As CIA records of a January 1955 โjoint US-UK conferenceโ put it, despite the โunanimous desireโ of British and American intelligence to โโquietโ Bandera,โ it was equally vital the KGB was โnot allowed to kidnap or kill him.โ This could make Bandera โa martyrโ among Ukrainian ultranationalists, a prospect to be avoided if at all possible. Hence, London and Washington kept him alive and well, while permitting West Germanyโs BND to run him as an agent. Their old friend Gerhard von Mende was his handler.
West German authorities wished to punish Bandera and his in-country network for crimes including kidnapping, but von Mende consistently intervened to insulate his compatriot from prosecution. A July 1959 CIA report noted the BNDโs use of Bandera was such a โclosely heldโ secret within the agency, it wasnโt even formally cleared with the West German government, โdue to political overtones.โ Despite this omertร , the BND moved to secure Bandera a US visa.
https://www.kitklarenberg.com/p/stepan-banderas-sinister-mi6-alliance