several days now.
He examined a heap of documents,
but couldn't understand
why Stirlitz was under suspicion.
File on Fritz Schlagg,
a Catholic priest.
Arrested on the 23rd of June, 1944.
Accused of anti-state activity
and an attempt on the Fuhrer's life.
Two denunciations had triggered
the arrest:
those of Barbara Krain
and of Robert Niche.
Both were the parishioners of
his church.
They affirmed that
in his sermons Schlagg
was calling for peace and friendship
among all the peoples,
denouncing barbarian wars
and bloodshed.
The objective check-up
established that the pastor
had met with the former
Minister Krauze
who was living in emigration
in Switzerland.
They were on friendly terms,
but nothing pointed to
the pastor's political connection
with Krauze.
Eismann wondered why Schlagg had
fallen in the hands of the intelligence.
Why didn't they send him
to the Gestapo?
Why did he interest
Schellenberg's people?
He found the answer in a short
supplement to the case.
ln 1933 Pastor Schlagg went twice
to Great Britain to take part
in pacifist congresses.
Eismann realized that they had become
interested in his connections.
They were interested
who he had met there.
That was why he had fallen into
the hands of the intelligence.
That was why Stirlitz worked with him.
And what about Stirlitz?
He was carrying out an order.
Please, call the special card-index.
lt's Eismann from the 4th department.
Hello.
Will you look up in your
card-index,
if there is any recording
of Pastor Schlagg's interrogation
by Stirlitz.
Yes.
Yes, yes.
All right. What if you were not
a pastor?
l am against
such supposition.
l'll put it in a rough way.
lf you were deprived of your cloth,
would you struggle against the regime?
You asked me about it
9 days ago,
when you had taken me to dine
in that funny restaurant.
<>, yes?
Nevertheless, answer me.
Would you struggle against the regime,
if you were deprived of your cloth?
l don't know.
l've always hated violence.
But for every person
there comes a moment,
when he cannot stand it anymore.
Were you scared in prison?
l...
was scared during...
all the 1 1 years of your power.
Demagogy.
You were scared when
you were in prison.
- Of course.
- Of course.
Would you like to come here
once again,
if we release you
by some miracle?
l wouldn't like
to deal with you.
What if l release you
on one condition?
- l'm not...
- l'm not talking about this.
We have many informers.
You wanted to ask about it,
didn't you?
- Yes.
- You see. No.
My condition is this.
l want to have with you
friendly, purely human relations.
Do you want to help me
as a person...
- ... ot are you counting on me?
- l'm counting on you.
ln that case...
l should be confident
that your aim
is decent.
Otherwise l won't be able
to give you a positive answer.
Believe me, my aims
are absolutely decent.
What do you want me
to do?
l've got friends
in our state bodies.
Scholars, party functionaries,
journalists, military men.
lt's not an opposition. These
people are loyal to the regime.
lf l convince my superiors
to release you,
it would be interesting
if you could talk to them.
l won't ask you to report
about these conversations.
But l'm not sure that there won't be
Dictaphones behind the wall.
But you can go to the forest,
to the field, and talk there.
l'd be interested to know
your opinion
about the degree of evil,
or good, which
you will discover in those people.
Could you do that for me?
Either you trust me too much
and ask for the support which
you cannot get
from any other person,
or you're provoking me.
And if you're provoking me,
our talk will go round the circle.
- Meaning?
- We won't find a common language.
You'll remain a functionary,
and l'll remain a person
who does his best
not to become a functionary.
How can l convince you
that it's not a provocation?
Look into my eyes.
Let's think that