If it had not been for 15 minutes...Epilogue

Click here to read the preceeding chapter.

We lived in a non-descript small office building in Munich under constant watch of bodyguards. The building was wired with cameras, motion sensors and an electrified roof . If we wanted to go anywhere  we had give detailed plans to the bodyguards who coincidentally had a small room right at the entrance door to our apartment. And while these security measures were understandable on some level, I was a 17 year old kid who was going bonkers in this environment. Each time we went out as a group, it required 6 bodyguards and 3 to 4 cars.

These measures were entirely appropriate. Unbeknownst to us, the STASI had taken the unprecedented step of offering a bounty on our heads. I imagine more so on the capture or execution of Werner Stiller, but we were in danger nonetheless. Many years later I was told that the STASI in 1980 had been mistakenly under the impression that a family in Bavaria was us. They've sent a hit team of three agents across the border. In order to verify the discovery, individual team members visited this unsuspecting family on two seperate occasions. The first came disguised as a delivery driver, the second visit came as a gas meter reader. After that the team was pretty sure they had found us and connverged on the house. All three of them with guns drawn entered the home of their suspects. I don't know the exact details, but somehow the wife of the poor fellow under attack had enough presence of mind to call from the kitchen to the entrance way "Honey I've called the cops - they will be here in 2 minutes." And that was apperantly enough to spook the hit team into abandoning their plan.

In order to defuse my stress of being locked up, the BND resolved to help. Our handlers called a meeting and explained to me that the BND completley sympathized with our situation and offered to relocate me. (They could not relocate all of us together.) "We have good relations with two countries were we think you will be safe. The choice you have to make is which country you'd like to live in - South Africa or the United States".

After some thought and research I decided on the US - even though from a European point of view the country seemed dangerous and full of crime. In June of 1979 I arrived in Washington DC for a scheduled stay of only two years. I was to attend a culinary school located right along McArthur Blvd. My local contact and all around helper was Adalbert Dannegger, a member of the BND attached to the German Embassy.

The relationship between Werner Stiller and my mother ended in the Summer of 1981. After having lived under lock and key for a year and half, constantly being watched and constantly being monitored, Werner convinced the BND to allow him a windsurfing vacation at lake "Garda" in Italy, only him and a bodyguard. He promptly managed to fall in love with a 19 year old girl vacationing there, and confessed his entire story to her. Mom was furious. His actions put everything they had worked for in danger. At some point shortly thereafter the break up was complete and mother joined me in the United States. We were resettled by CIA and given new identities. I actually got to pick my own name!

Were are we now?

We've been living in the US for the past 20/23 years, which probably makes me more American than German at this point. Mom is married to a wonderful American gentleman and both live in what has to be the absolutely most beatiful small town in the entire United States. Located right along the Pacific Ocean, this city with spanish-mediterranian architecture has become my hometown. Home is were the heart is after all.

What happened to Stiller?

He studied Business at Washington University in St. Louis and obtained an MBA in 1983-84. During his stint at school he discovered the stock market and almost lost his entire life savings while, true to form, making high-risk speculative investments. After graduation, on the recomendation of a professor,  he was able to obtain a stockbroker position with Goldman Sachs in New York City where he worked his way up the ranks to be stationed in London somewhere in the late 80's. He continued to make money in high risk deals. After becoming the branch manager for a newly opened Goldman branch in Frankfurt he quit to pursue his own entreprenurial goals. With deals all over the world and houses in several beautiful European spots ( like Cannes )  he managed to get married and divorced 5 times along the way. The most noteworthy marriage being to a pretty mafia princess in NYC. The divorce from this daughter of a "made man" in NYC, cost him over $1 million (or a ride with his father-in-law).  Having been riding the greatest bull market in the history of modern economies, Stiller is either completely broke or extremely wealthy at this point. I don't think there is any middle ground possible for this man. According to a newspaper quote in 2001/02 his latest ventured has seen him taking up residence in Budapest Hungary in order to work as a middleman between the business interests of the European Union countrys and Kasachstan. Again a risky but potentially very lucrative position.

As an interesting side note, the BND established a cover story that was both completely false, self serving to the BND's purposes and at the same time intended to scare the STASI. Through numeous articles planted in the West German media,as well as Stiller's own book "In the Center of Espionage", the BND in Pullach attempted to paint a picture of Stiller as a double-agent who had been passing messages back and forth since the early 70's.  This cover story painted Stiller as being a BND employee for many years. The cover story does sound nice and Stiller continues to propagate it - even as late as 1992 when he was interviewed by the German newsmagazine "Spiegel" and bragged about secret meetings with the BND in cities like Budapest, Zagreb and even the Stasi safe house in East Berlin. Nothing could be further from the truth. I was there. My uncle was his only contact to the BND.

Why tell this story?

Mostly for the benefit of my daughter Katelin. This is part of our family history and with the multi-media cababilities of the web I can link to various pages, pictures and notes that bring the story alive.  Katelin is fascinated with this whole business - probably because of the movie "Spy Kids".  She loves to ask me " Daddy - Oma was a spy? " to which I answer "Yes she was".  She then asks " Daddy- you were half a spy? " - to which I answer " That was a long time ago darling, but I guess you could call it that " at which point Katelin has a triumphant smile on her face and with sparkeling eyes declares " Great! That makes me a quarter spy ! "

I hope that the unbelievable force that helped us through this ordeal, allowing us to escape untouched in spite of everything that went wrong,  I hope whatever it is - call it God, call it Faith or Luck - I hope it can see Katelin when she triumphantly declares "I'm a quarter spy !" And I hope that our guardian angels can feel just a little bit of the love that I feel for my daughter who would not be in this world if it hadn't been for 15 minutes.

Thomas Wagner (Michael Michnowski)

Los Angeles, California in the Summer of 2003

© Copyright 2004 Thomas Wagner. Last update: 5/17/2004; 7:35:54 PM. This theme is based on the SoundWaves (blue) Manila theme.