Operation Rolling Stone

The Spy Who Came in from the Cold

This thread traces how a secret payment scheme becomes the evidentiary mechanism that directs Fiedler’s suspicions toward Mundt.

increasing

Bearing strength in each event

decreasing

A Restricted File A Restricted File from "The Spy Who Came in from the Cold". The Rolling Stone File Special handling Leamas recalls a tightly restricted file called Rolling Stone, separated from ordinary paperwork and passed by hand.

A Restricted File from "The Spy Who Came in from the Cold". The Rolling Stone File Special handling Leamas recalls a tightly restricted file called Rolling Stone, separated from ordinary paperwork and passed by hand.

The Rolling Stone File Special handling Leamas recalls a tightly restricted file called Rolling Stone, separated from ordinary paperwork and passed by hand. Its narrow circulation makes the operation appear to protect an unusually important source. A clue without context At the time, Leamas treats the file as clerical work. In retrospect, its extraordinary secrecy gives Fiedler a way to connect the payments to a hidden agent inside the East German system.

Copenhagen Deposit Copenhagen Deposit from "The Spy Who Came in from the Cold". Money at a Foreign Bank A covert transfer Leamas travels under an assumed identity to deposit ten thousand dollars in Copenhagen.

Copenhagen Deposit from "The Spy Who Came in from the Cold". Money at a Foreign Bank A covert transfer Leamas travels under an assumed identity to deposit ten thousand dollars in Copenhagen.

Money at a Foreign Bank A covert transfer Leamas travels under an assumed identity to deposit ten thousand dollars in Copenhagen. The account is shared with a supposed agent known only by an alias. A designed trace The payment is expensive and unusually complicated, and Leamas does not know who eventually withdraws it. That gap allows the transaction to function later as a clue without making its purpose obvious to him.

Helsinki Deposit Helsinki Deposit from "The Spy Who Came in from the Cold". A Second Payment Repeated procedure Leamas makes another large deposit in Helsinki under a different cover identity.

Helsinki Deposit from "The Spy Who Came in from the Cold". A Second Payment Repeated procedure Leamas makes another large deposit in Helsinki under a different cover identity.

A Second Payment Repeated procedure Leamas makes another large deposit in Helsinki under a different cover identity. The method resembles the Copenhagen transaction but uses a separate alias and account. A pattern emerges The repeated payments suggest a long-running operation aimed at a source beyond the Iron Curtain. Leamas assumes he is merely a courier, leaving the true recipient concealed from him.

The Bank Replies The Bank Replies from "The Spy Who Came in from the Cold". A Withdrawal Confirmed The Copenhagen answer A reply confirms that the Copenhagen money was withdrawn by the co-signatory.

The Bank Replies from "The Spy Who Came in from the Cold". A Withdrawal Confirmed The Copenhagen answer A reply confirms that the Copenhagen money was withdrawn by the co-signatory.

A Withdrawal Confirmed The Copenhagen answer A reply confirms that the Copenhagen money was withdrawn by the co-signatory. The withdrawal date coincides with Hans-Dieter Mundt’s presence in Denmark. Circumstantial force The bank record does not prove who took the money or why. Fiedler treats the timing as a powerful lead, and the apparently neutral paperwork becomes the hinge of his case.

The Case Goes Public The Case Goes Public from "The Spy Who Came in from the Cold". Payments Become Evidence Dates aligned Fiedler presents the deposits and withdrawals beside Hans-Dieter Mundt’s journeys to Denmark and Finland.

The Case Goes Public from "The Spy Who Came in from the Cold". Payments Become Evidence Dates aligned Fiedler presents the deposits and withdrawals beside Hans-Dieter Mundt’s journeys to Denmark and Finland.

Payments Become Evidence Dates aligned Fiedler presents the deposits and withdrawals beside Hans-Dieter Mundt’s journeys to Denmark and Finland. The chronology appears to connect the payments with the senior officer’s covert travels. A persuasive construction The proof remains circumstantial, but its arrangement makes it look cumulative and coherent. The Tribunal hears a case built from fragments that had initially seemed unrelated.

During Leamas’s final months in Banking

June 15, during Leamas’s Banking assignment

Late September, during Leamas’s Banking assignment

During the week Fiedler and Leamas wait for the letters

During the secret hearing on Mundt