From the translator The Federal Intelligence Service views itself as an elite structure. But, according to former intelligence officer Norbert Juretsko, in its current form it simply has no right to exist. The author, who is familiar firsthand with the internal “kitchen” of the Service, exposes in his new book, which is a continuation of his previous work, also written together with journalist Wilhelm Dietl, “Conditionally Fit for Service,” a spy agency that has turned into a “state within a state.” It shows that intelligence officers and their agents often have to engage in ill-considered, amateurish actions on the edge and beyond the law, that the final result of the work is less important for the leadership of the Service than personal careers and official intrigues. This is a merciless expose filled with bitter sarcasm. Already in their previous bestseller “Conditionally Fit for Service,” Yuretsko and Dietl told the public not only about exciting espionage operations, but also about the failures, setbacks and mistakes of German intelligence. In the new book, the BND itself is targeted. Yuretsko describes in detail the ossified structure of the department, its bureaucratization, which interferes with effective work. Using incredible cases from the life of the Service and based on his own experience, the author shows readers that the BND has turned into a playground for intriguers, whose own life is taking on increasingly grotesque forms. _* Huismann: But Russian spies were spotted conducting surveillance around the White Swan Hotel. Was it really Yuretsko who placed them all? Foertsch: Well, if I started such a game, I would just go to the student good offices and ask, guys, come there, stand this way and that, walk around, it could very well look like “outdoor traffic” from the outside ". Huismann: And the BND fell for such a trick? Foertsch: Unfortunately, yes.*_ (Quote from the TV program "Russian Roulette", ARD TV channel, 09/16/2004). Translation: Vitaly Kryukov, Kyiv, Ukraine, 2008