Smith didn’t doubt it. Individuals, newspapers, politicians, intelligence agencies—even academics—still had a great deal of interest in what had gone on behind the Iron Curtain. Hell, even if Johannes just used what he found for simple blackmail, he wouldn’t exactly be wondering where his next meal was coming from.

“The CIA got in on the ground floor,” Randi said. “And in return for our early support, we get a peek at anything interesting he turns up.”

“And what is it you’re interested in today, my dear?”

“Christian Dresner.”

His jovial expression turned to one of caution. “He has done very well for himself.”

“Have you had requests for files relating to him before?” Smith asked.

“Of course. Many.”

“And have you fulfilled them?”

The German shook his head. “Dresner is a powerful man and I suspect has the resources to discover where they came from.”

“But you have something?” Randi said. “You have the Stasi records on him?”

“Yes.”

“What’s in them?”

He hesitated. “I know this goes without saying, but I’d ask you to be very discreet.”

“As always, Johannes.”

He sighed quietly. “There is a great deal of information. The Stasi were fanatics for recording every detail of people’s lives—particularly ones they considered important or subversive. Can you give me an idea of what you would like to know?”

“What did he do for the Soviets?” Smith said. “Bioweapons research?”

“Not at all. At the time, you’ll remember that the East Germans were quite dominant in athletics…”

“He doped athletes?” Randi said, surprised.

“Doped them, created training programs for them, studied their physiology. Along with a young psychologist named Gerhard Eichmann, Dresner is largely responsible for East Germany’s success during that period.”

“I was expecting something a little more sinister,” Randi said, sounding a bit disappointed.

Again, Johannes seemed to speak with reluctance. “You might be surprised, dear. The Soviets were very committed to their athletic program. Like the Nazis, they saw it as a way to showcase their superiority. Many of these people were experimented on in ways that would never be allowed now. And not only adults. Often gifted children were taken from their families, separated into test groups, and subjected to different programs to judge which was best. Between the strain, the unproven drugs, and the psychological abuse—brainwashing you would say—many didn’t survive. And the ones who did were never the same.”

Smith kept his face impassive, unsure how to feel about what he was hearing. In fairness, the young Christian Dresner wouldn’t have known anything other than the communist machine that dominated every aspect of his life. And when he’d finally come to understand what he was doing, he’d escaped and devoted the rest of his life to making the world a better place.

“Gerhard Eichmann,” Randi said. “He’s the one who escaped with Dresner, right?”