The Man in the High Castle: Chapter 12 Summary & Analysis

At his office, Tagomi is finally able to meet Mr. Yatabe. As Tagomi looks at Mr. Yatabe, however, he is shocked to find that the man is actually General Tedeki, the formal Imperial Chief of Staff. Tagomi explains that Baynes is running late; he tells Tedeki that he fears “in this encounter something terrible.” Tagomi tells Tedeki that he thinks Baynes is actually a German, and that his presence in the PSA has been affected by the upheavals in the Nazi government. Tedeki explains to Tagomi that Baynes needs an alias to slow the Germans down; by pretending to be Swiss, Baynes forces the Nazis to go through a series of bureaucratic formalities before they can arrest him.

Baynes arrives and introduces himself as Wegener; he clarifies that he represents a loose association of powerful men, not any formal arm of government. Then he describes Operation Dandelion: the Germans will manufacture conflict in the Rocky Mountain States as a pretext for declaring war. Once they have done so, the Nazis will launch a massive nuclear attack on the Home Islands, taking out all the most important Japanese government officials. The Germans will then have cleared a path to complete world domination.

General Tedeki wants to know the date that this is planned to happen; Baynes explains that it has been delayed by Bormann’s death. Baynes also tells Tedeki that certain powerful Nazis, including Goebbels, are in favor of Operation Dandelion. However, Heydrich—one of the most feared Nazis—is against Dandelion. Since Heydrich is in charge of the Reich’s space program, he wants to focus all of his energy on rockets, not on nuclear war.

Baynes tells Tedeki that the Japanese government should interfere in the Nazi struggle for power, on behalf of Heydrich. Tedeki believes the Japanese emperor would never do such a thing, as Heydrich represents the worst of German society. Tagomi is baffled by this moral puzzle—to save Japan, the Japanese must give power to atrocious human beings. To Tagomi, it is tragic “that man should have to act in such moral ambiguity.” Tagomi realizes that no matter what they do, the Japanese will fail—their minds “cannot adapt” to the Nazis’ chaotic madness.

Baynes suggests that to reach Heydrich, the Japanese should go through the Italian Foreign Minister. Tedeki asks Baynes to see proof of all of this before the Japanese jump into action; Baynes gives Tedeki cigarettes in a case, and Tedeki requests the case, as well.

Mr. Ramsey, Tagomi’s assistant, announces that there is a group of SD (police) men in the downstairs lobby. There are trying to reach Tagomi’s office, but Tagomi orders the power in the elevator shut off. Tagomi pulls out a Civil War-era Colt .44 from his desk, to Baynes’s and Tedeki’s surprise. Tagomi explains that the gun is part of his personal collection, but that he sometimes practices shooting it for fun. Tagomi points the gun at the office door and waits.

As Frank crafts additional pieces of metal jewelry, he laments Edfrank’s lack of success—they have not been able to sell their jewelry to anyone but Childan, and even that was on consignment. Frank wants to quit the business and start selling their materials for scrap, but Ed urges him to stay on. Lamenting his bad fortune, Frank goes outside to smoke a marijuana cigarette.

While Frank is smoking, a plain-clothes white police officer approaches him. The policeman explains that Frank is under arrest for his impersonation at Childan’s store. As they drive to the police station, the officer informs Frank that the state will provide him with a lawyer.

The policeman asks Frank if his real last name is “Fink,” prompting Frank to feel “terror.” The police reveal that they know Frank is Jewish, and they label him “an escapee from the Nazis.” Though Frank protests that he is an American, the policemen announce that he will be tried under German law—and that he will not actually be given a lawyer.

While Tagomi waits with his gun pointed at his office door, Tedeki is on the phone with the Japanese military. Tagomi laments that while they are operating through official channels, the men downstairs are clubbing people to death. Tagomi calls Reiss at the German consulate, but his calls are not answered. Tagomi then calls the SD police office, yelling at them to call off the Kommando squad. The person on the other end of the phone pretends to know nothing about it.

Two white men, both part of the Kommando squad, barge through Tagomi’s door. Without thinking, Tagomi shoots them both dead. As one of them dies, Tagomi realizes that they are making eye contact, and that the dying man “still perceives” him. Tagomi calls for emergency medical aid, and various employees in the building re-emerge, no longer afraid.

Baynes inspects the guns the Kommando squad were using. They are Japanese guns, meaning that the Germans can deny complicity in the whole event; this denial is made even more possible by the fact that the invaders were not German nationals. But though this first assassination attempt has failed, it is clear to all three men that the Nazis know who and where Baynes is.

In great distress, Tagomi turns to the oracle. Tedeki observes that Tagomi, likely raised as a Buddhist, is deeply shaken by having taken two lives. Baynes wonders if the I Ching is helpful to Tagomi, or if he would be more helped by the doctrine of original sin. Baynes reflects that Tagomi’s actions may have saved millions of lives, because now the Japanese can prepare themselves for Operation Dandelion. But for Tagomi himself, “the present, the actuality, was too tangible, the dead and dying Germans on the floor of his office.” Baynes hopes that Tagomi will recover from his despair and not “succumb” to it.