Please explain East Germany/Schmidt operation
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Archived from the IMDb Discussion Forums — Spy Game
tripleup05 — 14 years ago(June 20, 2011 08:51 AM)
I guess I am an idiot, but I simply cannot figure out what the h&!! happened during the East Germany mission. I understand that the lady at the embassy was the mole, but I don't get much more than that. Can somebody please explain it to me, start to finish, from recruiting Schmidt as an "asset" to the murder of the lady. Oh, and had Schmidt really contacted the East Germans, or was that something Muir made up to comfort Bishop?
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ravenmaniac07 — 14 years ago(June 20, 2011 12:20 PM)
Muir let it slip to the mole that they were bringing someone across. The fact that they were waiting for him at the border was proof that she was the leak, so they killed her. Schmidt was always a decoy to flush her out, if they could get him across safely they would have, but once he was blown they cut him loose and took out the mole.
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barbazu — 14 years ago(August 15, 2011 11:17 PM)
From her whispering he understood that she is leaking info to east germans. She sort of cassually noted that he's bringing someone over the wall,
It was implied that Bishop killed her in retribution that he had to ditch Schmitd, and CIA guys tried to tie it to him so they could ignore his china thing. -
praxistens — 14 years ago(September 06, 2011 08:44 AM)
It was implied that Bishop killed her in retribution<<<
I don't see that this is implied. Sure, the CIA execuwonks are hunting for a reason to let Bishop twist, but this isn't it; & Muir would never admit Bishop killed her.
However, more likely is the obvious: if Cathcart's an East German mole, then has to defect before the Americans nail her, it's the East Germans that killed her, because as a mole she's of value only in the West, not in the East. I don't think Bishop killed her or had her killed: sometimes our guys could let the enemy do their dirty work. -
pmac7902 — 10 years ago(March 08, 2016 12:07 PM)
It's brief but they do imply it. When they bring up the info on Cathcart and they say where she is found. They ask Muir what Bishops reaction to her death was. Then noted that he was in E. Germany at the time. And I think it's Harker that says "motive and opportunity." And I agree Muir would never admit that because Bishop hadn't done it.
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mfiskey55 — 13 years ago(April 30, 2012 01:32 PM)
Here's kind of what I gathered from watching this scene numerous times:
Pitt (Bishop) thought that the op was bringing Schmidt accross. I think that Schmidt thought this was the op as well. In reality, I think he was never going to make it as the border patrol already had his info as a possible defector. Schmidt didn't know this otherwise, when Bishop told him there was a "change of plans, Friedrich", Schmidt would have been like "OK, well see ya later then". He wouldn't have fought to stay in the car. Schmidt was trying to get accross, so he could gather info from his asset (Ann Cathcart) to relay back to the East.
The border guards had huge pics of Schmidt on their clipboards while Bishop was crossing so they had to have been alerted by their intelligence agencies in advance. These contacts were probably the same contacts in East Germany that tipped Muir off to Schmidt using Cathcart as an asset. Schmidt was executed as an East German defector.
So, Muir had already set it up thru his East German contacts that Schmidt was trying to defect, but he was never going to cross to the West. The East German contacts leaked this defection intent to the East intel agents/KGB who in turn alerted the border patrol and they were ready for Schmidt. This had to happen prior to Muir's confirmation meeting with Cathcart. Cathcart in turn, informed her Eastern contacts/KGB agents that there was a possible defection taking place. She was probably informed that they were already aware of this development. Once she discovered this info, Cathcart realized her cover was blown thanks to Muir being the better chess player. She defected to the East. She was hiding in a low-rent apartment complex. She was no longer any use to the East as trade bait due to her cover being blown. She was also of no use to the East as an intelligence officer, because she couldn't be trusted as a potential double agent. She was certainly no use to the West, so the East probaly were the ones that had her executed.
I almost numchucked you, you don't even realize!