Hans Langemann
 Hans Langemann    (spook, lawyer, whistleblower) | |
|---|---|
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| Born | 1925 |
| Died | 2004 (Age 79) |
| Exposed | • Langemann Papers • Le Cercle |
| Member of | Stauffenberg Service |
Senior German intelligence agent who revealed the activities of Le Cercle. | |
Hans Langemann was a German spook who leaked the first documentary evidence of Le Cercle.
Contents
Background
Hans Langemann grew up in Westphalia. He was sent to the east front in 1943 as a junior officer, where he suffered a head injury in July 1944 and landed up in prison, where he was let out in 1945. He worked for the British as a translator from 1948. He studied law from 1949 in Münster and later Bonn.
Career
In November 1957, he was working for the Bundesnachrichtendienst in Pullach. When the President of the BND, Reinhard Gehlen, retired in 1968, Langemann was sent to the embassy in Rome.
Olympic Games 1972 in Munich
As an advisor of the Munich Olympic Committee, Langemann was responsible for the security of the ill-fated Olympic Games 1972 in Munich.
Langemann Papers
- Full article: Langemann Papers
- Full article: Langemann Papers
Langemann was arrested on 26 March, 1982 and charged with leaking confidential information about BND Operation Eva to the German magazine Konkret. This business became known as the Langemann Affair, and the leaked documents as the Langemann Papers. These revealed, amongst other things, the extent to which clandestine group Le Cercle was involved in subverting the democratic process in Britain. Langemann stated that "the Circle consists of a loose gathering of various conservative and anti-Communist politicians, publicists, bankers and VIPs that meets some twice a year in various parts of the world. Its origins stem from the former French Prime Minister Antoine Pinay. The Circle, which still exists today, also invites guest speakers... One recent development is the establishment within the Circle of a command staff or of an inner circle which then works out particularly suitable means for action on current political questions." The affair was not significantly reported in UK commercially-controlled media, but was reported in issue 17 of Lobster Magazine.
Punishment
On 9 November, 1984, Langemann was sentenced to 9 months imprisonment as a result of the leak. The sentencing took into consideration the medical evidence that he had been suffering from mental problems such as moodswings, depression and amnesia.
Opinions
“the Circle consists of a loose gathering of various conservative and anti-Communist politicians, publicists, bankers and VIPs that meets some twice a year in various parts of the world. Its origins stem from the former French Prime Minister Antoine Pinay. The Circle, which still exists today, also invites guest speakers... One recent development is the establishment within the Circle of a command staff or of an inner circle which then works out particularly suitable means for action on current political questions.”
Hans Langemann (1980) [1]
