United Liberty Paper contact


 * "Who am I? There's a hundred guys in this building alone who fit my description. Middle aged men, paunchy, glasses... You bring them here? What's this? Empty office, leased to a guy who died in the last days of Vietnam... Call me up. My number never existed." ―The U.L. Paper contact to Niko.

The United Liberty Paper contact is a character in the Grand Theft Auto series, appearing as a main character in Grand Theft Auto IV, and as a supporting character in Grand Theft Auto V.

An agent working for the United Liberty Paper company, the contact is a mysterious and enigmatic man who employs Niko Bellic into executing several missions for him and his organization, revealed to be a front of the International Affairs Agency.

Background

 * I was in the army. I know it gets lonely. I know what it feelslike to get close to a man.―The ULP contact regarding his military service.

Very little is known about the agent, with even his name and age remain unknown. He claims to have served in the United States army prior to his job as an agent for the ULP and IAA. He is also capable of speaking Serbian aside from his native English, although whether or not he is of a Serbian heritage is unknown.

According to him, he was never married.

Through his work as a government agent, the contact became an associate and close friends with Jon Gravelli, the legendary Don of the Gambetti crime family who has become a strong ally of the contact within Liberty City's underworld.

Niko Bellic

 * The contact: "So, Mr. Bellic... Quite a file, quite a story." Niko: "Who are you? FIB?" The contact: "The FIB? Do I look homosexual? Do you think that I care about the size of your johnson?" ―The contact and Niko during their first meeting.

For an unknown amount of time, the United Liberty Paper organization was following Niko Bellic, a Serbian immigrant and war veteran; as part of eventually using him for the organization's needs, agent Karen Daniels - under the false name 'Michelle' - was assigned to monitor him as his girlfriend.

After exposing her identity to Niko, Karen introduces him to the contact, who proceeds to blackmail Niko into working for the organization, otherwise they will have Niko arrested for multiple murder accounts. He soon gives Niko an order to silence a man by the name of Oleg Menkov, who has found up about the organization's existence; before going after Menkov, Niko asks for the contact's name, but the latter states it is not relevant to him.

Silencing threats

 * "For a man who has asked me to kill a lot of men, this guy is really safety conscious." ―Niko to Jacob, regarding the contact.

Niko soon returns for more orders from the contact, who has been digging into Niko's past, finding out about Niko being a war veteran who was betrayed by a fellow soldier. After a short conversation between the two in which the contact vaguely offers Niko to help him in finding the man he's looking for, the ULP agent sends Niko to track down and kill Adam Dimayev, a Russian mobster linked to terrorist activities.

Following Dimayev's assassination, the contact meets with Niko again, beginning their conversation by criticizing Niko's actions as "dumb." The contact then informs Niko of his new target, a terrorist-funding man known as Eduard Borodin, asking the Serbian hitman to obtain a helicopter owned by Borodin's men for a later use; once Niko obtains the helicopter, the contact's men take it to modify its weaponry.

A few days later, the contact calls Niko again and sends both him and his Jamaican arm-dealer friend Little Jacob to eliminate Borodin; the two chase Borodin's helicopter through the city, before eventually finishing him off above Liberty City's waters. Following the success of the assignment, the contact thanks Niko and promises to try and find the man he's after.

Aiding Niko

 * Niko: "No more jobs, is that it? Am I out?" The contact: "You're out. You've done good things for us and we're grateful. That said, I've given you a lot fo protection. From here in, you're alone. Goodbye." ―The contact and Niko's last exchange.

The contact phone-calls Niko again after the latter has confronted former comrade Florian Cravic, revealing that he knew all the time that Cravic wasn't the one who betrayed Niko years ago. He further reveals he is actually searching after Darko Brevic, and tells Niko to stay in touch with him for further progress.

After learning that Niko has began working with Jimmy Pegorino and the Pegorino crime family, the contact decides to introduce Niko to Gravelli, later meeting up with both Niko and the dying Don to discuss issues regarding drug dealing between the Ancelotti crime family and Niko's nemesis Dimitri Rascalov.

A short while after dealing with Dimitri's men, Niko receives a final phone call from the contact, who thanks Niko for his work and as an award informs him that the contact and Gravelli are bringing Darko to the Francis International Airport for Niko to deal with him. Before hanging out and parting ways, the contact also informs Niko that from there on, the U.L. Paper will no longer protect Niko, and bids him goodbye.

Post-GTA IV
Between 2008 and 2013, the contact is relocated to Los Santos, occasionally serving as a field leader. During that time frame, Karen is also relocated to Los Santos, serving as an investigator and torturer.

Humane Labs and Research shootout

 * Haines: "FIB! Special Agent! I got this covered!" United Paper Man: "Detain this man!" Haines: "Fuck you! I should detain you! I just took a bullet for my country!" ―The contact arrests Haines.

By 2013, the IAA and FIB are in a covert war to secure government funds; as part of the FIB's plot, agent Steve Haines attempts to steal a chemical weapon from the Humane Labs and Research, an IAA research facility.

The contact rushes to the robbery scene at the conclusion of the event, finding a wounded agent Haines, who has shot himself in the leg to cover up his role in the theft and buy his associates Michael De Santa and Dave Norton enough time to escape with the chemical weapon. The contact, accompanied by two guards, ignores Haines' explanations and orders his men to detain the wounded FIB agent, much to Haines' anger, who then insults the contact.

Kortz Center stand-off

 * "Put the weapons down, boys. Fun time is over. We've got you. Anti-American activity."―The contact arrives to the scene.

The IAA begins to suspect of Haines' involvement in the Humane Lab and Research theft, and as the suspicion of Haines' actions increases, the contact is sent to apprehend both Haines and any associates related to him.

The contact and three IAA agents arrive at Kortz Center and hold Haines, Norton, De Santa and Andreas Sanchez in gunpoint, telling them to put their weapons down and informing they are under arrest for anti-American activity, only to be rebuffed by Haines who taunts the contact that the IAA are similarly deep in problems due to their plans to earn government funding.

The scene is soon joined by another FIB team and the Merryweather Security company; escalated with Haines' killing of Sanchez, a four-way shootout begins between all parties involved. During the shootout, the contact can be killed by either the player, or any hostile NPC that is unaffiliated with the IAA.

Personality

 * "You can't always tell who the good guys are. I'm not a good guy, but I'm fighting with them..." ―The contact.

The contact is a highly sardonic man, yet very patriotic and loyal for his country. He is aware that a lot of his actions are morally ambiguous, and doesn't deny that many of his orders and activities are not for procuring public safety but rather to satisfy the government's sometimes greedy requests. He thus excludes himself from being called a 'good guy'; however, he says that despite not being one himself, he works with good guys.

A blunt man of sarcasm, the contact speaks in a cynical tone and often subtly taunts Niko due his situation of working for the contact's agency. He also tends to sarcastically comment or question Niko's past, having read Niko's file and past records prior to their first official meeting.

Nonetheless, the contact holds some level of respect for Niko, sympathizing with his harsh military past and going as far as to promise help Niko in finding the man who has betrayed him years ago. He also often criticizes Niko for his criminal activities and uncontrollable actions, as they bring out a lot of heat and risk Niko of getting captured by the police. Despite this, he himself is unfraid about getting caught, as police records lack details on him and there multiple men in his building alone who can fit his physical description.

The contact is a smoker.

Appearance
The contact appears to be a middle-aged man of average height and size. He has a light brawn hair slowly graying on the sides, golden-brawn eyes and clean-shaved, wrinkled face. He wears black-caged eyeglasses.

In terms of clothing, the contact wears a black business suit in GTA IV; He keeps his suit's jacket open, revealing a white shirt and dark-blue tie underneath. His appearance in GTA V is largely unchanged, appearing to have aged slightly, spotting grayer hair and more wrinkled facial features. His tie has been replaced with a gray one.

Weapons

 * Pistol - Used during both of the contact's appearances in Grand Theft Auto V.

Vehicles

 * White and red Maverick - a civil helicopter previously owned by Eduard Borodin's men, stolen for the contact by Niko during the mission "Dust Off" to be later used for Borodin's assassination in "Paper Trail"; after the mission, the contact leaves the helicopter for Niko.

Appearances

 * Grand Theft Auto IV
 * Wrong is Right
 * Portrait of a Killer
 * Dust Off
 * Paper Trail (Voice)
 * Weekend at Florian's (Post-mission phone call)
 * Payback (Post-mission phone call)
 * Liquidize the Assets
 * That Special Someone (Voice)
 * Grand Theft Auto V
 * Monkey Business
 * The Wrap Up

Trivia

 * In 2008's GTA IV, the contact is voiced by Milton James, who later reprises the role for 2013's GTA V.


 * Identity and affiliation
 * A diploma hanging on The contact's wall has the name "Edward T. Fortune". However, since the same diploma can be seen hanging on the wall of Vic Manzano's office in Grand Theft Auto: The Ballad of Gay Tony, it is likely that this diploma is just a generic prop. The diploma also has a seal that is very similar to the one used by the C.I.A, alluding to the contact's affiliation with the IAA.
 * In GTA IV's game files, the Contact and his missions are listed under "CIA," further hinting his eventual revelation of working as an IAA agent.


 * Other
 * In GTA IV, the contact's office is numbered 3-9-6.
 * Before the mission "Paper Trail," the contact will sometimes call Niko after the latter has escaped a five or six-star wanted level, chastising him for not laying low.
 * Originally, the contact was meant to appear in the GTA V mission "Monkey Business" without his glasses, as can be seen in Bradygames Guide for the game.