Albrecht Wagner, retired as Chair of the Board of Directors of the Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron (DESY) in Hamburg, Germany, is interviewed by David Zierler. Albrecht describes his current work during the pandemic, and he discusses recent advances in particle physics as the field continues to advance beyond the Standard Model and why he tends to view physics collaborations in international, rather than national, terms. Wagner describes his childhood in Munich, he describes his familys experiences during World War II, and he explains his initial interest in research at CERN. He discusses his education at Technical University in Munich and then Gt̲tingen, and his early research exposure to DESY and CERN. Wagner explains his dissertation research on rare decay of the lambda hyperon, and he discusses his post-doctoral research at Berkeley, where he contributed to the Mark I experiment. He explains his interest in e+/e- physics, and why this compelled him to return to Hamburg, and describes the import of the PETRA collaboration. Wager discusses his tenure as director of research at DESY and his focus on the HERA experiment. He describes his ascent to the chairmanship, and he explains DESYs mission within the context of other major physics laboratories worldwide. Wagner explains long-range advances in synchrotron radiation, he explains the quite political nature of his job leading DESY, and he discusses the import of the TESLA project during his tenure. Upon Wagners retirement, he explains his subsequent work at OIST, and he describes his feelings when the Higgs was discovered and what this meant for the future of particle physics. He surmises what was irrevocably lost when the SSC was cancelled, and what CERN was able to accomplish in its absence. At the end of the interview, Wagner reflects on the phenomenal advances leading to grand unification at the beginning of his career, and he emphasizes that future and fundamental advances will only be possible as a result of international collaboration.