Chapter 2 Summary

Leamas returns to London after the death of his last agent, Karl Riemeck. He meets with Control, the head of the British intelligence agency. He expects to be fired because of the deaths of all his agents in Germany. Instead, Control suggests that Leamas return to East Berlin to bring down Mundt, the deputy director of the Abteilung. Control asks Leamas to look up George Smiley and Peter Gulliam to help him on this mission to East Germany. Control invites Leamas to come to his home to further discuss the mission and warns Leamas not to share his new mission with anyone else.

Chapter 2 Analysis

On his flight home from Germany, Leamas stops to consider his career. He assumes that he will have to retire from active spy missions because of the disasters that have accompanied his management of the East Berlin spy...