How to find the Call of Duty: Cold War Operation Red Circus suspects

Black Ops Cold War Red Circus suspects
(Image credit: Activision)

Unsure which Black Ops - Cold War Operation Red Circus suspects to choose? This mission puts you under pressure as you have to deduce which agents have infiltrated the European governments. You'll need a keen eye, and a notepad handy to work out who these individuals are—we want to avoid framing the wrong person here.

This side quest relies on you examining some evidence that you'll have collected from other missions, so it's best to ensure you have everything you need before taking on the Operation Red Circus challenge. Finding the Soviet agents from a list of suspects is a tricky task as the answers are different for everyone, but I'll guide you through each motion. Here's how to find the CoD: Cold War Operation Red Circus suspects, and all the evidence you need to get the job done.

Black Ops - Cold War Red Circus suspects: How to identify them

Locate the evidence

The Operation Red Circus mission challenges you to find three Soviet agents, and similar to the Call of Duty: Cold War floppy disk code puzzle, you need multiple pieces of evidence to narrow down your suspects. Here's what you need to collect to find the correct agents in Operation Red Circus, and the missions in which each item can be found:

  • Franz Kraus's Ledger: Brick in the Wall.
  • Cassette Tape with Activities Report: Echoes of a Cold War.
  • Wristwatch containing Dead Drop List: Desperate Measures.

Obtaining Franz Kraus's Ledger in the Brick in the Wall mission is straightforward. Once you find yourself in his apartment, snoop around in his bedroom. Check the top drawer of his bedside cabinet to uncover his ledger. The cassette tape can be found in the Echoes of a Cold War mission on a table with other items. Finally, the wristwatch is lying on a table in the Records Room in the Desperate Measures mission.

While I'd love to just give you the names to save you some time, the information for this side mission is different for everyone. I can still give you a hand with the process of elimination, though. Let's go over how you can get to the bottom of the mystery.

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Franz Kraus's Ledger

We might as well start with Franz Kraus. Examine the ledger and focus on the cities and dates mentioned. Refer to your list of suspects and make a note of those who were in these cities on those dates. You should have multiple suspects at this point—you'll begin narrowing this list down as we continue.

Cassette Tape with Activities Report

Next up, listen to the cassette tape. You'll notice that the codenames mentioned in this report match those in Franz Kraus's Ledger. Focus on the pronouns mentioned for each codename to determine the gender of each suspect, and note these down. 

Wristwatch containing Dead Drop List

We're getting warmer, but there's one more piece of evidence to examine: the wristwatch. This list mentions the codenames, more cities, and dates. Using the information you've gathered so far, check the suspects once more to see who matches up with the first set of dates and cities you noted in Franz Kraus's Ledger, and the Dead Drop List. If you find that multiple suspects slot in with those dates, remember that you worked out their pronouns using the cassette tape. This should leave you with three rock solid suspects.

Once you're certain that you've found the correct agents, mark them on your evidence board and wrap up the Operation Red Circus mission.

Emma Matthews

As PC Gamer's guides writer, Emma is usually juggling several games at once. She loves competitive first-person shooters like CS:GO and Call of Duty, but she always has time for a few rounds of Hearthstone. She's happiest when she's rescuing pugs in Spelunky 2.

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