A half an in 1949 he had no idea that he would one day do business with the west German Intelligence Service the b. N. D. And also the cia mittens was a former member of the s. S. A daredevil paratrooper many of the government files about his postwar activities remain top secret to this day. There should also fog of us there is no question that mertons worked at the cia for them especially in the sale of weapons if you do see a guy but those arms dealers let a Foreign Policy problems and thats what the files remain closed and so forth not on you so what does arc much beyond offer for fish was. Mittens found at his taxi company and came a half an in the late 1940 s. Some people who met him said they found him intimidating. Religion did so for me i can still picture him he was a big strong guy and he knew how to throw his weight around post stuff really put it well. Met and soon establish connections with powerful government officials around the world and later sold weapons on behalf of the b. M. D. That flew in mertons was ideal for the b. And d. Because he knew how to keep those weapons deal secret. For trial and for the 305. 00 to. Matins called his company tax. In the postwar years his former comrades were among his employees. They drove a cab similar to this one. The company is still in business. In the office theres a photo of the original site. Files from the braman state archives reveal the names of some of the men who worked for teens at taxi lloyd. One of them served on americans as a paratrooper during the war. His name was going to allow bush. 70 years later met his widow ursula still remembers the name of another colleague. Of mine i recognized that name right away q my husband and linda man found it the taxi company that. Owned. Time had a number of men from his former paratrooper unit whod ended up in braman. There along the phone. And thats how he was able to build up the company. First of the mertons now lives near washington d. C. In a quiet residential area in Northern Virginia her husband died 25 years ago until recently she lived on in the same house she had shared with and. Now she has moved in with her eldest daughter and i get to it took 2 years for us to convince americans to give an interview about her late husband she was nervous about appearing in front of a camera she may also have been concerned about the subject matter but she feels comfortable in her Daughters Company and agreed to talk to us. She shows us some family photographs she says that she fell in love with her husband almost at once. And because he was really ambitious and he always did what he set out to do. In 1901 k. Had met inst took part in germanys airborne invasion of crete he was one of about 10000 paratroopers that occupied the greek island during the occupation the germans massacred large numbers of civilians the atrocities are remembered on crete to this day. The airborne invasion began on may 20th graphic artist all of a court shows us what it might have looked like. Militants was a unit commander at the time after the war he was to form a network with many of his fellow paratroopers and some of them became employees in his new taxi firm and famous often. Who did for mertens was a highly decorated officers. And he started building just network of former paratroopers known as the green devils. But they were all right wing extremists. Only until one. In august 1943 of these paratroopers matins bush and halakhah took part in a failed german effort to hold back the allied offensive in northern france. After the war mantons and his colleagues turned up in plane which was occupied by u. S. Troops. The us authorities soon issued a business license to matins taxi company he was the owner and going to allow her she was the authorized signatory. Matins hired other former paratroopers including. His life slowly returned to normal in postwar western germany business picked up for texas lloyd. It held a monopoly which allowed it to drive american soldiers around and transport goods through the soviet occupation zone to the u. S. Government in berlin. Veterans and his family lived a comfortable middle class life and raymond the couple now had 2 daughters but ursula says her husband soon became restless and was looking for a new challenge. In the early 1950 s. He moved to egypt to work for the countrys military his family later joined him there and wired sure is no god 1st he was there all by himself. But he soon recruited some form of german offices. Would for you that these were people that he knew well and they had a very specific job to do. That job was to train Egyptian Paratroopers egypt wanted an Airborne Division like the one the germans had used on crete. Egypt hired german advisers including former general vilhelm found. This done in that small intimate i mean from merton signed on with the egyptians in march 951. 1 of many German Military advisors and trainers and i said that this work paid extremely well thought of the thought. The matins family now lived in cairo in a city that in the early fiftys was rapidly developing into a modern metropolis. But militants often returned to west germany to develop his business contacts. Begin to documents show that the Diamond Corporation even gave him a car for his personal use ursula matins noted that it was a mercedes of course we asked her why he needed such an expensive car. The 1st. I have no idea. It was a status symbol something that would share with others that he was important. Org other than from the beginning we always have to say discuss. Magic in the script on. Egypt mittens built the foundation for his future career as a weapon stealer his business contacts brought him to the attention of the b. M. D. The west German Intelligence Service. In early 1955 militants traveled for several months across the middle east including a stop in saudi arabia. Saudi king faisal became an important client met and soon delivered warships to him. He travelled as far as pakistan where he later sold the government fighter jets for the war with india. A number of postcolonial states were now building up their military forces. During his travels matins met with a number of former nazis who worked as military advisors as well as top Security Officials including titled to newsy of saudi arabia and mohammad of egypt. The indie documents indicate that militants trip was financed by german businesses including dima bents the company has so far not responded to our request for comment. After militants returned to blame and he came up with a plan to use part of the port as a base for weapons exports. At the same time the b. M. D. Was developing a secret plan to export surplus weapons. The project was led by a man known at the time by his code name school. Warm had an office at b. M. D. Headquarters near munich and soon began a series of regular meetings with militants. The former s. S. Man matins needed the b. M. D. For. Ambitious plans and the b. And d. Needed matins because he knew who wanted the weapons. But who was true warm. As a bush warm and stern is actually how much funding of the head of the b. N. These procurement departments of each of them to make this was a unique situation from the 2 of the bundeswehr was in the process of updating a number of its Weapons Systems and that was going to create a lot of surplus. In january 1965 shredding i asked to secretary to come to his office to take notes. B. M. D. President gillen was their spending or outlined the creation of a company to sell the surplus weapons. The company will have to civilians as owners to conceal the b n d s participation. Claim and would play a key role. The company will set up Storage Facilities near the port all the companys profits will go to the b. And d. The letter was actually a transcript of a top secret discussion that spending are having with a senior official at the defense ministry. To be india is india galens time as b. And d. Chief was drawing to a close and the agency was trying to spread its influence to the far east africa and latin america and let her know america through the one way to do that was to sell weapons to countries in those regions secretly. Despite the fact that such sales were prohibited by west german love their whims will be exports he had good went on a hunt to communist. The b. N. Dean needed an experience weapons dealer like militants to make it all happen. That info to further into the mountains was the 1st choice when looking for a shady weapons did he he has the have the International Connections and the support of the cia. A branch of the b. M. D. Archives in the berlin district of least ephedra some declassified documents on mansions are stored here after months of negotiations we were finally allowed to see them. There is a portrait of the german president. And one of the 100 keelan. Despite his nazi past the americans made him the 1st head of the be in the he served until 968. It was during his period in office that the b. M. D. Was involved in arms deals. This is the new b. And d. Headquarters complex in berlin the agency allowed us to review 24 declassified files on mittens but declined to say how much top secret material actually has on him. Theres information here on merchants weapons exports his work with west German Companies and the conflicts in which those weapons were used. Court documents later indicated that militants closely coordinated his activities with the b. M. T. There are also documents on militants proposal to develop a port facility in braman which he would then use to export surplus bonus fair weapons. The company to be created by the b. And b. Will be known as mavic. This strawman shows the site where militants want to set up the new business the port of brain that. He proposed to use Prison Inmates as workers a bank in mecca would handle the financing. Matins ambitious plans were never finalized but weapons were transported. Merchants had even purchased 2 ships for the purpose both were built at the visa shipyard employing one was called the very hot toddy. The other was the billet i. Met ins used the ships to deliver weapons on behalf of the b. M. D. When the vera tar carry missiles to pakistan in 1966 matins and the b. And d. Were informed. At the same time the belittled transported fighter planes to india with false documents at the time india and pakistan were at war. Met and had acquired the weapons from the west german army and delivered them to animals the shipments were illegal under west german law and International Law but covered up by the b. And d. Matins was needed for exactly this purpose. But its hard to believe they have business contacts that allow them to falsify and use declarations of the full value of the shipments bound for saudi arabia where allegedly routed through iran weapons for india allegedly went through italy 1st you would need excellent connections as a weapons dealer to do that. The core of mertons empire was a Company Located near bonn merchants export or merricks for short. There was also a marriage subsidiary in switzerland with nontransparent business structures. Historian Peter Hama Schmidt has a number of merricks files the documents for example indicate that klaus bobby a former nazi who fled to south america after the war also bought surplus west german weapons from erics. You may think so spot on iraqs was so to speak an extension of the federal government. And it worked with the b. And d. And shipped weapons through various channels to latin america for example. For all. The b n d actively promoted such deals to gather intelligence about crisis regions but how much of it says it violated its constitutional mandate to simply observe. Begin production in from to get this activity began in the 1950 s. And least its peak in the mid 1960 s. With large shipments of weapons. They started taking more risks because the american system works of well i dont use it constantly this question. It wasnt intelligence work but weapons deals. Merricks wasnt involved with intelligence. But the b. And d. Found that they could gather intelligence much more effectively by setting up and implementing these weapons deals to close off. The size or whatever so it gave them access that they might not have had otherwise. Absolutely. This photo shows matins at his office in bonn he was now selling weapons worldwide with the approval of the b n d. He also became an International Representative for the u. S. Firearms manufacturer colt. Matins and his family later moved to america its eldest daughter margarita now lives in Northern Virginia. Might get or is 70 years old now and has become an accomplished artist this is a selfportrait. Some of her works have been displayed at local exhibitions. My guitar tells us that her father was often away from home on business. This is enough you know what he did for a living out of this with you know all that. Profession he was an arms dealer. 24 almost every week my brothers and i would see in until about my father in death the german news magazine. On one occasion my High School Physics teacher told me at the beginning of the year zeke that he was going to give me the worst great possible on. This because of your father. I think so my father had bought me a house in the oil district of bone. And. I had a car too i was the only student who had 1. 1 of my teachers said to me i ride to work on a bicycle and you come driving up in an alfa romeo it wasnt good for my image are. Not good Public Relations in the us did you feel like you had to defend him. You know all fathers have some sort of job. To find. Your heart matters on a number of properties including this estate near bonn of course he always arrived at his headquarters in his mercedes he often held meetings here with his International Business contacts. On rare occasions he also received journalists but they were not really welcome. In the mid 1970 s. Matins did agree to an interview with journalist polish advocate. We meet thick of it in hamburg back then he was working for monitor t. V. Magazine he was doing research for a report and came across material on militants in his weapons deals including claims that bribes were paid vica had talked to some politicians about this and now he wanted to interview matins the 2 met and met in the state near bonn. So i went over there and he was very polite. To say we went into his office and he asked me what i wanted to talk about. And i replied id like to ask you about saudi arabia saudi arabia right. I wanted to ask about the connections between merricks and the list and shipyards and the payments that were made and so on. What happened after. And he started shouting get out of. The house about he was very quick tempered. And so the interview came to an abrupt end before it even started but vic it decided to pursue the story from a different angle. He said offer loosen shipyard and brain check on allegations that bribes had been paid in connection with the sale of 3 patrol boats to saudi arabia. Who dont believe to do so i went to the shipyard and i brought along all the documents i had to steal. Good coverage that my cameraman shot some film outside and then we went in. The. Company official came out to meet me and he said my cameraman was welcome to go to the cafeteria and have some coffee but i said that he had to stay with me to recall the interview. It is. So we went to this room and there were about 20 people sitting there. For 3 shipyard officials lawyers and so on. They asked me what i wanted to talk about and so i told them because. They asked me to be more specific so i showed them the documents and then everyone got really angry and they threw us out of the scope of the shipyard headquarters and braman. The Family Owned Company with each shipyards builds Luxury Yachts and warships. British person is the companys c. E. O. He has good contacts with the german political establishment including german president. When steinmeyer was foreign minister listen accompanied him on visits to saudi arabia and iran. Here they are the shipping trade event in payment in 2016. There were plans to sell loose and build patrol boats to end goal. In 2012 newson signed a 1500000000 euro contract with saudi arabia but b. M. D. Documents indicate that it was. Some shipyard to the saudis. Met and set up the patrol boat steel that vica had investigated back then even proposed to build a military port facility for the saudis here the blueprints. West german steel giant corp was also to have participated in the project. The project would include barracks for 1500. 00 men a shipyard and storage bunkers for tippy toes the b. And d. Is said to have been aware of these plants the loose and company declined to talk to us at all about this. But it seems clear that mantons represented the shipyard and informed the b. M. T. He was also involved with a b. And d. Right this is the us. I know nothing about matt there is no i have no idea what the b. N. D. S. Is it the cia and no hard to him and he had a lot of contacts and they included the cia he knew 1st hand what was going on around the wont. Stand. You know so he had cia contacts yes i knew that. Its difficult to document the extent of matins contacts with the cia many of the files are still top secret. The b. M. D. Long suspected that he was also working with a foreign Intelligence Service later and even considered him a Security Risk because of his Extensive Network of contacts he didnt always share what he knew with a b. And d. But that being de continue to work with matins. It staff sometimes attended meetings at his est near bonn. Today the state is deserted a neighbor remembers when we had to live here he returned often even long after his family had moved to the united states. The town that a month ago he was a really nice guy. But he was selling weapons for the government at the time. And i was well known so many even wrote a book about it. When he lived here 30 years ago he really took care of the place he had 7 gardeners the top. Of the 50. The neighbor says the sheik bought the estate but left it empty but back then mansions used to host Intelligence Off