Rudolf Wegener
Rudolf Wegener is a captain in the Reichs Naval Counter-Intelligence, a branch of the Abwehr, and a member of an old monarchist family from East Prussia. He is described as an aristocratic-looking man of about forty, with a bearing that suggests his noble lineage. His mission to San Francisco is a delicate and dangerous one: he is to make contact with a Japanese military representative and warn them of Operation Dandelion, a plan for a surprise nuclear attack on the Home Islands. To accomplish this, he adopts the cover identity of Mr. Baynes, a Swedish industrialist interested in selling injection molds, a cover so effective that it initially deceives even the ranking Trade Mission official, Nobusuke Tagomi.
Identity and Cover
Wegener's cover as Mr. Baynes is carefully constructed. He claims to be a Swedish businessman dealing in plastics, polyesters, and resins, and he deliberately avoids speaking German on his Lufthansa flight to maintain his disguise. When confronted by a fellow passenger, the Nazi artist Alex Lotze, he insists, "I am Swedish." His cover is so convincing that Mr. Tagomi, who has been briefed by his superiors, initially believes him to be a German national but is uncertain of his true purpose. Wegener's cover is not merely a deception; it is a legal necessity. As he later explains to General Tedeki, the fiction of being a neutral businessman is meant "not to deceive, but to require the formalities in case of exposure." This allows him to operate with a degree of protection, as the SD would need to resort to legalities to apprehend him rather than simply shooting him down.
The Mission and Its Complications
The purpose of Wegener's mission is to deliver a warning about Operation Dandelion, a plan for a massive nuclear attack on Japan. He is to meet with a Japanese general, traveling under the cover name Mr. Yatabe, to convey this intelligence and to recommend that the Japanese government intervene in the Reich's internal political situation. The plan is to support the faction within the Reich that opposes Dandelion, which, surprisingly, is the SS and its chief, Reinhard Heydrich. Wegener explains that the police, who were denied authority over the administration of the East, have thrown their weight behind the space program and against Dandelion, creating a rivalry that the Japanese could exploit. However, the death of Martin Bormann throws the mission into chaos. Mr. Yatabe is delayed, and Wegener is left waiting in San Francisco for two weeks, his morale declining as Mr. Tagomi's voice grows colder and more formal with each daily call.
The Meeting with General Tedeki
When Mr. Yatabe finally arrives, he is revealed to be General Tedeki, the former Imperial Chief of Staff. The meeting takes place in Mr. Tagomi's office, where Wegener, dropping all pretense, introduces himself as "Captain R. Wegener of the Reichs Naval Counter-Intelligence." He presents the details of Operation Dandelion, including its two-step plan: a border incident between the Rocky Mountain States and the United States, followed by a German declaration of war and the deployment of paratroopers as camouflage, all leading to a surprise nuclear attack on the Home Islands. He provides General Tedeki with a silver cigarette case containing microfilm of notes from the discussions in Germany, and he recommends that Japan support the SD faction, despite its evil nature, as a matter of realpolitik. The general is skeptical, noting that the Emperor would never tolerate such a policy, but he accepts the intelligence and the microfilm.
The SD Raid and Its Aftermath
The meeting is violently interrupted when a group of SD men attempt to storm the office. Mr. Tagomi, armed with his treasured Colt .44 revolver, shoots and kills two of the attackers, while Wegener and General Tedeki arm themselves with the fallen men's pistols. The raid fails, but it confirms that the SD knows who Wegener is and what he has come for. In the aftermath, Wegener reflects on the moral dilemma of the situation, recognizing that Mr. Tagomi, a man raised in a Buddhist culture where all life is holy, has been deeply traumatized by having to kill. Wegener accepts the moral responsibility for the two deaths, viewing it as his own burden. He also reflects on the larger ethical quandary: the choice between supporting the evil of the SD to prevent the greater evil of Operation Dandelion. He thinks, "To save one life, Mr. Tagomi had to take two. The logical, balanced mind cannot make sense of that."
Return to Germany and Capture
After the meeting, Wegener returns to Germany, traveling under the cover name Conrad Goltz, a dealer in medical supplies. As his Lufthansa rocket approaches Tempelhof, he contemplates the likely outcome of his mission, doubting that the Japanese can change the course of German politics. He is met on the field by a group of Waffen-SS men who, to his relief, are not there to kill him but to take him to SS General Heydrich, who is with Sepp Dietrich at the OKW of the Leibstandarte Division. They are instructed not to permit him to be approached by Wehrmacht or Partei persons. As he is driven through Berlin, Wegener reflects on the internecine hatred within the Reich, hoping that the factions will eventually destroy each other, leaving enough of humanity to rebuild. He thinks, "We can only hope. And try."
