's a vivid memory.
I told Rohwedder's children,
"Had I not beseeched your father to stay,
he might still be alive today."
I have to live with this thought, but…
it was still the right thing to do
to ask him, the best man for this job, to continue
in the interest of this great cause for Germany.
I guess all I can say is,
it's crucial to let people know
that the phase we're going through now…
-[Bresser] Mr. Rohwedder. -…will come to an end.
KLAUS BRESSER
If we have 40 or even 50% unemployment, Mr. Rohwedder,
we've never had such numbers in Germany,
not even during the Great Depression or right before Hitler seized power.
I worry
that the pressure on you and the Treuhand will grow intense.
6 DAYS
UNTIL THE MURDER
[reporter] The traditional Monday protests
have again begun to dominate the political landscape in East Germany.
Tens of thousands gathered again today
to call attention to the bad economic situation in East Germany.
MONDAY DEMONSTRATIONS
[crowd chants]
[reporter] Apparently 100,000 people joined.
Large numbers of police from Bavaria and Hesse
blocked access to government buildings.
[Over] From March 1991, I joined regularly.
I took the evenings off and joined the Monday protests, and…
there was a lot of anger.
There was…
a lot of anger from those who were, so to speak,
the first that had been thrown out of the door.
[crowd shouts angrily]
We say no to the Treuhand policy
which makes a mockery of the "Trust" in its name.
We say no to a policy
that sells off companies without caring about the people.
[crowd cheers and applause]
[Over] Something was growing.
In March, 1991, a new civil movement,
maybe even a workers' movement grew on the streets.
[reporter] Shouts from Leipzig could be heard loud and clear again today.
Many banners demanded
the resignation of Chancellor Kohl
and called for re-elections.
We are the people,
and we demand re-elections!
[crowd cheers and applause]
[Karas] The Monday protests are coming back to life.
Dangerous social dynamite has accumulated, that is glaringly obvious.
Many former GDR citizens are losing their jobs and their hope, too.
[crowd chanting] Re-elections!
[reporter] Chancellor Kohl called re-election rumors absurd.
KOHL NO NEW ELECTIONS
[reporter] Tonight they flocked to the streets again
despite the freezing cold.
They want to continue, every Monday,
until their demands are accepted.
[Over] Things converged more and more, and I think it frightened certain people.
It caused the Kohl government massive anxiety.
Of course, the Treuhand was also a lightning rod.
If all that anger had been unleashed in Bonn,
I'm not sure if Bonn would still exist today.
[Kohl] We don't have any experience in reuniting Germany.
I hope that never again will a German government
have to prove experience in this field.
Naturally, we have to make decisions all the time,
and we do make errors, myself included.
Every day, tens of thousands of unemployed protesters
are out on the streets of the former GDR, and it's still growing.
Are we not getting into an even more difficult situation?
[ominous music playing]
NIGHT OF THE MURDER
[Wagner] Whoever the killers were,
I think there could be a larger connection.
As a politically-thinking criminal investigator, I always ask myself,
who benefited from this? Or who benefits?
[tense music playing]
[Wagner] Several scenarios are plausible,
including ones of a political nature.
For example, this hypothesis of a third RAF generation
never really convinced me.
I mean, it might be true, but it doesn't have to be.
Other perpetrators could have done it,
but I would probably rule out the RAF.
I never doubted it was the RAF.
It was clear to me
that they had the political responsibility and that they committed this murder.
I never had any doubt.
OFFICE FOR THE PROTECTION OF THE CONSTITUTION
KRIMINALOBERRAT KLAUS-DIETER MATSCHKE
I never altered my assessment of the murder.
[Matschke] I'm convinced it was done by former Stasi members
and that this was a revenge killing.
[Wagner] It could well have been connected with the Stasi,
to inspire the East German working class to rise against the West.
Finally, a third scenario I was thinking about would be
that the West orchestrated the murder by hiring contract killers.
[ominous music playing]
[Wagner] I mean, files don't disappear repeatedly without a reason.
State interest, necessary secrecy, protection of informants
are reasons often used as excuses
in order to prevent the public's ability to check up on things.
Of course, this makes you suspicious,
this fact alone.
[dramatic music playing]
[Classen] I assert
the Federal Criminal Police Office and the Federal Prosecutor General…
CRIME REPORTER GÜNTHER CLASSEN
…are much closer to solving the Rohwedder crime
than we are all led to believe.
[Classen] I myself made several inquiries.
[camera shutter clicks]
I only received airy-fairy answers. "We're investigating in all directions."
[camera shutter clicks]
[Classen] When someone speaks like this, they are concealing something.
They have a solution, but don't want to tell
because the solution might reveal something
that would shake this republic to its very core.
Now there's a lead.
Investigators had found hairs at the crime scene back then.
Using new technology, they have now found
that one of them belongs to alleged terrorist Wolfgang Grams.
[Fundermann] Back then, when the Rohwedder murder happened,
we couldn't deal with hairs that had been shed.
Back then, DNA analysis could only be done on hairs…
FEDERAL CRIMINAL POLICE OFFICE HEAD OF COMMUNICATIONS, WILLI FUNDERMANN
…that had been pulled out and still had roots and cell material attached.
Running tests on so-called telogen hairs, shed hairs without roots,
was only possible much later.
We then used this
and were able to confirm that was Grams' hair.
[Wagner] Of course, it could be real hair, Grams' hair.
But did they really get there naturally
or in some other way?
These questions have never been answered.
FEDERAL OFFICE FOR THE PROTECTION OF THE CONSTITUTION
CHIEF EVALUATOR WINFRIED RIDDER
If you want to regard the trace of Grams' DNA as confirmation,
then it's clear Grams was involved in the Rohwedder murder.
But how exactly, and at what point in time he left behind his DNA, however,
remains unanswered so far.
But he was a leading figure back then.
From 1990 until 1992, I was Head of the State Security Unit,
responsible for the former GDR territory.
In spring 1991,
I could have arrested Grams and his associate.
Back then, our office,
the Counter-Terrorism Unit,
had received intel from Thuringia
that these two individuals were hiding there.
So I sent one of my staff to Thuringia to investigate,
and, depending on circumstances, arrest them.
He was sent away under some pretext.
[telephone rings]
I then had a call with the Federal Criminal Police Office,
in which I was told that they would take care of this matter alone.
We were not to intervene.
[TV static]
Good evening, ladies and gentlemen.
EXCHANGE OF SHOTS WITH RAF MEMBERS
In a shooting with two high-ranking RAF members
this afternoon in the town of Bad Kleinen in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern,
alleged terrorist Wolfgang Grams was shot.
We had intel
from the Office for the Protection of the Constitution Rhineland-Palatinate,
according to which they had managed
to infiltrate the RAF command level.
I immediately set up a special task force
and instructed our operation team
to close off the area around the Bad Kleinen train station.
[Ridder] Bad Kleinen was a glorious moment
for the intelligence services.
For the first time in 20 years,
they had succeeded in placing a human source
into a terrorist organization.
[telephone ringing]
[Hofmeyer] We were on the phone in my office
at the Federal Criminal Police Office, together with my deputy
and the Federal Prosecutor General.
On the speakerphone, everyone could hear it,
I get the info "mission completed.
We have injured persons."
The target…
The target opened fire."
A member of the special Border Protection Unit 9
also suffered fatal injuries.
[Hofmeyer] Then we were told our colleague died
and that Grams was being taken away
and had died, too.
So, by around 8:00 p.m. that night, it was clear to me
that the mission had failed.
[reporter] The circumstances
surrounding alleged RAF terrorist Grams' death on Sunday are still unclear.
CIRCUMSTANCES OF DEATH UNSETTLED
After the events in Bad Kleinen, I had this feeling,
and the whole affair seemed weird to me.
I thought they knew the location of Grams and his associates,
and were willing to accept
one or two people dying that day.
[reporter] The circumstances of the operation at Bad Kleinen station
became even more confusing today.
[reporter 2] At the site of the operation, not all evidence has been secured yet.
[reporter 3] It's still unclear how many shots were even fired.
[Hofmeyer] There we had our scandal.
The next Sunday, the Spiegel magazine came out and spoke about "the fatal shot".
THE FATAL SHOT TERRORIST HUNT GONE WRONG
I knew this was now also a public relations disaster.
They were going for the kill.
That Sunday, I visited the Minister of the Interior,
and he resigned.
Then I started to have doubts myself about what had happened that day.
I doubted it myself.
SEITERS RESIGNATION
Mr. Seiters took responsibility for the mistakes
and surprisingly resigned from office.
[reporter] Federal Prosecutor General von Stahl will be dismissed.
After the series of mishaps in the Grams case…
[Ridder] I cannot recall any other case
which caused eight or ten politicians and high-level officials
to be forced into retirement,
uh, as a direct result of a police operation.
This was a declaration of bankruptcy for the entire security establishment.
GRAMS INVESTIGATION
Ten days after the Bad Kleinen operation,
it remains unclear who used which weapon
to shoot alleged RAF terrorist Wolfgang Grams.
[news anchor] After the autopsy of alleged RAF terrorist Wolfgang Grams…
REPORT OF FURTHER MISHAP
…there were several mishaps, the news magazine Spiegel reports,
which hinder attempts to clarify the circumstances of death.
Grams' corpse was allegedly thoroughly washed,
during which blood residue was removed.
[reporter] The investigators in Schwerin are still missing important evidence
to determine the cause of death.
It was really Murphy's Law what happened in the whole investigation.
Um, just one example...
Some evidence was sent to Zurich police in Switzerland
to demonstrate that we wanted a completely objective investigation,
so we let the Swiss analyze Grams' jacket for gunshot residue.
The result was Grams' jacket disappeared in the Zurich institute,
never to be found again.
So for someone
who's skeptical towards the police and the judiciary,
it must have seemed like something was being covered up,
something just wasn't right.
[Hofmeyer] This mental programming to commit suicide in hopeless situations
was widespread among political figures.
Why couldn't he have killed himself with a gun?
[Classen] I could call this a cover-up crime,
because, to this day, the security authorities have been unable
to answer any of the open questions
or solve any of the unsolved murders,
and also don't appear to be overly interested in solving them anymore.
So when I look at the Rohwedder case, I'm not too far
from calling the Grams murder
a cover-up crime.
[man] The scary thing about this situation
is that a lack of transparent information or accurate information
created the impression
among the public
that there are dubious goings-on in this state.
The Office for the Protection of the Constitution kept intel from us?
I would almost vouch for that!
I'm worried
that the security institutions
have developed a life of their own,
which may become a danger to our democracy,
ladies and gentlemen.
[dramatic music playing]
[siren wails]
AMBULANCE
[Scheunert] When Rohwedder got shot, I really struggled with myself.
I thought…
"Jump on any plane, just leave Germany, because there is going to be a civil war.
They will attack each other and shoot each other's leaders."
It wasn't clear, was this just the beginning?
No one knew what might happen next.
7 DAYS
AFTER THE MURDER
Dear colleagues,
there were contradictory statements in the media
regarding our protest today.
In fact, we did ponder
whether to call for this Monday protest.
[Over] Politicians exerted severe pressure on this protest.
LEIPZIG OPERA
Someone officially declared, I'm not sure if it was the Minister of the Interior
or Chancellor Kohl himself.
WHY DO YOU USE THE POISON OF ENVY TO DEEPEN THE DIVISION OF GERMANY
END THE CYNICAL GAME WITH THE HEARTS OF THE PEOPLE
Then they had a minute's silence.
[man] We sympathize with the family of the murder victim
and remember Detlev Karsten Rohwedder in silence.
[man in crowd] One minute's silence!
[crowd begins applauding]
[Over] The emerging workers' civil movement
simply collapsed.
I believe that was our last protest.
[watch ticking]
[Wagner] It is quite conceivable
that there exist certain powerful forces within Germany,
a kind of deep state.
Of course, this isn't done by the State officially,
by certain people within who have the ability to orchestrate.
So it could have been plotted by the West
to kill the Treuhand boss
in order to prove the point that the Treuhand is doing the right thing
and, in turn, undermine devotees of the East,
those who were anti-Treuhand.
To tell them, "See? Your concept for society leads to death."
Already next week it will be announced who will follow in Rohwedder's footsteps
as the head of the Treuhand,
Minister of Finance Theo Waigel told the press today.
BREUEL NEW HEAD OF THE TREUHAND
The CDU politician Birgit Breuel is the new Head of the Treuhand.
[Scheunert] Then Mrs. Breuel came in
and shifted the focus extremely towards a market economy orientation.
Prior to that, we hadn't privatized much.
Because we had focused on restructuring, not selling companies,
with Rohwedder leading this cause.
And then came Breuel with her clear focus
on private ownership, privatization.
Then the Treuhand gathered pace.
[Breuel] Mr. Rohwedder was an entrepreneur who committed himself wholeheartedly.
We will continue the work in his spirit.
We are determined.
This means privatize quickly.
[Scheunert] Then Mrs. Breuel gave a press conference.
By chance, Waigel was there that day, but only by chance.
Just once did he visit the Treuhand as Minister in charge.
That says a lot.
Once.
And in that situation back then, he seemed like a really cold,
fucked up West German politician to me.
As if he thought, "Thank God, they shot my subordinate, not me."
Something like that.
That's how he seemed to a young person working there.
And then Mrs. Breuel?
Uh, business as usual.
[news anchor] Good evening.
With an official ceremony, the German public today
bid farewell to the assassinated Treuhand President, Detlev Karsten Rohwedder.
FUNERAL SERVICE IN BERLIN
[classical music playing]
[reporter] The memorial service at the Berlin concert hall
was attended by 1,300 leading representatives from business,
culture, church, and politics.
His wife is still in the hospital with gunshot wounds.
Germany's President praised Rohwedder as a pioneer of German Unity.
[Von Weizsäcker] He came from both East and West.
He did not believe there are essential differences
between East and West Germans,
yet he understood the massive material and human burden
that had been imposed on our compatriots in the former GDR.
Detlev Rohwedder truly served our people.
Yes, very moving.
Politics has the ability to honor people, as they have done here,
in a very good, grand gesture.
But politics in its daily business is quite different,
and when someone has to go
or has to be replaced,
politics doesn't really care.
[Ridder] He contributed his entire reputation, his entire self.
But he also knew the ins and outs of politics.
And politics loves hunting people.
He paid for this with his life.
[Mrs. Rohwedder] He was so proud that he was asked to help.
This country, which had been so brutally divided,
all human relationships…
And to make this into one Germany again
was a matter very close to his heart.
THE MURDER OF DETLEV KARSTEN ROHWEDDER REMAINS UNSOLVED.
THE TREUHAND PRIVATIZED ALL OF THE GDR'S ASSETS.
94% OF COMPANIES WERE TAKEN OVER BY WEST GERMAN OR INTERNATIONAL INVESTORS.
[Bresser] I don't know anything about its details and history, of course, but…
I'm pretty sure we could turn this into something nice.
6% REMAINED WITH THE PEOPLE OF EAST GERMANY.
[siren wails]
[ominous music playing]