The suspected double agent Carsten L., who was recently exposed, was apparently a high-ranking spy for the German foreign intelligence service in Moscow’s service. Why do agents switch sides? A look back at the time of the Cold War shows that the motives are diverse.
During the Cold War, divided Berlin was considered the capital of spies. In the picture: the border crossing at Checkpoint Charlie.
Why does a secret agent become a traitor? The answer is: mice. The English acronym “Mice”, the plural form of “Mouse”, describes the four most common motivations for secret betrayals in intelligence circles. M stands for Money – the greed for money. Other traitors want to help a worldview to break through and are ideologically (I) motivated. C means coercion or compromise, i.e. blackmail or compromise. Finally, traitors can also be driven by a craving for recognition or their ego (E). In reality, one usually finds a combination of several motifs.