Who is John Smith and why is he chosen to lead the mission to Schloss Adler? Why does Smith keep the true purpose of the mission secret from most of his team? How does Smith know about his contact being at The Wild Deer? How long has Smith really been working on the Schloss Adler mission?

Discuss the relationship between Smith and Lieutenant Schaffer. Why is Schaffer the only member of the team to whom Smith tells the real reason for the mission? Why does he wait so long to tell him? Does Smith completely trust Schaffer? Does Schaffer trust Smith?

Discuss the relationship between Smith and Mary Ellison. Why does Smith treat Mary so coldly and callously throughout much of the story? Does Smith really love Mary? Does he trust her? Does she love and trust him? Could the mission have succeeded without...