) ; a defense department communications laboratory had had an entire year 's research deleted from its computers by a neo who had disappeared on a lufthansa flight to munich ; senators , congressmen , powerful businessmen , even newscasters , had been tainted with the nazi brush with no substantive evidence whatsoever , the allegations dismissed until an influential member of britain 's foreign office had been caught , apparently giving the names of other influential figures in the u.k. '' s government hierarchy .