Copenhagen Post 02

It's my fifth day in Copenhagen. Already, this is a lot tougher than I'd hoped.

I don't know if I was secretly wishing for Mittelwerk to rendezvous with a missing Alvar Hanso in a dark alley or a parking structure at midnight... But so far, nothing's as I expected...

Well, here goes with my new, sneaky strategy...

FIND my next video and let me know if you can make heads or tails of any of this!

Mittelwerk didn't leave the shipping archive until it was dark - couldn't get any usable footage.

However, that archive delivery guy was still inside the building. So, I waited until he came out, and then... I did a little bit of acting. I played the damsel in distress. Rushed up to him, all out of breath. On the verge of tears. "The archive is closed, isn't it?"

I told him I was on vacation in Denmark, it was my last day, but I had a great-grandfather that was once a crewman for the Allied Copenhagen Marine Merchants, and I was piecing together his life's story for my grandmother. All I wanted was to look in the archive and get the names of some of the ships on which he had served... but I'd gotten lost on the way there, and...

Yeah, I squeezed out a tear or two.

Well, maybe it was my story, or maybe it was the way I batted my eyelashes, but my new friend -- his name is Joen -- he let me in. (Pretty sure he wanted to take me to dinner, by the way... too bad I had to catch that plane back to America!)

Inside, it was as expected, just drawers full of files... but, I did manage to shoot a pic of the computer search console with my cell phone camera. It looks like Mittelwerk's last query was still on-screen! Check it out.

Picture 1

Picture 2

So, it looks like this shipping company is owned by The Hanso Group. Guess Mittelwerk is personnel.

But, what does that query mean? Does SHIP LN mean "shipping lane?"

I tried to hit ENTER on the keyboard, but the screen just kept asking me for a password. So, I throw it to you guys. First one to figure out why Mittelwerk spent eight hours at the Allied Copenhagen Marine Merchants wins the toaster.

Any thoughts? Post all your replies and theories in the comments box...

00.10: Looks like we have at least part of the answer to our question about the Allied Copenhagen Marine Merchants. Check it out:

Jambi08: Rachel, I've done some research on Dutch and Danish shipping. It's a hobby of mine. Over the years, I've also collected a number of rare and out-of-print works on the histories of these early trading companies. I believe I've come across some information that may shed light on what Mittelwerk was doing at the Allied Copenhagen Marine Merchants.

It seems that in the 1950s, the Hanso Group purchased a British-owned shipping company known as the East Ocean Trade Group, and renamed it the Allied Copenhagen Marine Merchants. Now, looking through one of my rare volumes on shipping history, I came across the following - and you will see the names that caught my eye.

Here is a scan from the book.

00.25: Not to mention this from terry idaho: http://www.freewebs.com/shipwreckmate/index.htm

So, what do we think? Was The Hanso Foundation built on the backs of slaves?

Why am I not surprised?

Rachel Blake Post 002 Copenhagen.

I've been on Mittelwerk for days now, getting down his routine. Everyday it's the same: he gets up, hops in his electric car, and takes breakfast at this vegan spot down the road. Now, don't be fooled. He may present himself as some sort of low impact guy who's this paragon of clean and renewable hippie virtue. But he's the only hippie I've ever known to bioengineer and hold captive a 105 year old monkey.

(Scoffs)

Anyhoo, the restaurant. Mittelwerk always sits at this same table, never dines alone. This parade of guys in suits come in. Each sits down for a few moments before making way for the next. What's going on that they have to meet here? After that, it's on to the Hanso Foundation for the rest of the day. But today was different, Mittelwerk cut his breakfast short, rushed out agitated, and he spent the rest of the day here.

I don't know what this building is, (places on a red cap) but I'm going to find out.

(We hear the sounds of a car door opening and shutting, and the sounds of street traffic.)

(Rachel is seen holding pizza box.) Want some? I went in claiming someone had ordered a pizza. And then the receptionist went through this door labeled: Archive.

While she was gone, I found a sign in sheet for a shipping company: The Allied Copenhagen Marine Merchants. Mittelwerk's name was right on there. Surprise, surprise, the receptionist came back, "nobody had ordered a pizza". I tried to go in anyways, but she said it was "personnel only". Since when is Mittelwerk personnel of a shipping company? He has been in there for seven hours. What is he looking for? I gotta get in there!

There's been this dodgy looking guy, he's gone by like three or four times delivering boxes into the archives. Maybe he's the way in?

Now I put it on you guys. If any of this trips your wires, light up my blog. Keep your eyes peeled for updates. Until then, keep on truckin'.