The Berlin Tunnel

by Roger L Liles

  “In your memos, you indicated you’ve determined the exact location of the communication pipe in three-dimensional space,” Gerald stated.

  “That is correct. We have 782 feet of tunnel to dig. We are currently eleven days ahead of schedule, and the tunneling rate should increase dramatically from this point on.”

  With obvious pleasure, General Harrison said, “Congratulations, Captain Kerr. You and your crew have done an outstanding job.”

  After some discussion, I said, “After I leave here, I will visit the probe and telescoping shaft manufacturers, inspect the finished product, and authorize shipment.”

  “For the benefit of all of us, please again explain the function of both,” General Harrison requested.

  “The probe is designed to locate the Russian communications pipe by drilling up into the earth from the end of the tunnel. The tip of the specially designed drill bit collects samples of all hard objects it encounters. I was recently informed that the CIA has determined the composition of the heavy galvanization that surrounds our target pipe and will be providing a test kit so we can confirm we’ve succeeded in finding the correct pipe.”

  “I understand the probe is a fairly conventional design,” Gerald observed.

  “Yes. But the telescoping vertical shaft is entirely unique,” I explained. “It’s designed to allow us to come up from beneath the pipe and surround it without disturbing the surface or making any noise.”

  “Repeat for the group what you told me earlier about how that is possible,” the General requested.

  “One at a time, five stainless-steel telescoping sections will be hydraulically lifted up as blades atop the uppermost section remove soil in a windshield-wiper motion. Each section supports the surrounding soil as it moves into place.”

  I tried to sound confident, but I didn’t know for sure if this contraption would work.

  During the entire meeting Thomas Lane said nothing. I’d anticipated that he would again vent his animosity toward me and was prepared for verbal fisticuffs. Later I learned that General Harrison and Mr. Scherman had been working for several months behind the scenes to get Thomas Lane replaced as the CIA lead on the tunnel-building program. That effort was soon successful, with dire consequences for all of us.

  As the meeting concluded, General Harrison requested that I join him for a brief private discussion. He led me to an office down the hall and closed the door.

  Before I could say anything, the General said, “Captain Taylor, I want you to know you’re doing an outstanding job. We want to ensure that you keep up the good work. Colonel Morgan has informed me that you have formally requested permission to marry Miss Fischer.”

  “That is correct, sir. I want the personal satisfaction of finishing the tunnel. I know that it’s an essential element of our plan to counter communist expansion into Western Europe. My problem is that I’ve found the love of my life and want to marry her as soon as possible. We’ve been together for eight months now.”

  The general opened his briefcase and took out my Request for Permission to Marry form. “My first inclination is to inform you that if you marry Miss Fischer your security clearance will be revoked. You’ll be reassigned to another duty station, probably back in the United States!”

  I stood frozen in place, sure that I would be forced into making a gut-wrenching decision, I did not want to make. “Sir, I…”

  “—Since our tunnel program has remained hidden, the cover and deception activities centered around you and Miss Fischer have obviously been successful,” the General interrupted. “Let me think about it. I’ll consult Colonel Morgan and my head of security. Don’t assume that I’ll approve of your request, but I will evaluate it in light of all of the circumstances, which in your case are unusual.” He folded the request up and placed it back in his briefcase. Then he shook my hand, patted me on the back, and said, “It would be a huge change in policy for me to establish the precedent that one of our people can marry a German national born and raised in the East!”

  He then turned, opened the door, and left me standing there.

  Feet of Tunnel Completed: 1064 Days until Deadline: 129

  Chapter 72

  Saturday-Monday, May 27-29, 1961

  A whirlwind of life-changing activities occurred as Anna and I vacationed after my meeting at Fort Meade. She immediately liked California. As we drove out of the San Francisco Airport, she beamed. “It feels like I’m in a different world. The sun is shining and I feel liberated from the cares of everything in Berlin.”

  “California has that effect on people.”

  That evening, my Kerr grandparents welcomed us warmly, but gave us separate bedrooms. We slept in the barn, savoring the privacy after eight days apart.

  The next day we drove to my Hunter grandparents’ “Home Place.” It consisted of twelve hundred acres and a mansion they recently built next to the farmhouse I’d known in my youth. Twenty-seven members of my mother’s extended family welcomed Anna to America. We gathered at the picnic tables under massive century-old pecan trees, enjoying Grandmother’s delicious fried chicken and produce from their nearby garden.

  After lunch, Grandma invited Anna to join the women in the kitchen. Grandfather Hunter took me aside. Checking to make sure we were alone, he put an arm around my shoulder and said, “Robbie, I’m sixty-nine years old now and I’ll be retiring soon.”

  “Grandpa, you’re like a force of nature. You’ll go on forever.”

  “Would that were true. No. Every day I feel my age more. Plus, Inez wants to do some traveling, so I need someone to take over here.”

  “What’re you going to do, sell out?”

  “I’m going to make you an offer I hope you won’t refuse. As soon as you’ve completed your military duty, come here and be a farmer. I’ll give you the maximum allowable tax-free gift of land every year from now on. Also, I’ll pay you a part of the profit from each of my enterprises that you manage, and I’ll agree to sell you as much land every year as you can afford. You’ll end up owning all ten farms I’ve spent a lifetime acquiring in less than 10 years.”

  This was the last thing that I had expected to hear from him.

  Would Anna be happy here? We’d been so crazy about each other from the beginning, we’d never discussed where we’d live after we married. Working side-by-side on the land, would this be a life she would embrace?

  After several moments, Grandpa added, “If you want, you can live in our old house. It’s well built, and we’ll pay to fully modernize it for you. Your mother will eventually inherit half of our holdings and since you’re an only child, I’ll be mostly giving you your inheritance early. We’ll have to keep books to ensure your aunt and her family receive their fair share.”

  I hesitated, then said, “Since I plan to ask Anna to marry me at some romantic spot on this trip, the decision is partially hers—perhaps mostly hers.”

  He nodded. “I understand, Robbie. This is a big step. Don’t commit unless you’re both sure.”

  I took Anna on an extensive tour of the animals and crops that grew on this farm. Then, I led her to a teak bench surrounded on three sides by a gigantic climbing rose bush covered with hundreds of tiny white roses. It blocked everyone’s view of us as we kissed and held hands. I spent a long time explaining Grandpa Hunter’s offer. “They own ten different acreages all located within eight miles of this property. After working hard for a few years, we would be making at least ten, perhaps even fifteen times what I could hope to make as a senior civil engineer.”

  “Really? That much?” she asked.

  “We need to discuss if we’d be happy living here on a farm near this small town for the rest of our lives.” Dropping down on one knee I clasped her hands and asked, “Anna Marie Fischer, will you marry me?”

  She answered without hesitation. “Yes, I would be thrilled to marry you.” She kissed me fervently, then slowly pulled away. “But, Robert, I want to complete my education and then teach art history at a u
niversity. Is there a good university this far out in the country?”

  “The best is the University of California at Berkeley, which is only an hour’s drive away. We’ll stop there on the way to San Francisco.”

  “Perfect. Now, if we live in California, I’ll have to know how to drive. There are few cars or other objects around here for me to hit. Will you teach me while we’re here?”

  “Tomorrow we’ll have time,” I replied, squeezing her hands.

  She smiled.

  I intentionally deferred telling her that we might have to leave Berlin after we married—she is so close to her family, and I wanted her to get used to the idea of marriage before I gave her that news.

  “I purchased a ring for you. Let’s see if it fits, left hand while we are engaged, correct?” I asked slipping it on her ring finger

  “It fits perfectly, you did well,” She whispered, kissing my cheek.

  “You’re sure a plain gold band is what you want. No diamonds or emeralds?”

  “No, I prefer this. A plain gold band on the left hand while engaged, the right hand when married—in the European tradition.” Her eyes twinkled, “And I knew you’d propose while we were on this trip, so I have a ring for you.” Removing a ring from the pocket of her skirt, she placed it on the third finger of my left hand.

  “Now all of the American girls will think I’m married.”

  “That’s good. I want them to know that you’re taken!”

  We walked hand-in-hand to the house to tell my grandparents that while we still wanted to tour their other properties and review the books, we were inclined to accept their generous offer. Anna suggested, “We must tell them that our wedding will be in Germany, but we hope that they and all of your relatives will attend.”

  “Anna be careful…you’re going too fast…hit the brake…the one in the middle is the brake…that’s the clutch…the middle…” The fence post Anna ran over made a crunching sound and as the barbed wire broke, I heard a twang.

  The barbed wire fence in the south pasture now had a hole in it, which I needed to repair before the cows got out.

  Several hours earlier, I drove Grandmother’s old beat-up 1947 Ford short-bed pickup out to a country lane that ran through a large pasture, thinking Anna would not hit anything. After I briefly demonstrated, I put her behind the wheel. She beamed when I said, “You’ve easily mastered the foot and hand coordination required to get the truck into gear.”

  The next step proved to be more difficult. The car died several times as I patiently explained, “You must slowly give it gas as you lift your foot off the clutch or it’ll die every time.”

  I saw her growing frustration, so I took over and demonstrated.

  She frowned. “You make it look so easy.”

  “I’ve also probably done it a million times. It just takes practice, so be patient,” I kissed her and smiled as we again switched places.

  “This contraption has got it in for me!” Anna shouted sometime later after the truck died again.

  With a determination that was endearing, Anna was soon able to shift gears and drive the truck back and forth around the pasture. She covered several miles. Smiling and gaining confidence, she hit the accelerator instead of the brake pedal when a jackrabbit jumped up from the field and ran across her path. Before either of us could react, she slammed the truck into the fence. Barbed wire stretched across the hood, and one of the fence posts rested on the right fender. “I’m sorry, Robbie. I didn’t do it intentionally.”

  I put my arm around her shoulder, turned her face up, and lightly kissed her, “I know you didn’t.”

  “Stand here to make sure none of the cows get out while I get the fence repair kit from the barn.”

  She inhaled sharply. “How do I do that? Those huge animals can just run right over me. They might even crush me!”

  Laughing, I said, “Anna, sweetheart, you have a lot to learn if you are going to be a farmer’s wife. They’re afraid of humans. Just wave your arms up and down and say ‘shoo cow…shoo cow.’ ”

  “Okay, but don’t be gone too long.”

  When I returned, I asked with a smile, “Did any of the cows attack you?”

  “One came over, so I followed your instructions, and amazingly it worked.”

  As I repaired the fence, Anna sat on the grass with her arms around her knees, apparently deep in thought. “Can I drive part of the way to Los Angeles?”

  “You realize that to drive on the highway, you need a driver’s license.”

  “Of course. And I have to pass a test. To do that, I’ll need to learn to drive.”

  Taking Anna in my arms, I kissed her neck, lightly tapped her nose, and assured her, “You did well today. It took me many lessons before I was as proficient. We’ll spend a few minutes each day letting you drive the rental car in a vacant parking lot somewhere. When we return to Berlin, we’ll get you lessons. Perhaps Scott will lend us his car so you can practice.”

  Chapter 73

  Tuesday, May 30, 1961

  The next day we checked into the Mark Hopkins Hotel in San Francisco. That evening I took Anna to the Top of the Mark for dinner. With the help of a generous tip, we secured a window table.

  “The views of San Francisco and the Pacific to the west as the sun is setting are spectacular,” she exclaimed. “Robert, I like everything about America, but I want to be near my family in Berlin.”

  I saw the conflict and pain in her facial expression. “The terms that Grandpa Hunter outlined are very generous,” I replied. “We will be able to afford to fly to Germany several times a year.”

  “If we can get away. I fear that your responsibilities—no, our responsibilities—will tether us to the farm and the university.”

  “True, but we’ll plan times when we can travel to visit your family—Christmas for sure and one or two other times each year. Also, if we settle on the farm, we’ll be living next to my wonderful grandparents, and they’ll be involved in our lives. I think they’ll help ensure that you have the free time you require to go back to school and help us to raise our children.”

  “I’ll still miss my family.”

  “Anna, you were absolutely ecstatic when we visited the University of California Berkeley campus today.”

  “I was impressed, especially since I got to talk to the head of the Art History Department, Doctor Sanderson. She and the university are internationally recognized as the best in my field. They will need to review my transcript, but she seemed confident I could finish my undergraduate studies in one year.”

  “I’m glad that you are pleased.” I felt thankful that she seemed to be accepting the idea of living in the United States.

  “I’ll fill out the application she gave me; we’ll see how they respond. As you know, they also have a combined masters/doctorate program which I could attend.”

  Over dessert, I took Anna’s hand, kissed it, and told her, “This is one of my favorite places, both for food and the view. It’s only an hour’s drive away from the ranch. We can have the best of both worlds—civilization here in San Francisco when we want it—the peace and quiet of life in the country most of the time.”

  Chapter 74

  Monday, June 5, 1961

  “I can confirm that we have a traitor,” Kurt Altschuler announced at an emergency meeting of the Security Committee the day I arrived back in Berlin. “One of your construction crew revealed to a Stasi operative or informant that he was working on a super-secret project which would ensure that the Americans and West Germans win the next war. He identified you, Robert, Chief Weber, and Sergeant Loring as his superiors.”

  Stunned, I started to ask about their source, but knew we wouldn’t be provided this information.

  Mark asked, “Robert, do you think that we can still trust your senior people?”

  “I noticed the Chief wasn’t invited. Now I know why.”

  “Precisely.”

  “Several months ago, we asked the Chief and Sergeant Loring
to become familiar with the off-duty activities of each man. Now, we don’t trust them. Why?” No one responded. “I’ll stake my life on the fact that neither of them is the source. Most of the time those two are working in the building or in the barracks. We must rely on them to determine who it is. I’ll get on the KY-7 scrambler phone and have them join us ASAP.”

  Once I returned to the meeting, Kurt said, “We have another matter to discuss. Remember the sample you sawed from the pipe, Scott.”

  “Sure, I risked life and limb for my country. Did I do good?”

  “Yes, it turns out that particular galvanized cast iron pipe is famous,” Kurt said with a broad smile. “It was made in Russia after WWII and shipped to East Germany as part of their economic support agreement. Problem is, it’s unfit for its design purpose of serving as a water main. The galvanized surface is poisonous. Instead of being almost pure zinc, it’s almost 6% lead and over 4% arsenic—a deadly combination. The East Germans unsuccessfully tried to sell it or give it away. It sat in a storage yard in East Berlin for almost ten years. It does provide excellent nuclear hardening protection, so the commies finally found a use for it.”

  Scott beamed as if he had single-handedly completed the intelligence coup of the century.

  “That leads me to excellent news,” Kurt continued. “Robert, as I told you earlier, when your probe is eventually able to take a sample of a pipe you believe is the communications pipe, you’ll be able to easily ensure that you have found it. Here.” He handed me a rather large wood box with several vials of liquid marked with all kinds of cautionary labels and an instruction manual.

  “What the hell is this?” I asked.

  “It’s a MAITK,” Kurt chortled.

  “What?”

  “A Metal Alloy Identification Test Kit. Follow the instructions inside the box. The galvanized exterior of your sample will turn orange when you use one chemical and a bright purple with another. If it turns those exact colors, you’ve got a match with what Scott sawed off of the pipe under the bridge. Instructions, colored test strips and heavy rubber gloves are enclosed.”