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BRITAIN SINCE 1945: A Political History BRITAIN SINCE 1939: Progress and Reform THE CHANGING FACE OF WESTERN (ed.) CHILDREN IN THE WAR (ed.) with Janet Wharton EAST IN COMPARATIVE PERSPECTIVE (ed.) EAST GERMANY TO THE 1990s FROM SCHUMACHER TO BRANDT THE GDR, 'S GERMAN ALLY GERMANY IN THE TWENTIETH CENTURY GERMANY ON THE ROAD TO UNITY GERMANY SINCE 1918 HONECKER'S GERMANY (ed.) MARX AND THE MARXISTS , POLITICS AND SOCIETY with Jeffrey Johnson

Also by Richard Popplewell

INTELLIGENCE AND IMPERIAL DEFENCE: British Intelligence and the Defence of the Indian Empire, 1904-1924 The Stasi The East German Intelligence and Security Service

David Childs Professor of Politics and Richard Popplewell Lecturer in Politics and Contemporary History University of Salford © David Childs and Richard Popplewell 1996

All rights reserved. No reproduction, copy or transmission of this publication may be made without written permission. No paragraph of this publication may be reproduced, copied or transmitted save with written permission or in accordance with the provisions of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, or under the terms of any licence permitting limited copying issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency, 90 Totten ham Court Road, W1P 1lP. Any person who does any unauthorised act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.

The authors have asserted their rights to be identified as the authors of this work in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

Published by PAlGRAVE Houndmills, 8asingstoke, Hampshire RG21 6XS and 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10010 Companies and representatives throughout the world PAlGRAVE is the new global academic imprint of St. Martin's Press llC Scholarly and Reference Division and Palgrave Publishers ltd (formerly Macmillan Press ltd). ISBN 978-0-333-77207-2 ISBN 978-1-349-15054-0 (eBook) DOI 10.1007/978-1-349-15054-0 This book is printed on paper suitable for recycling and made from fully managed and sustained forest sources.

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British library.

Transferred to digital printing 2001 Contents

Acknowledgements VI List of and German Terms viii The Changing Names of the Soviet Domestic and Foreign xii Introduction xiii

I. Gennan Communism, the Comintern and Secret Intelligence, 1918-43 2. The Origins and Development of East Gennan State Security: The Ulbricht Years, 1945-71 33 3. The MfS, the SED and the East Gennan State 66 4. The MfS as an Internal Security Organ 82 5. East Gennan Foreign Intelligence, 1945-89 112 6. HVA Operations Against West Gennany 142 7. From Triumph to Catastrophe: The Stasi Under Mielke and Honecker, 1971-89 174 8. The Aftennath 193

Appendix A Biographical Information 196 AppendixB Chronology 200 Bibliography 203 Notes 213 Name Index 243 Subject Index 248

v Acknowledgements

David Childs is very grateful to the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) for awarding him a scholarship which enabled him to spend some time in the former DDR in 1994. A great many people have been very generous with their time to discuss various aspects of the DDR and/or the MfS. In Germany they include: various members of the Citizens' Committees of , and , particularly David Gill, Heinz Meier, and Ulrich Wiegend; Andre Andrich, Neues Forum, Dresden; Dr Sabine Bergmann-Pohl, MdB, formerly President of the of the DDR; Dr Sc med Kay Blumenthal-Barby, Berlin/Gottinghen; Dr Heinrich Bortfeldt, formerly Akademie fiir Gesellschaftswissenschaften beim ZK der SED; Dr Manfred Braune, CDU, Leipzig; Dr , MdB; Elfriede Bruning, writer, Berlin; Wolfgang Dehne!, MdB; Colonel Prof. Dr Helmut Eck, formerly of the Hochschule des MfS -Eiche; Dr Helmut Ettinger, formerly diplomatic service of the DDR, PDS Berlin; Colonel Klaus Eichner, formerly head of Bereich 'C' of Department X of the HV A; Joachim Fiegel, PDS, /; Bernt Forster, Leipzig University; Monika Friedrich, Gauck-Behorde, Berlin; Dipl.-Psych. Svetla Friedrich, Leipzig; Prof. Dr Walter Friedrich, formerly Director of the Institut fi.ir Jugendforschung, Leipzig; Horst Gibtner, MdB, formerly Minister of Transport of the DDR; Dr Wolfgang Gudenschwager, CDU, Berlin; Dr , MdB; Hildegard Hannan Stadtmuseum, Oranienburg; AdolfHaidegger, CDU, Bi.irgermeister, Colditz; Dieter Herberg, FDP, Leipzig; Prof. Dr Uwe-Jens Heuer, MdB; Matthias Hinkel, Leipzig; Prof. Dr Hartmut Jackel, Free University, Berlin; Dr Dittmar Keller, MdB, formerly Minister of Culture of DDR; , formerly General Secretary of the SED and Chairman of the Council of State of the DDR; Vera (Wollenberger) Lengsfeld MdB; Dr Ekkehard Lieberran, PDS, Bonn; Roger Loewig, painter, Berlin; Dr Michael Luther, MdB; Heide­ Marie Li.ith, MdB; Friedrich Magirius, Stadtprasident Leipzig, Superintendent der Nikolaikirchc, Leipzig; Roland May, SPD, Leipzig; Lothar de Maiziere, formerly Minister-President of the DDR; Captain Wilfried Mannewitz, formerly of the MfS; Rudolf Meinl, MdB; Barbara Miller, research student Edinburgh University; Dr , MdB, formerly Minister-President of the DDR; Uwe Mi.iller, formerly SPD Leipzig; Dr Hermann Pohler, MdB, Gert Poppe, MdB; George Pumfrey, PDS, Bonn; Klaus Reichenbach, MdB, formerly Minister in the Office of the Minister-President of the DDR; Hans

VI Acknowledgements vii

Jtirgen Richter, MdL, SPD, Chemnitz; Colonel Dr Klaus Rosier, formerly head of Department XII ofHVA; Christina Schenk, MdB; Dr Gerald Schmidt, CDU, Berlin; Richard Schroder, MdB, formerly Chairman of the SPD group in the Volkskammer; Dr Sigrid Semper, MdB; Werner H. Skowron, MdB; Arni Snaevarr, Foreign News Editor, Icelandic National Broadcasting Service; Dr Gerald Thalheim, MdB; Rolf Thieme, CDU, Dresden; Cenzi Troike­ Loewig, Berlin; Dr , MdB; Joachim Walter, writer, Gauck- Behorde, Berlin; Konrad Weiss, MdB; Wolfgang Wiemer, SPD, Bonn, and several individuals who did not wish to be identified. For their kind hospitality David Childs would also like to thank: Patricia Clough; Prof. Dr Hartmut Jackel and Frau Margarete Jackel; Svetla and Martin Friedrich; Prof. Dr Siegfried Prokop; Ceszentia Troike-Loewig; Dr Axel and Frau Hai-Oh Noack and Lenny. Among those resident in the United Kingdom, the authors would particu­ larly like to thank Professor Christopher Andrew of Corpus Christi College, Cambridge; Peter Johnson, former Reuter and BBC correspondent in Berlin and Moscow, O.J. Bachmann and Dr Tilman Remme. Abbreviations and German Terms

AtNs -Amtfiir Nationale Sicherheit. Office for National Security, November 1989 to December 1989. Apparat -literally, 'apparatus, equipment'. Usually, closest translation is 'organization'. BEK -Bund der Evangelischen Kirchen. Federation of Protestant Churches in the GDR. Bezirk- largest administrative district of the GDR. BtV- Bundesamtfiir Verfassungsschutz, 'Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution'. West German security service. BND - Bundesnachrichtendienst, the Federal Intelligence Service, West Germany's foreign intelligence organization. -the directly-elected chamber of the (West) German parliament. CDU- Christlich-Demokratische Union, the Christian Democratic Union. Main right-wing party in West Germany, roughly equivalent to 'Conservatives'. Also, the SED-dominated party in East Germany. CSCE -Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe. CSPU- the of the CSU- Christlich-Soziale Union, 'Christian Social Union'. Bavarian sister­ party of the CDU. DBD-Demokratische Bauernpartei Deutschlands, Democratic Peasants Party of Germany, one of four SED-'allied' parties. DDR-Deutsche Demokratische Republik, 'German Democratic Republic', East Germany. DKP-Deutsche Kommunistische Partei, the , the successor to the KPD from 1968. DVdl- Deutsche Verwaltung des Jnnern, (DVdl), German Administration of the Interior in the Soviet-occupied zone of Germany, 1945-9. ECCI- the Executive Committee of the Communist International. FDJ- Freie Deutsche Jug end, ''. East German communist youth movement. Freikorps- Volunteer units outside the regular army (Reichswehr) of the . FRO- the Federal Republic of Germany, West Germany. GDR - the German Democratic Republic, East Germany. In German, the DDR, short for 'Deutsche Demokratische Republik'.

VIII Abbreviations IX

Gestapo-- Secret State of the Third Reich. GI- Geheime lnformatoren. Pre-1968 designation of Stasi informers. GRU-Glavnoe razvedivatelnoe upravlenie, 'Main Intelligence Directorate'. Soviet Military Intelligence. GST-Gesellschaft fiir Sport und Technik, 'Society for Sport and Technology'. HVA-Hauptverwaltung Aujkliirung, 'Main Administration Reconnaissance'. The Stasi's foreign intelligence organization. IM -lnoffizielle Mitarbeiter, 'Unofficial Colleagues' or collaborator. Stasi informers. INO -lnostranny Otdel- the Foreign Department. The first foreign agency of Soviet Intelligence. ISH- Seamen's International in the interwar period. IWF - lnstitut fur Wirtschaftswissenschaftliche Forschung, 'Institute for Economic Research'. Cover for first East German foreign intelligence service. Junkertum- 'Junkerdom', the squirearchy of Prussia. KGB- Komitet gosudarstvennoi bezopasnosti, 'Committee of State Security'. Soviet security and foreign intelligence agency. See below. K5- Kommissariat 5, political forerunner of MfS, 1945-50. KPD- Kommunistische Partei Deutschlands, Communist Party of Germany. KoKo- Kommerzielle Koordinierung. Clandestine MfS department within Foreign Ministry of GDR. Kripo- , criminal police, Kreis- 'district'. Sub-division of the Bezirk. KVP- Kasernierte , People's Police in barracks. Land- province of West Germany. Largest administrative district of the Eastern Zone of occupied Germany, 1945-52. LDPD- Liberal-Demokratische Partei Deutschlands, Liberal Democratic Party of Germany, one of the four SED-'allied' parties in the GDR. MAD - Militiirischer Abschirmdienst, West German Military Counter­ Intelligence. MfS - Ministerium fur Staatssicherheit, Ministry of State Security. East German intelligence agency, 1950-89. M-Gruppen- Military groups (i.e.: sub-units) of the Militiirapparat. Militiirapparat- Military Organization of the KPD. Mitarbeiter -literally, 'co-worker'. Closest English equivalent is 'collabo­ rator' without its usual, pejorative sense. Nachrichtenapparat- Intelligence Organization of the KPD. Narkomindel - Narodny Komissariat Innostranych Del - the People's Commissariat of Foreign Affairs, the Soviet foreign ministry in the 1920s and 1930s. X The Stasi

NDPD - National-Demokratische Partei Deutschlands, the National Democratic Party of Germany, one of the four SED-'allied' parties in the GDR. N-Gruppen -Intelligence groups (i.e.: sub-units) of the Nachrichtenapparat. NKVD- Narodny komissariat vnutrennych del, 'People's Commissariat of Internal Affairs'. Soviet ministry of the interior, including secret police and foreign intelligence agencies, in the the 1930s and 1940s. NSDAP- Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei, the Nazi Party. NVA-Nationale Volksarmee, 'National People's Army', the East German armed forces. OGPU- Ob 'yedinyonnoe glavnoe politicheskoe upravlenie, 'United Main Political Department'. Designation of Soviet intelligence and security service. OiBE- Offiziere im besonderen Einsatz, 'Officers on special duties'. Stasi regulars operating under cover. OMS- Otdel Mezhdunarodnych Svyazyey- the Department oflnternational Communications. The Comintern's foreign intelligence section. - 'Eastern policy'. The West German government's policy towards the Soviet Bloc in general and East Germany in particular. Pafi-Apparat- Passport Organization of the Comintern. RAF - ''. West German terrorist group, best-known abroad as the 'Baader-Meinhof Gang'. Reichswehr- German regular armed forces from I 919 to I 935. RHSA- Reichssichorheitshauptamt, 'Reich Main Security Office', 1939-45. RIAS- Radio in the American Sector (of ). SED-Sozialistische Einheitspartei Deutschlands, the 'Socialist Unity Party of Germany'. In effect, the East German Communist Party. SMAD- Soviet Military Administration (in the Eastern Zone of Occupied Germany, 1945-9). Smersh- short for Smert' Shpionam, 'Death to Spies'. Designation of Soviet military counter-intelligence in, and immediately after, the Second World War. SOUD- KGB-administered computerized storage system to which MfS and other 'socialist' security services contributed. Spartacists -Members of the Spartakusbund, the 'Spartakus Federation', a left-wing radical-revolutionary organization founded in 1916 out of ex­ members of the SPD. SPD- Sozialdemokratische Partei Deutschlands, 'Social Democratic Party' of Germany. Stasi- short for Staatssicherheit, 'State Security'. Colloquial term for the MfS. Now Anglicized so that it does not require italics. Abbreviations XI

TASS - Telegrafichnoye Agenstvo Sovietskovo Soyuza- the Telegraphic Agency of the Soviet Union, the Soviet Press Agency. Treff- Clandestine meeting between officer and agent. VB- Urzgd bezpieczenstwa, the Polish security service. VBK- Verband Bildender Kiinstler der DDR, 'Association of Creative Artists of the GDR'. Volkskammer- the East German parliament. Volksschule- 'People's School', roughly equivalent to 'elementary school', providing basic primary and secondary education. Inferior to Gymnasium or 'grammar school'. Volkspolizei, the regular police of the GDR. V-Mann- Vertrauensmann, term often used in German for informer or sur­ veillance agent. - German armed forces, excluding SS divisions, 1935-45. die Wende, literally the 'turning-point'. Popular term for the East German revolution of 1989. WES- the Western European Secretariat of the Comintern. ZAIG- Zentrale Auswertungs und lnformationsgruppe, Central analytical department of MfS. Zentrale- Directing Committee of the KPD. The Changing Names of the Soviet Domestic and Foreign Intelligence Agency

Cheka- 1917-22. GPU- 1922-3. OGPU -1923-34. GUGB - 193~ I. But intelligence organization generally referred to as NKVD, the ministry of internal affairs within which it was contained. NKGB- 1941-3. As above, NKGB was part of the NKVD. NKVD- 1943-6. MGB- 1946-53. MVD - 1953-4. KGB -1954-91.

xii Introduction

This is the first book in English to appear on the security and intelligence service of the former East German state, or the 'Stasi' as it commonly known. The study of this subject has been greatly facilitated by the continuous appearance of documentary material since the revolution of 1989. Indeed, it would be fair to say that the Stasi, or at least its domestic branches, is a more accessible field for study than any other secret service in the second half of the twentieth century. It will hopefully become clear from this work that the study of East German intelligence is significant in its own right, since the organization involved employed, directly or indirectly, a sizeable part of the population and consumed an increasingly burdensome portion of the state budget. But the Stasi had a far wider importance than that reflected in histories of East Germany or of intelligence services. Through its espionage played a significant role in the foreign policy of the Soviet Bloc as a whole. Furthermore, the Stasi's spying had an impact on West German politics the effects of which can still be felt. By now the Stasi have acquired a legendary status on two counts. First, because of the almost unbelievably extensive spying on the citizens of the DDR which, it has been claimed, debased and corrupted two generations of postwar Germans. Second, because of the foreign wing of the Stasi's huge success at spying on the West. The reality ofthe Stasi's success and the nature of the beast itself are, of course, central to this book. It will be seen that nothing can dispel the gargantuan reality of this organism at the heart of the Party­ State. The Stasi, it can be argued, came very near to its leaders' desire to know everything worth knowing about their own population and about the outside world. It can be argued strongly that the Stasi played a major role in maintaining a state as vulnerable as East Germany for four decades. Yet despite all their efforts, they could do nothing to prevent revolution in 1989 and the subsequent collapse of the DDR.

David Childs Richard Popplewell Nottingham August 1995

xiii