Otto John - Eine deutsche Geschichte

Otto John - A German Story

On 20 July 1954, the tenth anniversary of the failed assassination attempt on Hitler, Otto John, the president at the time of the "Bundesamt fuer Verfassungsschutz", took part in the memorial service in West Berlin as one of the few surviving conspirators.

That same night, he disappeared. Shortly afterwards, he reappeared in the East German media and criticised the rearmament of the Federal Republic of Germany as being an obstacle to the reunification of Germany. Did he go over to the East voluntarily or was he kidnapped? In December 1955, he came back to the West, was arrested and sentenced to four years imprisonment. Since his release, he has fought tirelessly for decades for the repeal of this judgement. His portrayal is complemented by statements by, among others, Markus Wolf, the former head of the East German secret service, the Danish journalist Henrik Bonde-Henrikesen who made it possible for John to return to the Federal Republic, and a woman witness who has only recently surfaced.

Source: German films Service & Marketing GmbH