ACCESS TO SECRECY

EXHIBITION ON THE
­S TASI RECORDS ARCHIVE
This catalogue to the permanent exhibition “Access to
Secrecy” sheds light on the bureaucratic i­ nformation
system, working methods and everyday tasks of the
Stasi. It also offers insight into the current work of
the Stasi Records Archive, which preserves for future
generations the files left behind by the State Security,
thereby assuring that they remain accessible to the
people who were personally affected by the Stasi as
well as to the broader public.

The following pages provide an overview of all

the t­ opics addressed in the exhibition, from the
establishment of the Stasi Records Archive to the
Stasi’s extensive indexing system and the vast and
varied records it left behind. Furthermore, the single
case of a person directly targeted by the Stasi is
presented in the catalogue and demonstrates the
effects of Stasi s­ urveillance.

In addition to historical photos showing the e ­ veryday

work and surveillance measures of the Stasi, the
­c atalogue also contains reprints of original documents
from the Stasi Records Archive. All the exhibition
objects, most of which are presented to the public
for the first time, are listed in the catalogue appendix
with ­detailed information on the sources and
picture c­ redits. The catalogue includes a preface
addressing the origins and development of the
exhibition concept, an epilogue on the history of the
former Stasi headquarters site where the exhibition
is presented, and photos providing an impression
of the construction phase of the exhibition. The
colour photographs allow readers to experience the
exhibition and room atmosphere without personally
visiting the site or exhibition. Thus, they too can
become acquainted with the m ­ ission and work of the
Stasi Records Archive.
Access to Secrecy
Exhibition on the Stasi Records Archive
2 TABLE OF CONTENTS 3

4 Greeting
The Bureaucracy of Repression – Access to Secrecy
TABLE OF CONTENTS 6 Foreword
The First Permanent Exhibition on the Stasi Records

14
Information on the Archive
15 The Stasi
19 The Stasi’s Store of Knowledge
20 The End of the Stasi
26 Opening the ­Stasi Files
29 Using the Stasi Files
31 The Stasi Records ­Online Resource

34
The Card Index System of the Stasi
36 Central Indexes
50 Decentral Indexes

66
The Stasi’s Legacy
68 The R ­ econstruction of Torn-Up Documents
74 The Written Records of the Stasi
85 Ulrike Poppe in the ­Stasi Records
92 Images, Audio ­Recordings, Films – D ­ iverse ­Archival ­Holdings
101 Electronic Data Carriers of the Stasi

106
The Case of Gilbert ­Radulovic in the Stasi Records
107 “Looking in a ­Distorting Mirror”
108 Prelude: “… ­Speaking Your Mind”
112 The Case: “… To Clarify a Matter”
122 The Consequences: „… With the Intention of Harming the GDR“

134
Epilogue: At the Historical Site

146
Creating the ­Exhibition

164
Appendix

ACCESS TO SECRECY
4 GREETING 5

The Bureaucracy of Repression – Access to Secrecy

GREETING
“Where is my file?” was scrawled on a wall at the Stasi With the exhibition “Access to Secrecy”, we wish to convey
headquarters in January 1990. Today a photograph of this the uniqueness of the archive and unveil what the files
graffiti adorns the entrance to “Access to Secrecy”, the contain. We show how the Stasi officers organized the
exhibition on the Stasi Records Archive. Where is my file? oppression of people from their desks: an index card used
That was the question citizens cried out to the Stasi during to register someone grew into an “action plan” for perse-
the Peaceful Revolution. cution and in the end, the person landed in prison. But we
also explain how Stasi documents are used today to give
After forty years of surveillance by the GDR Ministry for people clarity about their own lives and to give society a
State Security, people wanted access to the files that the chance to address what happened.
Stasi had compiled on them. But a revolution would have
to occur before they gained access to this information. In By looking into a past dictatorship, we can sensitize our-
the autumn of 1989, people took to the streets to liberate selves to shaping democracy today. With this in mind, we
themselves from the SED’s one-party dictatorship and appreciate your interest!
to assert their democratic rights. Part of this liberation
entailed retrieving the secret information collected by the
Stasi. When the GDR secret police set about destroying Roland Jahn, Federal Commissioner for the Stasi Records
documents, courageous citizens occupied the offices, April 2020
putting an end to the Stasi’s destructive activities. What
began in the districts of the GDR on 4 December 1989,
reached a climax at the Ministry’s headquarters in Berlin
on 15 January 1990.

Repression – Revolution – Reflection. This triad describes

the historical site of the former Stasi headquarters. The
site where the repression was organized for forty years
now exists as the “Campus for Democracy” and stands
for an examination of this history and what it means for
society today.

Together with the ASTAK association, the civil society

initiative which runs the Stasi Museum with the exhibition
“State Security in the SED Dictatorship”, and with the
Robert Havemann Society/Archive of the GDR Opposition,
which created the open-air exhibition “Revolution and the
Fall of the Wall”, the Stasi Records Archive, as a federal in-
stitution, presents its exhibition on the archive and invites
visitors to engage in a discourse on the past and present,
and on dictatorship and democracy.

The vast amount of information collected by the Stasi,

sometimes described as a “monument of surveillance”, can
now be viewed at the historical site in Berlin-­Lichtenberg.
The files represent a state’s decision to interfere in the
lives of people who refused to accept the precepts of
the single ruling party. The files document rebellion and
repression, contradiction and obedience, resistance and
the bureaucracy of suppressing human rights.

ACCESS TO SECRECY
6 FOREWORD 7

The First Permanent Exhibition on the Stasi Records

FOREWORD
More than 111 linear kilometres of files, 41 million index cards, 1.8 million photographs, some

25,000 v­ ideo, film and audio recordings, and approximately 15,500 bags of torn documents – these

dimensions alone give an idea of just how extraordinary the Stasi Records Archive, where these huge

amounts of ­records left behind by the Stasi are stored, actually is. Now, for the first time, a separate

permanent ­exhibition has been created that focuses specifically on this archive. The exhibition

describes its establishment, mission and work methods and makes this “monument of surveillance”

tangible to the public.

The sheer mass of surviving documents impressively A review of the debate about the SED dictatorship and
bears witness to the GDR’s surveillance system and spying State Security shows that three decades of legal and politi-
operations that allowed it to monitor millions of people. cal reappraisal lie behind us. Through this process it was
But how was this huge collection of data created in the discovered that prominent people in politics and society
first place? Why and how did the GDR secret police, also served as Stasi informants; Stasi cronyism was exposed
known as the State Security, or Stasi, collect, store, link and public discussions were ignited over concepts such
and process all this information? Why do the files still exist as the “unjust state”. In addition, historians conducted in-
today, what do they contain and what can they show us? tense research on the history of the GDR, the structures of
How are they preserved and how are we dealing with the SED state and the role of State Security. From today’s
them today? perspective, it may seem as if we have already asked all
the important questions, that we have enough initiatives
The exhibition “Access to Secrecy”, which opened on aimed at coming to terms with the past and plenty of me-
16 June 2018, explores these questions and the story morial sites to remind us of this “second German dictator-
behind the Stasi Records Archive, its significance for the ship” in the 20th century.
present and how this unusual collection of documents
came to exist. The permanent exhibition of the ­Federal Nevertheless, remembrance culture in reunified Germany
Commissioner for the Records of the State Security cannot do without a constant, repeated and p ­ erpetually
Service of the Former GDR (BStU) is presented on the innovative examination of power mechanisms in the
grounds of the former Stasi headquarters in the Berlin GDR as a crucial part of German and European post-war
district of Lichtenberg. It provides in-depth information history. Moreover, an intense scrutiny of the past can help
about the archive, the collection stored there, and the us discover new perspectives on problems that affect
archival work with Stasi documents. the present and the future. The questions regarding the
legacy of the Stasi continue to be very relevant today:
Do we need another exhibition about the Stasi? What happens to our data when the state and security
authorities have uncontrolled access to information about
Some observers might ask: Thirty years after the political us from all areas of life? How far can and may state surveil-
upheaval in the GDR and the reunification of Germany, do lance measures go to make us feel safe? How does this
we really need another exhibition about the Stasi? After all affect our everyday lives as we openly express criticism
this time, should we still be dealing with the difficult legacy and articulate our own views or instead try to adapt to the
of a system that has long since disappeared? And younger given circumstances to avoid disadvantages, unpleasant
generations may ask: What does this have to do with me? consequences or even negative repercussions?

ACCESS TO SECRECY
8 FOREWORD 9

“Presenting the Archive” into the daily routine, work processes and functioning of a This historical site holds special challenges. Any building context. By using concrete examples that personalize the
secret police agency. plans have to take into account the structural conditions of content, the presented material becomes both compre-
Against the background of these reflections that con- the building and honour the requirements demanded by hensible and tangible. Nevertheless, pointing out the
tinue to be relevant today, the exhibition shows how the Clearly, a presentation of the Stasi Records Archive must the monument protection authorities. The current building complexity of the files left behind by the Stasi accentuates
system of surveillance and control in the SED dictator- take a few special factors into consideration. An archive operations were also a factor that had to be addressed. one of the decisive points about which the documents still
ship functioned in practice and it also gives the people storing records from a former secret service also contains For reasons of inventory protection, it was not possible provide information today: The system of collecting, link-
who lived under this system a chance to speak. Taking a evidence of the Stasi’s massive violation of basic human to install the exhibition in the actual archive rooms. It is ing, processing, evaluating and storing data was highly
glimpse behind the information system of the GDR secret rights. When Stasi documents are used and published, it displayed instead in House 7, the building adjacent to the complex in itself, because it had to serve the Stasi’s main
police is instructive and helps to broaden the perspective. is important that the personal rights of the people affect- archive building which is also a historical site. It served as task – the investigation of any indication of behaviour that
The bureaucratic organizational structures and concrete ed be protected at all times. For archivists to be able to the headquarters of the Stasi’s Department XX, which was might in any way endanger the state leadership. And thus,
work procedures for processing, managing and storing order and index the documents, they have to understand responsible for monitoring opposition groups, art and if one leaves the exhibition with an impression of widely
information formed the basis for the mass collection of the Stasi’s idiosyncratic organizational system, which was culture in the GDR. This historical fact offers ideal condi- ramified and closely interwoven information, one has, in
data and made it possible for the Stasi to monitor and based on conspiracy and secrecy. They also have to ad- tions for dealing more intensively with the Stasi's areas of fact, gained an important insight into the Stasi files.
persecute large parts of the population. The permanent dress the chaotic state in which the files were left behind, activity and for discovering a wealth of other stories. This
exhibition makes a point of not delving deeply into the a situation created by the Stasi’s last-minute attempts to is why the building’s history is also presented in a special The exhibition is designed to encourage independent
history, structure and development of the Stasi – these destroy them. For these reasons, the exhibition of the Stasi section of the exhibition. study of the structure, methods and impact of the State
topics are addressed in detail at other sites, for example Records Archive is not the presentation of an ordinary ar- Security and is therefore open to anyone inclined to
in the neighbouring Stasi Museum. Instead, the exhibi- chive: The particularities of dealing with Stasi documents The exhibition concept: A modular design for a target explore it on their own. The topic sections are freely
tion concentrates on the preserved documents and the are revealed time and again and help us to understand group-oriented approach accessible and the modules can be interchangeably
historical sources now available to us in the Stasi Records what makes these testimonies so important today. combined, making it possible for very different target
Archive. The permanent exhibition mainly uses the Stasi docu- groups – individuals visiting spontaneously or registered
An exhibition at a historical site ments as evidence of surveillance, showing the context groups from Germany and abroad; people without any
It is no coincidence that the exhibition project initially went in which they were created and the current archival work previous knowledge or highly-informed visitors – to learn
by the working title “Presenting the Archive”. The name The idea of presenting the Stasi Records Archive in an being done to make these historical sources accessible. about the Stasi documents and how they can be used.
makes clear that the exhibition focuses on the material on innovative way in order to increase its visibility and attract The exhibition is designed to provide a comprehensive Given that visiting groups have different interests and
which the archive is based – the actual documents of the stronger public attention to its holdings meant that a few overview of the documents that were left behind by the time constraints, they are free to decide on their own how
Stasi. The instruments of surveillance cannot be entirely fundamental conceptual considerations were necessary. Stasi and preserved in the Stasi Records Archive. they wish to explore the exhibition. They can take part in
ignored of course and therefore also find mention in the It was clear from the start that the exhibition had to be a guided tour, follow the exhibition narrative from floor to
exposition. Another important aspect was placing the presented at the historical site, a place that symbolizes Linked to this is the interest in presenting the archive and floor, or focus on specific aspects of the exhibition, such
archive in historical context, which is why the exhibition both the surveillance of millions of people as well as the its special features in a stimulating and comprehensible as the Stasi’s computer technology or the audio-visual
provides background information. But the “Access overcoming of a dictatorship. It was not enough to simply way to the general public. The exhibition, which is open media. Individual exhibition modules remain flexible and
to S­ ecrecy” exhibition is the first attempt to address show it at the main location of the Stasi Records Archive. daily, aims to explain the tasks, subject matter and work- can be integrated or left out of guided tours, depending
this subject primarily through the written documents It had to be shown on the very grounds where the State ing methods of the archive in a clear, transparent and on the interests and previous knowledge of the visiting
themselves and through the archive that has preserved Security organized the surveillance of the population for user-friendly way. It strives to be accessible not only to group. This modular structure enables a target group-­
them to this day. Thus, the ultimate aim of the exhibition almost four decades and where that same population later groups on a registered tour but also to individual visi- oriented approach to visitors that takes into account the
is to create a space for an independent and critical occupied the Stasi headquarters, an event that proved tors exploring on their own, thereby complementing in a different needs of a diverse audience. All the exhibition
examination of historical sources and questions. central to the Peaceful Revolution. meaningful way the resources that are already offered at rooms can be accessed from the original historical stair-
the site. The archive exhibition focuses on the records left case or by elevator, which means they are barrier-free. In
From the start, this idea of “presenting the archive” was The permanent exhibition “State Security in the SED behind by the Stasi, showing the archive’s daily work with addition, the exhibition offers different levels of content,
closely linked to the aim of presenting and illustrating that Dictatorship” opened in the Stasi Museum in early 2015; these documents and the challenges it faces as it strug- meeting the needs of visitors interested in more in-depth
which exists many times over in the Stasi Records Archive, the open-air exhibition of the Robert Havemann Society, gles to store them safely, make them usable and preserve information. This approach ensures that the general
but which remains hidden to the public. The curators were “Revolution and the Fall of the Wall” has been presented them for the future. information level of the exhibition is not overloaded with
confronted with a special challenge: how to convey in an on the grounds since summer 2016. These exhibitions are detail.
appealing way to a diverse group of people what at first now joined by this new permanent exhibition on the Stasi Perhaps the greatest challenge the project team faced
glance seems like a rather “dry” topic, and how best to archives, which aims to do its part in transforming the for- as it prepared the exhibition was finding a way to present The content-related juxtaposition of past and present runs
show all the potential uses and opportunities an archive mer site of repression and revolution into an educational such a multi-layered subject – the intertwined and secre- through the entire exhibition, an effect that can also be
offers. As one of the first comprehensive exhibitions site on dictatorship and resistance, human rights and de- tive management of information – in a way that is accessi- experienced visually and invites visitors to think about the
devoted to an archive and its work, “Access to Secrecy” mocracy. This “Campus for Democracy” is open to every- ble to the general public. In order to meet this challenge, future. Historical themes showing equipment used by the
demonstrates that it is not just about old dusty files: one and is the home to various associations dedicated to “Access to Secrecy” concentrates on the essential fea- Stasi are presented alongside current photographs of the
behind these documents lie the stories, lives and fates of dealing with history and engaging in a lively examination tures, presenting them in an overview that allows visi- Stasi Records Archive. This relates the work of the Stasi for
real people. The archive also provides a unique glimpse of the past, present and future. tors to position the individual subjects within an overall the purpose of surveillance to the work of today’s archive

ACCESS TO SECRECY
10 11

for the purpose of clarification and coming to terms with Information texts and visual components are set on
the past. simple, grey exhibition walls that do not distract from the
content-related examination of exhibition themes. At the
In each chapter, classical text, object and image compo- same time, the unequal, trapezoidal surfaces ensure that
nents are accompanied by different media stations, film the arrangement of exhibition chapters does not appear
sequences and projections to create a certain atmos- monotonous, rigid or static. The sheet steel used as a
phere, a pictorial background or a specific spatial impres- background element on the walls of the exhibition rooms
sion. The visual language has been carefully selected alludes to the equipment used by the Stasi. The colour
to give visitors an authentic impression of the archival and structure of this surface is based on the material of the
rooms and an opportunity to immerse themselves entirely Stasi’s working instruments, such as index card machines,
in each separate chapter of the exhibition. In addition, cabinets and shelves. In this way, a sense of the atmos-
people who experienced this history first-hand express phere of the daily work with index cards and documents is
themselves in interview sequences and tell the person- conveyed. At the same time, by creating an airy feeling in-
al stories that lie behind the files. In this way, the Stasi’s side the rooms, the modern design components and light
viewpoint, which is fixed in the documents, collides with colours set themselves apart from the views from the Stasi
the perspective of its surveillance targets, who are given era, which were rather heavy and gloomy. For the design
a voice in the exhibition. At other film stations, specific of exhibit displays and shelf components, elements were
aspects of the archive work, such as the project to recon- also used that make reference to current archival work.
struct torn documents, are vividly explained. By integrat-
ing these different media formats, the exhibition avoids Clear lines run through the entire exhibition design, pro-
becoming monotonous and one-dimensional, and allows viding orientation and creating a contrast to the confusion
visitors to experience the different exhibition themes on caused by the complex information structures of the Stasi
1↑
many different levels. and the mass amounts of data it collected. In addition,
they set themselves apart from the dark wood panelling
While considering how to present the Stasi documents, and colourful wallpaper patterns which were typically
the project team always had in mind that the ongoing found in Stasi offices from the 1960s to 1980s and which
archive operations should not be interrupted by the exhi- came to characterize its daily work. Each exhibition room
bition and that all possible measures must be taken to pro- has its own colour scheme, which serves as an addition-
tect the original documents. The Stasi Records Archive is, al orientation aid to visitors as they walk through the
after all, ultimately assessed on its ability to ­permanently ­multi-level exhibition. It is employed discreetly, however, Before the exhibition was installed in House 7, the exhibit arrangement within the individual chapters makes
protect its holdings while simultaneously informing the so as not to disturb the atmospheric room décor. staircases and foyer areas on each exhibition level were the structure and thematic assembly of the exhibition
public about its work in a transparent manner. Since large renovated according to historical conservation guidelines. clearly discernible.
numbers of visitors in the archive rooms could cause One special feature of the exhibition is the clever integra- Large-format, symbolic photos in the foyers set the mood
damage to the files in the long term, “Access to Secrecy” tion of film and three-dimensional installations, such as for the themes addressed in the exhibition space behind Access to Secrecy – A tour of the exhibition
presents the archival documents outside these rooms. By archive shelves and file stacks, into the room designs. In them. These pictures at the entrance are mounted on
giving visitors an impression of the storage rooms and file addition, nearly original sized photographs, archival mo- large glass surfaces to optimize the presentation of colour In terms of content, the exhibition takes visitors back to
shelves in this alternative way, while allowing them to have tifs with former Stasi equipment and views of the current and texture on the walls in the foyers, which are protected the time when the documents were created, to the time
contact with the preserved documents, the new exhibition archive rooms are displayed on glass walls in the indi- as historic monuments. when the staff of the Stasi performed its work, but it also
area ensures increased protection of the holdings and vidual chapters. A visitor has the impression of standing illustrates the challenges facing the Stasi Records Archive
helps preserve the original documents for the future. inside an index room, a file repository room with stuffed The way in which the content in the exhibition is ap- today. Introductory texts, historical photographs and film
file cabinets or between oversized file folders surrounded proached – from the archive itself to the information recordings, original documents and objects from the
The design concept by Stasi documents. In this way the motifs, colours, forms and organization system that made the work of the Stasi archive as well as interactive media stations offer visitors
and materials help stimulate the imagination. Visitors are possible, to the diverse surveillance work documented an “access to secrecy”. The State Security itself never im-
The exhibition design deliberately employs a clear able to step back in time and engage with the content of within it and even a case study – provides a consistent agined that its records would ever be seen by the people
language of colour and form. The furniture used in the the exhibition without being exposed to an oppressive dramaturgy for the individual chapters and floors. As a it monitored or by the general public. The title of the per-
exhibition incorporates components from the world of ar- atmosphere. The three-dimensional installations function “climax” to the exhibition, the last room presents the case manent exhibition refers to the extraordinary and world-
chives, while the materials, such as glass and sheet steel, as a metaphor: one is able to enter the files and “open” the of a person who was monitored by the Stasi. Even here, wide singular opportunity to look into formerly secret files.
create a modern contrast to the past and express open- formerly sealed documents – they also serve as a reminder though, it is not imperative that the exhibition be viewed
ness and transparency. In addition to conveying informa- of the historical moment in the 1990s when the files were in any specific order. Visitors can spend a short amount of The exhibition presents the Stasi’s complex information
tion, the scenographic representations provide visitors opened and the people under surveillance achieved ac- time in the exhibit or focus on a specific theme or single system on nearly 600 square metres of space spread over
with actual insight into historical facts. cess to their documents. section. The unambiguous colour-coding system and the four floors. The data collected through surveillance work

ACCESS TO SECRECY
12 FOREWORD 13

was elaborately arranged and stored so that it could be The diverse legacy of the Stasi The over-dimensional “walk-in files” are a special feature of
used against politically inconvenient people, dissidents the exhibition. Behind the open file ends, which symbolize
and alleged enemies of the GDR. A tour through the The next exhibition area on the second floor is dedicated the individual, successive chapters of the case, visitors be-
thematic units reveals why these “testimonies of injustice”, to the vast range of different records left behind by the come immersed in the story. Film interviews with Gilbert
which document an attack on the privacy of millions of Stasi. Upon entering the room, the visitors’ attention is Furian provide personal insight into his biography and
people, are still being stored and used. The exhibition drawn to the file shelves, which have been modelled after allow visitors to experience his story more directly. Gilbert
is structured according to four thematic chapters, which the actual repository rooms of the archive. In addition to Furian, who gave his consent to the publication of his
build on each other, but can also be viewed separately. millions of index cards and files, the Stasi also left behind documents, said that viewing his Stasi files later was “like
thousands of photos, films and videos, audio recordings looking into a distorting mirror.” His case illustrates in both
The history behind the Stasi Records Archive and electronic data storage devices, such as floppy disks a depressing and impressive way – beyond the systematics
or database fragments. Some selected original exhibits, and working methods of the Stasi – how the surveillance
The entrance area and rooms on the ground floor of including old film reels, a tape recorder and a working system affected people directly and caused personal
House 7 serve as the arrival point, first orientation and computer that were used by the secret police, are present- consequences.
information area. The eye-catcher here is a sculpture ed to the public for the first time. The exhibition presents
representing stacks of files that was created from replicas the origin and nature of these objects, but also discusses That the GDR, despite its extensive surveillance appara-
of some 420 individual files. It symbolizes the massive the challenges posed by this difficult legacy of the Stasi, tus, ultimately failed to completely control every corner
amounts of files left behind by the State Security and for example its indexing, use and conser­vation. of society, and that the people whom it monitored for
builds a kind of emotional bridge to the Stasi Records decades were successful in their struggle to gain access to
­Archive. In the information room, the background and A separate exhibition wall is dedicated to information the secret documents – is what the Stasi Records Archive
history of the archive is explained by means of a chrono- storage by the Stasi. A chart illustrates the complex inter­ stands for.
logical review of the central historical events: When East relationships and links between records. The example
Germans occupied the Stasi offices in 1989/90 and took of the civil rights activist Ulrike Poppe demonstrates the If the exhibition and accompanying catalogue is able to
possession of the files, the conditions were created for challenges of researching the documents: a person could provide “access to secrecy” by giving an impression of the
preserving the documents. It made it possible for the be registered in many different card indexes and proce- work and significance of this extraordinary archive while
people who had been targeted by the Stasi to view the dures of the Stasi. There is also a film interview with Ulrike also encouraging people to address the legacy of the SED
unlawful documents created on them. These documents Poppe, a historical witness who agreed to participate in dictatorship and reflect about history and memory, then
are also useful in reparation and rehabilitation proceed- the exhibition, which allows the topic to be approached this will be its greatest achievement.
ings and provide clarification through research and media more personally.
projects. ­Selected documents can also be viewed and
used by the public in exhibitions, publications and the “Walk-in files” are like “looking into a distorting Nadja Häckel, M. A.
Stasi Records Online Resource. ­mirror”
As a member of the project team “Presenting the Archive”,
The information system of the GDR secret police In the last exhibition room, visitors are presented with the the author worked on the concept, development and
story of another person who was targeted by the Stasi. ­implementation of the permanent exhibition.
The exhibition then offers insight into the Stasi’s complex This one does not claim to serve as an example for all
information system. The exhibition room on the first floor cases of surveillance and persecution by the Stasi. Instead,
describes the system’s structure and how it functioned. it illustrates how easily an individual could be caught in the
This is where the card index system, containing millions of sights of the Stasi. This case examines the work processes,
index cards and symbolizing both the bureaucratic reg- surveillance methods and effectiveness of the Stasi. All
istration of the population and the Stasi's data collection of the previous exhibition themes come together here
mania, is explained. Photographs and films give an impres- in a concentrated space: the bureaucratic registration
sion of the rooms where the Stasi worked and make visi- of bother­some individuals, the covert collection of
tors feel as if they are actually standing in an index room. information in order to take action against someone,
The central exhibit is an original paternoster index cabinet and the secret police “processing” that was organized
from the 1980s. In this way visitors become acquainted and recorded in the documents and which still today
with a few of the index cards, which make up some of the bears witness to the Stasi's surveillance measures and
most important documents in the Stasi Records Archive human rights violations. Its view and working methods
and are still deeply important for contemporary research. find expression in selected original documents and is
Media stations and touchscreens provide more in-depth countered by the perspective of Gilbert Furian, who was
information; film clips inform about the current work in the targeted by the secret police in the 1980s.
archive.

ACCESS TO SECRECY
14 INFORMATION ON THE ARCHIVE 15

The Stasi

The Stasi Records Archive and the perma-

nent exhibition “Access to Secrecy” are
located at the very site where the secret
police of a dictatorship worked for 40
years, collecting information on a society
under surveillance. From 1950 to 1990, the
grounds in Berlin-Lichtenberg housed the
central offices of the GDR State Security
Service (Stasi for short). The Stasi head-
quarters expanded over time, ultimately
covering an area of almost 2 square
kilometres. At times, as many as 7,000
full-time employees were working in some
fifty different buildings. From here the
Stasi, as an essential pillar of the Socialist
Unity Party of Germany (SED), asserted the
SED’s claim to leadership in the GDR and
secured its power.

Under the Soviet model of communist dic-

tatorship, the aim of the single ruling party

INFORMATION in eastern Germany was to control all areas

of life. There was no tolerance in the GDR

ON THE ARCHIVE for anything that could be interpreted as a

rejection or criticism of the SED’s auto-
cratic rule. The Ministry for State Security
(MfS) was established in 1950. Although
it functioned as a foreign intelligence and
secret service agency, it was primarily a
secret police force engaged in the sys-
tematic surveillance of its own population.
2↑
Removed from any parliamentary control,
it acted as the “shield and sword of the
party” solely on behalf of the SED. Its main
task was to identify critics and possible
“opponents” of the regime, prevent their
activities, and thus secure the existing

ACCESS TO SECRECY
16 INFORMATION ON THE ARCHIVE 17

­ alance of power. As “enemies of social-

b Erich Mielke (1907–2000) was the last
ism”, all dissenters and dissidents were Minister for State Security, an office he
criminalized and persecuted. To this end, held from 1957 to 1989. Mielke strongly
the MfS used its far-reaching powers, influenced the development of the Stasi.
including the authority of police and Under his leadership and responsibility,
prosecutors, as well as surveillance instru- the surveillance apparatus spread its
ments. In addition to postal surveillance, tentacles into all areas of society. To live
telephone tapping, secret observations, up to his claim: “Comrades, we must know
apartment searches and spying on “suspi- everything”, the staff of the Stasi grew
cious” persons, its surveillance methods and its range of tasks expanded. In 1989
included measures to psychologically “un- Mielke was in charge of around 91,000 full-
dermine” its targets, the use of informers time, salaried employees – out of a total
– called “unofficial collaborators” (IM) – and population of 16.4 million.
above all, systematically gathering infor-
mation about activities and individuals. Some 180,000 unofficial collaborators
(IM) worked covertly for the Stasi as
­informants, collecting information about
their fellow citizens and passing it on to
the ­secret police. In this way, for many
years the Stasi was able to convey the im-
pression of being omnipresent and seem-
ingly o
­ mnipotent. The diffuse fear that
this generated became its most powerful
weapon; it led many people to adapt and
subordinate themselves to the dictator-
ship, thus helping suppress resistance.

3↑ 4↑
Full-time Stasi employee going about The Minister for State Security, Erich Mielke,
his work in a surveillance station, (right) welcomes the head of state and party
around 1980 leader, Erich Honecker, (left) on the occasion of
the 30th anniversary of the MfS in front of his
ministerial seat, House 1, 1980.

ACCESS TO SECRECY
18 INFORMATION ON THE ARCHIVE 19

The Stasi’s Store of

Knowledge

The Stasi collected data on millions of But all the information gathered during
people for the purpose of surveillance. surveillance operations had first to be clas-
To prevent and suppress criticism of sified, managed, stored and made avail-
the government, and if necessary, take able. To this end, the Stasi developed a
measures towards prosecution, it had to clever system of interlinked card indexes,
obtain a comprehensive view of the entire data storage and case files. This complex
GDR population and have knowledge of information system constituted the Stasi's
all conceivable social developments and store of knowledge, which it managed and
tendencies. In a number of different ways, stored in the card index and archive de-
it compiled and evaluated information partment. The archive of the State Security
and used the results for secret police thus formed the foundation stone for its
­measures. work as a secret police.

Conspicuous individuals were r­ ecorded,

registered and “processed” by the ­Stasi
in various types of transactions and file
categories. There were a number of rea-
sons why a person might be registered by
5↑
Stasi employee at a paternoster cabinet with the Stasi, which meant being put on file.
space-saving storage of index cards, around If someone worked in areas important
1985 to the state, such as the army, the Stasi
would examine that person’s general
background and social environment so
that it could provide information about
their political reliability. If the Stasi was
enlisting new informants and wanted to
recruit a candidate, it would also covertly
gather information about that person.
The Stasi was particularly interested in
people who voiced criticism of the state
and party leadership. It secretly monitored
6↓
Stasi employee in front of filing shelves in the
people it regarded as political opponents,
repository area, where the Stasi kept its archived 7↓ for ­example members of peace or envi-
files, between 1984 and 1989 Stasi employee reading a file, undated ronmental groups, or people who did not
conform to the GDR’s social norms. If its
suspicion of “hostile-negative activity” was
confirmed, the Stasi persecuted its targets
with intimidation and threats, which could
lead to their arrest and imprisonment.

ACCESS TO SECRECY
20 21

The End of the Stasi

The Peaceful Revolution in the GDR finally The population’s resentment was directed
put a stop to the surveillance activities especially at the Stasi, which was seen as
of the State Security. Political changes in the symbol of oppression and persecu-
Eastern Europe, a catastrophic economic tion, bullying and spying. Public outrage
situation inside the country, and the refus- over decades of surveillance led to pro-
8←
al of the political leadership to implement tests throughout the GDR that culminated “Never again Stasi! Oust the Socialist
reforms had caused the emigration and in a wave of Stasi offices being occupied. Unity Party from power! Germany,
exodus movement to grow ever stronger. Beginning on 4 December 1989, demon- United Fatherland!” are the demands
The situation worsened when the “Iron strators gained access to Stasi buildings – of demonstrators storming the Stasi
headquarters in Berlin-Lichtenberg on
Curtain” fell in the summer of 1989 and first in Erfurt, later in many other cities – to
15 January 1990.
the border between Austria and ­Hungary stop the work of the secret police and its
opened, making it possible for GDR destruction of evidence documenting
citizens who had taken refuge in the West abuses of power and human rights viola-
German embassy in Prague to emigrate. tions.
9↓
In the autumn of 1989, growing protests After storming the Stasi premises on 15 January 1990, demonstrators
within the country, public actions by By 15 January 1990 the course had been painted their demand “Enough spying – out now!” on a wall of a building
opposition groups, and the ongoing mass set for the complete dissolution of the of the Stasi.
demonstrations by disenchanted citizens State Security Service. During a demon-
led to a fundamental process of upheaval stration, thousands of citizens took control
in the GDR. of the Stasi headquarters in Berlin-­
Lichtenberg, which until then had been
East Germans demanded a genuine dia- left largely undisturbed. After 40 years,
logue with the government. They wanted they shut down the secret police head-
the SED to renounce its absolute claim to quarters and sealed the end of the Stasi.
leadership and they called for democratic As a consequence, millions of documents
changes such as freedom of opinion and were salvaged and evidence of the surveil-
travel rights. The SED, and with it its secret lance system was secured.
police, the Stasi, increasingly lost its sole
interpretative authority and the ability to
steer events in a desired direction. Hoping
to appease the population and maintain
its power, the government introduced
new regulations on permanent emigra-
tion. But the opening of the Berlin Wall on
9 Novem­ber 1989 accelerated the peo-
ple’s efforts to bring the economy of scar-
city and paternalism to a swift end. During
discussions on change, the demand for
German unity gained urgency. The SED
was forced to abandon its absolute claim
to power. Without clear instructions from
the party leadership, the Stasi was unable
to fulfil its main task of securing internal
power.
22 INFORMATION ON THE ARCHIVE 23

Stasi offices in the GDR (as of 1989)

The surveillance network of the State The ministry in Berlin consisted of various
Security extended across the entire service units, organized according to their
territory of the GDR. Its objective was to areas of responsibility. They included main
monitor the population locally in all areas departments, independent divisions and
11 ↓
of life. The following units with territorial working groups that were each assigned Bundles of documents and sacks with various Stasi
competences were subordinated to the to certain topics or social areas. In accord- items salvaged after the Stasi headquarters in Berlin
Stasi headquarters in East Berlin: ance with the so-called “line principle”, the was occupied in 1990, 18 March 1992
work division of the service units on the
• the 15 district administrations (BV) in district and county level reflected the divi-
the respective district cities (Schwerin, sions and units at the Berlin headquarters.
Rostock, Neubrandenburg, Potsdam,
Berlin, Frankfurt/Oder, Cottbus, The end of the Stasi began when the Stasi
Magdeburg, Halle, Leipzig, Dresden, offices were occupied in the districts of
Karl-Marx-Stadt/Chemnitz, Erfurt, the GDR. In the permanent exhibition, an
Gera and Suhl), interactive touch screen shows the loca-
tions of Stasi offices, indicating which ones
• 209 county offices (KD) in smaller were occupied in the individual districts
towns (such as Eberswalde, G­ örlitz, and which ones later became archival sites.
Zwickau, Meiningen, Jena and It also shows the number of records left
­Weimar) and behind at each site.

• 7 “on site” offices (OD) which moni-

tored large, economically important
enterprises (the nuclear power plant in
Greifswald, the chemical combines in
Buna, Leuna and Bitterfeld, the “Carl
Zeiss Jena” combine and the glass
combine “Schwarze Pumpe”) and se-
curity sensitive university areas (at the
Dresden University of Technology).

10 ↓

ACCESS TO SECRECY
12 ↖
26 INFORMATION ON THE ARCHIVE 27

Opening the ­Stasi Files

The occupation of the Stasi offices marked On the official day of German unifica­ On the basis of the Stasi Records Act, in
the start of an unprecedented event: The tion, 3 October 1990, the Rostock pastor January 1992 citizens were allowed for
first time that the files of a secret police Joachim Gauck was appointed “Special the first time to view the documents that
were opened to the public. Commissioner of the Federal Government the Stasi had created about them. After
for the Records of the Former State ensuring the safekeeping of the records,
13 ← But first the issue of how to deal with the ­Security Service”. In a historic move in the people also fought hard for and finally
Interim order concerning the use of files of the Stasi became the subject of December 1991, the Stasi Records Act won the right to open their files. For the
records containing personal data
political and social debate. The decision (StUG) provided a legal basis for handling first time worldwide, the documents of
of the former Ministry for State
Security/Office for National Security to preserve the documents and provide the files. This Act established access rights a secret police and the information that
(interim user rules) of 12 December access to them was the result of lengthy to the records, the right to view one’s had been unlawfully collected were made
1990 negotiations. Fearing data abuse and own personal file, and the possibility to accessible to the people who had been
The first user regulations from Decem- a poisoned social climate, sceptics in check whether someone had worked for monitored.
ber 1990 provisionally regulated the
politics and society repeatedly argued for the Stasi. The Special Commissioner was
taking over, storage, administration,
archiving, cataloguing and use of blocking the files. It was understood, how- renamed the “Federal Commissioner for
Stasi records. It was initially restricted ever, that the records were indispensable the Records of the State Security Service
to examining whether employees in as evidence in rehabilitation cases and as of the Former German Democratic
public service had collaborated with sources for personal as well as historical Republic” (BStU).
the Stasi and to provide information
and cultural reappraisal. Questions such
for criminal prosecution and rehabili-
tation purposes. as which institution should be responsible
for administrating the files, whether the
files should continue to be stored decen-
Gesetz trally or moved to a central location, and
über die Unterlagen des Staatssicherheitsdienstes
der ehemaligen Deutschen Demokratischen Republik what degree of access should be granted
(Stasi-Unterlagen-Gesetz – StUG)
to victims and affected persons had yet to
be resolved.
15 ↘
When it became known later in 1990 that Eva-Maria Hagen, Pamela Biermann, Katja Havemann,
14 ←
Jürgen Fuchs and Wolf Biermann inspecting files for the first
Act regarding the Records of the demands to open the files had not been
time in January 1992
State Security Service of the Former
considered during negotiations on Ger-
German Democratic Republic (Stasi
man unification, public outrage was great.
Records Act – StUG)
On 14 November 1991 the united In protest, on 4 September 1990, civil
www.bstu.de

German Bundestag passed the Stasi rights activists again occupied the former
Records Act, which entered into force Stasi headquarters in Berlin-Lichtenberg.
on 29 December 1991. As of 1992,
A hunger strike lent emphasis to their
citizens could personally view the files
demands and attracted public attention.
that the Stasi had compiled on them.
People throughout the GDR held vigils
and strikes to express their solidarity with
the strikers. The public pressure led to
success when a supplementary agree-
ment was added to the Unification Treaty.
The preservation, opening and use of the
files were set in writing and the German
Bundes­tag was instructed to begin delib-
erations on a corresponding law “immedi-
ately” after reunification.

ACCESS TO SECRECY
28 INFORMATION ON THE ARCHIVE 29

Using the Stasi Files

The “opened” files, a symbol of the Peace- As a subject of historical research and
ful Revolution, are used today for the political education, the documents shed
personal, legal and historic reappraisal light on the Stasi’s secret hegemonic
of the SED dictatorship. knowledge and its methods and actions.
They also provide unique insight into the
The Stasi Records Archive, both in ­Berlin social developments and everyday life in
and at other locations, m­ anages the pre- the GDR from the viewpoint of the Stasi.
served records of the Ministry for State Publications, exhibitions, and educational
Security (MfS). The archival holdings are programs give the public the opportunity
safely stored, their contents catalogued to view selected documents. It is impor-
and made accessible for use. While tant that the records of the surveillance
protec­ting personal privacy, the docu- system that document the systematic vio-
ments are made available on request to lation of fundamental rights be preserved
private individuals, institutions, research for future generations and that they be
bodies and the media. available for studies of dictatorship and
democracy.
In principle, everyone has the right to view
the documents that the MfS created about
them. By inspecting the files, people who
were spied on by the Stasi are able to
learn how the Stasi interfered in their lives
and who was responsible for this. Under
certain conditions, relatives can also view
the files of missing or deceased persons.
The staff of the Stasi Records Archive
is available to answer any questions
concerning the regulations and to offer
guidance on how to submit a request to
view records.

In many political persecution cases, the

Stasi files remain the only available evi-
dence. They serve as an important basis
for legal restitution and compensation
proceedings. They are also used to check
whether individuals in politics, business,
and society had past involvement with
the Stasi. This includes members of the
government, the federal and state parlia­
ments, holders of local political office,
16 ↑
View into a repository room of the Stasi Records Archive, judges, and civil servants.
10 January 2017

ACCESS TO SECRECY
»
30 INFORMATION ON THE ARCHIVE 31

I think if we had
left the files closed,
no one would have
believed us. 17 ↑

The Stasi Records

Ulrike Poppe ­Online Resource

The Stasi Records Online Resource (www. collection and all online documents can
stasi-mediathek.de) provides an example be searched in full text. Historical events
of a public use of the files. It is an online and personal stories are compiled under
window into the Stasi Records Archive additional theme-based collections.
and gives an idea of the vast range of
preserved archival holdings. The digital The contents of the Stasi Records Online
resource provides easy, multimedia access Resource are accessible via desktop com-
to selected contents of the archives. puters and mobile devices such as tablets
and smartphones.
Visitors to the Stasi Records Online
Resource can view images of original
documents and independently research
file material, photographs, film and audio
recordings from four decades. Filters can
be added to achieve a better overview of
the Online Resource’s c­ onstantly ­growing

ACCESS TO SECRECY
32 INFORMATION ON THE ARCHIVE 33

20 ↖
21 ↑
22 ←

18 ↑
19 →

ACCESS TO SECRECY
34 THE CARD INDEX SYSTEM OF THE STASI 35

The multiple card indexes rank among

the most important written records of
the Ministry for State Security (MfS). In
total, around 5,700 different indexes with
approximately 41 million index cards
have been preserved. The vast majority
of indexes refer to individuals and contain
very different types of information rang-
ing from general facts down to intimate
details.

The card indexes were very important in

the everyday work of the Stasi. They were
its main work tool for recording, storing,
managing and analysing information
that had been collected on people and
situations for the purpose of surveillance
and control. The Stasi used indexes to
structure the data it collected so that the
stored information and archived cases
could be accessed directly at any time. In
the gigantic bureaucratic apparatus, the
work of the secret police would have been
almost impossible without this information
management.

Today, the card indexes play a key role

in the work of the Stasi Records Archive,
too. They constitute the starting point for
every search and are, at the same time,
finding aids, information storage and ar-
chival holdings. Not only do they provide
access to the most important files of the
MfS, serving as an indispensable tool for

THE CARD INDEX SYSTEM information management, they also often

contain information that makes it possible

OF THE STASI
to search for further documents.

23 ↑

ACCESS TO SECRECY
 THE CARD INDEX SYSTEM OF THE STASI 37

Central Indexes
Among the Stasi’s many different card
indexes, the “central card indexes” This complicated work sequence was put However, the personnel who processed
provided basic services for all areas of in place to foster “internal concealment”. the cases could, if necessary, draw on
the Ministry for State Security (MfS). Fearing “internal and external enemies”, information that had been collected and
Even today, they are used to find initial the Stasi strove to maintain a high level added to Stasi files at an earlier time and
data about a person and can provide of secrecy and discretion among its own which might again be useful. The index
information about data stored in other staff. Individual employees were only cards were the key to finding this stored
cases and files. The Stasi headquarters in meant to know as much as they needed to information amidst the vast quantities of
Berlin and all district administrations had do their job. documents.
index and archive departments under the
­designation ­Department XII. These offices
were r­ esponsible for maintaining and
updating indexes with the most import­
24 ↑ 26 ↓
A staff member of Department XII using
ant ­information for their specific area of Index room in the archive building that still con-
a paternoster index cabinet containing responsibility. These storage facilities that tained the earlier equipment with Stasi paternoster
index cards of the central persons index were managed in a uniform manner by index cabinets, around 2000
F 16, around 1985 the index departments are called “central
indexes”.

25 ↓
A staff member of Department XII The central indexes were used to carry
filling out index cards on a typewriter, out fundamental tasks for the other Stasi
around 1985 service units: the recording of individu-
als and the registration of cases. When a
person came to the attention of the Stasi,
the relevant service unit sent a request to
the index department, Department XII.
This department first checked the central
indexes to determine whether information
already existed on that individual. If so,
the employees had access to a multi-level
­system of stored information and archive
files.

ACCESS TO SECRECY
38 THE CARD INDEX SYSTEM OF THE STASI 39

Concrete examples of an index card

The complex centralized card index

27 ↓
management system is based primarily
View into an index room of the Stasi Records Archive with on the following card indexes: the central
modern paternoster index cabinets, 10 January 2017 persons index F 16, the central case index
F 22 and the codename index F 77. These
designations are derived from the number
on the form on which the respective data
was entered.

The index cards and records shown on the

following pages were created by the Stasi
on Lutz Rathenow, who has kindly granted
us permission to use these documents.

28–30 ↑

ACCESS TO SECRECY
40 THE CARD INDEX SYSTEM OF THE STASI 41

The central persons index F 16

The Stasi recorded individuals in whom it was interested The F 16 index is sorted by name, but not strictly alphabet-
in the central persons index F 16. They could be citizens ically according to the written form. Instead it is arranged
of the GDR as well as people from West Germany or other phonetically so that similar sounding names can be found
countries. The reasons for the Stasi’s interest in certain more easily. For instance, Maier, Mayer, and Meyer are
people varied: if someone worked in areas important to all classified under Meier. The next criterion is the first
the state, or in the army, or if they expressed critical views name: Claus is archived, for instance, under Klaus. This
about the social conditions in the GDR, they quickly drew allowed the employees in the index department to obtain
the attention of the Stasi. The F 16 index contains data on initial information about a person relatively quickly when
targeted individuals under surveillance, but also on official necessary. Even today, it is essential that the archive staff
employees and unofficial collaborators (IM) about whom be familiar with the idiosyncrasies of the Stasi’s informa-
the Stasi had covertly gathered information. tion management and data storage methods. Without
understanding the complicated system developed by the
The F 16 index is also referred to as the central “legal name Stasi, the staff would be unable to find information in the
index”. Unlike other indexes, it contains the real first names different files requested by researchers and other interest-
and surnames of individuals along with details of their ed parties.
addresses and professions. The identities and personal
data of the registered persons can be viewed in this file
without encryption. As a rule, however, the file does not
indicate why the Stasi monitored the person listed on the
file card. The F 16 initially serves as a storage system for
the names of the people about whom the Stasi collected
information. The “registration number” links the file to oth-
er index cards, making it possible to search for additional
information.
32 ↑
Persons index card F 16
on Lutz Rathenow

33 ↘
Index room in the archive building
of the Stasi headquarters, around
1985
This is where the persons index cards
with the initial letters A–K were stored.
The index cards with the initial letters
L–Z, including the index card on Lutz
Rathenow displayed here, were kept on
the floor above in a similarly equipped
room.
31 →
Index card boxes lined up in the scale of the indexes. They placed all the
Stasi Records Archive, around 2000 Müller index boxes behind each other
In the central persons index F 16, the so that they formed a 21-metre-long
Stasi classified cards with the names line of files.
Möller, under Müller because “ö” and
“ü” sound similar. Employees of the
Stasi Records Archive in Berlin came up
with the idea of visually depicting the

ACCESS TO SECRECY
42 THE CARD INDEX SYSTEM OF THE STASI 43

The central case index F 22

The data on cases was stored separately from the per- other hand, contains the name and personal data of a cer-
sons index. In a case, the Stasi registered individuals tain person, but it is not possible to deduce from this card
and objects that were the subject of intensive scrutiny. alone why the Stasi was monitoring the person or why they
Depending on the reason for surveillance, measures and were included in this index. In order to reconstruct this,
objectives, the Stasi conducted different categories of it is necessary to combine references from the different
cases, mostly undercover investigations of individuals and indexes containing related information.
storing information in files.
Moreover, by linking the information from the persons file
When the Stasi decided to create and register a file on a and case file, one gains access to the files that have been
certain person or situation, the index department as- created on specific persons or situations. As a rule, the
signed a registration number to this file. Then it created ­archive numbers are only entered on the case file card
a corresponding F 22 index card with this number. The F 22, which in turn leads to the corresponding documents
entire case file is arranged according to the registration in the archive repository.
numbers.

In contrast to the persons index F 16, a person’s real name

(legal name) is not listed in the case card, only the code-
name. This is because the details on the case card alone
were not supposed to allow any direct inference about the
person recorded in the case. Out of fear that secrets could
be betrayed, employees within the Stasi were not allowed
to know everything.

In general, only the case file contains information on the

35 ↑
nature of a particular case. The F 22 card can provide Case index card F 22
information on whether the case involved the surveillance on the operational case
of an individual or, for instance, the recruitment of an “Assistant”
informant. But the F 22 file alone does not reveal who is
behind the given codename. The F 16 index card, on the

36 ↓

34 →
An employee of Department XII
working on index cards and lists,
around 1985

ACCESS TO SECRECY
44 THE CARD INDEX SYSTEM OF THE STASI 45

The codename index F 77

The codename index F 77 records the codenames for cas- The Stasi used the codename index mainly for statistical
es, objects, measures or individuals. For the purposes of purposes and as an overview of the existing registered
secrecy, the Stasi used codenames for covert activities and cases. For ongoing cases that were still being processed,
to conceal identities. The codenames for cases were laid the F 77 index cards were sorted according to the service
down by the Stasi. Unofficial collaborators (IM) normally units that oversaw the cases. F 77 index cards of closed
chose their codenames themselves. The unofficial collab- cases were sorted directly by codenames.
orators, as well as covert actions or measures, appear in
Stasi documents, such as reports on persons under surveil-
lance or situations that interested the Stasi, only under
the codenames assigned to them. Accordingly, access to
certain documents does not reveal the person or measure
involved. To learn this, one has to link the information to
other files and documents.

38 ↓

39 ↑
Codename index card F 77 with
the codename “Assistant”
By comparing the registration number
on the index cards shown here – F 77
(codename “Assistant”), F 22 (Opera-
tive case) and F 16 (Lutz Rathenow) – we
37 ↓
are able to determine that all three
index cards refer to the same case and 40↓
person. Full-time Stasi employee processing
index cards, around 1985

ACCESS TO SECRECY
46 THE CARD INDEX SYSTEM OF THE STASI 47

Paternoster index cabinet

From 1984 on, this original index cabinet

was used in the new archive building of
the Stasi headquarters. The Stasi used
these cabinets to store its index cards
in an orderly and space-saving manner.
They gave its employees in the index
department rapid and efficient access to
information. The cabinets were operated
by an integrated electric motor (which has
been removed from the exhibit for safety
reasons) that rotated the index sections
around to the cabinet opening. Because
of its rotation, this machine is often called
a “paternoster index cabinet”. The front
flap which is open here could be locked
to prevent unauthorized persons from
gaining access to the index cards inside
the cabinet.

In the 1980s, House 8, the new archive

building of the Stasi headquarters in
Berlin-Lichtenberg, housed about 140 of
these rotating index cabinets. The cabinet
in the permanent exhibition is one of the
few preserved original machines from the
Stasi era. The staff of the Stasi Records
Archive continued to use these machines
in the early 1990s, but now have modern
(rotating) index cabinets that allow them to
find specific index cards more quickly.

41 ↑

ACCESS TO SECRECY
42 ↖
50 THE CARD INDEX SYSTEM OF THE STASI 51

44 ↓

Decentral Indexes
In addition to the central indexes, a large
number of “decentralised indexes” from
the Ministry for State Security (MfS) has
been preserved. These indexes were used
directly in the work of the Stasi’s individual
areas of responsibility. Each service unit,
including all main departments, inde-
pendent divisions and working groups at
the MfS headquarters in Berlin as well as
all subordinate service units in the district
administrations and county offices, kept
43 ↑
their own decentralised indexes. Full-time Stasi employee processing
index cards, around 1985
The many different decentralised indexes
were mainly used to facilitate the compila-
tion of information. Networking between The pre-compressed, search and
the individual service units enabled them ­reference index = VSH
to store personal data more independent-
ly. It also allowed the Stasi to massively The “pre-compressed, search and ref- The VSH is subdivided into F 401 and F 402
expand its database of registered per- erence index” (VSH) is an example of a index cards, which are sorted in alphabeti-
sons. The imperative objective of the Stasi decentralized index. This index had been cal order by name.
in accumulating these enormous volumes built up in the individual operational ser-
of data was to record and control every vice units of the Stasi since 1974. The index
“suspicious” individual and every potential was intended to create closer networking
“enemy” of the state and party leadership. links between the service units and simpli-
fy the compilation of information.

Up to the very end of the Stasi in

1989/1990, the VHS continued to be the
most important work index in the service
units. It facilitated rapid and relatively easy
access to information about individuals.

ACCESS TO SECRECY
52 THE CARD INDEX SYSTEM OF THE STASI 53

The pre-compressed and search index F 401 Reference card F 402

On its pre-compressed and search index card, a service The reference cards F 402 were used to document infor- reference (VSH) index. As soon as information about the
unit recorded all the individuals whom it secretly “pro- mation exchanged between service units. If a service unit specific individual was obtained, it was handed over to
cessed”. The goal was to compile all the important infor- that was currently “processing” a specific individual was the service unit that had requested it.
mation about a specific individual in a compressed form awaiting further information from another department of
on this search card. the Stasi, it documented its interest on these reference In this way, the Stasi was able to ensure that “valuable”
cards. ­information reached all the offices that could use this
knowledge to process their cases. At the same time, it
To this end, it recorded the name and details of the person made it possible to trace which information had been
under surveillance on an F 402 card and passed on the passed between different departments of the Stasi.
completed card. The receiving service unit then incor-
porated the card into its pre-compressed, search and

45 ↓ 46 ↓
A concrete example: In addition, an index card of this kind may also contain A concrete example: However, no details are given on why Lutz Rathenow was be-
An F 401 card on Lutz Rathenow references to information about the individual stored in An F 402 card on Lutz Rathenow ing monitored by the Stasi. What lies behind the additional
On the F 401 index card about Lutz Rathenow, his basic other indexes, like here to the operational case (OV) with the The F 402 card presented here contains the personal details reference to “Akteur Skinhead” cannot be determined on the
personal details are recorded, such as name, birth date, per- codename “Assistant”. This case is found in the central file of Lutz Rathenow and the Stasi service unit that “processed” basis of the card displayed here.
sonal identifier, which served as an identification number in F 22 and contains a reference under the same registration him at that time: Main Department (HA) XX/9 is listed
the GDR, along with his address and occupation. number to Lutz Rathenow in the central file F 16. When here, too. This unit was responsible for surveillance of
processing a particular case, the Stasi was able to use these the alternative culture scene and “combating the political
The service unit of the Stasi that was “processing” Rathenow cross-references to access information that had already been underground” in the GDR. The name of the service unit in
is listed here, too: Main Department (HA) XX/9, responsible, stored elsewhere. which the reference card was classified is also noted: Main
among other things, for surveillance of the alternative Department (HA) XXII/8, responsible for “counterterrorism”.
culture scene and “combating the political underground”, It sent information obtained about Rathenow back to Main
of which it believed Rathenow to be a part. Department XX/9.

ACCESS TO SECRECY
47 ↖
56 THE CARD INDEX SYSTEM OF THE STASI 57

Original index cabinet of the Stasi Seal stamps used by the Stasi

This original index cabinet was used by the Stasi to store These stamps presented in the exhibition were used by
DIN A6 index cards. Above the drawers, remains of the Stasi employees to seal index cabinets and safes in order
sealing mass used to fasten the drawers are visible. This to restrict access to certain information. They were also
was done to prevent access by unauthorised persons. used on offices to prevent entry by unauthorised persons.

48–50 ↗

ACCESS TO SECRECY
58 THE CARD INDEX SYSTEM OF THE STASI 59

The M index — postal surveillance

The M index is another example of a Department M conducted daily checks of

decentralized index (i. e. one that is not in postal items sent within the GDR and ones
the index department). It is named after that arrived from or were sent abroad.
the service unit of the Stasi in which it was The employees of Department M opened
kept: Department M. It was responsible countless envelopes and made transcripts
for monitoring letters and postal items or photocopies of their contents. In special
and detecting “any hostile activity”. It was cases, the originals were withheld. Most
active at the Stasi headquarters in Berlin letters were resealed – ideally without
and also at the level of the GDR district leaving any traces – and sent via the nor-
administrations. mal route to the recipient. Department M
recorded and managed the examined
Since the post was the most frequently postal contents in its own index systems
used means of communication in everyday consisting of index card file pockets.
life in the GDR, the Stasi attached great
importance to postal surveillance. Initially,
postal surveillance was conducted mainly
to assess the social mood and gather
public opinion. Over time, however, postal
surveillance was used increasingly as part
of systematic checks on individuals. The
Stasi infringed on the privacy of millions
of people and systematically violated the
secrecy of correspondence even though
52 ↓
this fundamental right was anchored in the Example of an index card file pocket
constitution of the German Democratic (Form M10), in which Department M
Republic (GDR). placed photocopies and filmed results
of ­postal inspections. The data on
“suspicious” senders and recipients
of inspected letters could be entered
into the empty fields.

51 ↑
The Stasi used cold vapour devices to
open letters and inspect the content of
letters. It also used index cards to store
and manage the results of a postal
surveillance, undated.

ACCESS TO SECRECY
60 THE CARD INDEX SYSTEM OF THE STASI 61

53 → 54 ←
Operational notice of letter hand- Handwritten letter to Lutz Rathenow
over This letter to Lutz Rathenow dated
With this document from December November 1989 was opened by
1988, Department M, on behalf of Department M within the framework
its director, Major General Strobel, of postal surveillance and copied for
handed over a confiscated postal item further use. Department M gave a copy
to Main Department (HA) XX/9. It had of the letter to the Stasi service unit
asked Department M to monitor post that had “processed” and collected
from and for Lutz Rathenow, whom the information on Rathenow. As the State
Stasi regarded as a suspect from the Security was disbanding and evidence
“political underground”. was being destroyed, this document
was torn up. It was later possible to
reassemble the snippets and have the
letter classified into the appropriate file
in the Stasi Records Archive.

ACCESS TO SECRECY
62 THE CARD INDEX SYSTEM OF THE STASI 63

Concrete postal surveillance Technical devices to open and seal

letters
On the one hand, the surveillance of
postal communications was done in a Beginning in the 1970s, the Stasi increas-
general manner with spot checks of postal ingly used technical aids such as letter
items for any unusual external features. opening machines, letter sealing machines
This could be incomplete sender details, and x-rays to screen letters. Postal control
handwritten embellishments or envelopes evolved into a highly effective surveillance
with additional glue. method.

At the same time, there was person-­

related surveillance that targeted specific
suspicious senders or recipients. To this
end, Department M executed search
orders from other Stasi service units and
searched purposefully for postal items of
observed persons. It passed on photo-
graphed letters and seized material to its
colleagues, placing a copy in its index card
file pockets. For these personalized postal
checks, it conducted “special letterbox
emptying”. After observing a specific per-
son dropping off post, the Stasi removed
57 ↗
these items from the letterbox, sometimes
Already opened letters are placed in a
even from private letterboxes. letter sealing machine, around 1984.

58 →
Checked letters are reclosed in a letter
sealing machine, around 1984.

59 ←
Employee of Department M placing
resealed envelopes in a letter press
to remove any traces of postal
control, around 1984.
55 ↗
Employee of Department M opening
letters, undated

56 →
Work station for the manual resealing
of postal items, undated
64 THE CARD INDEX SYSTEM OF THE STASI 65

60 ↑
61 ↗
62 →

63 ↑
64 ←

ACCESS TO SECRECY
66 THE STASI’S LEGACY 67

The broad array of documents, ­material

and data carriers left behind by the ­Ministry
for State Security (MfS) make up the cur-
rent holdings of the Stasi ­Records Archive.

Included in this collection are the files that

had already been archived by the Stasi.
Since 1984 its central archives had been
located in House 8 on the grounds of the
Stasi headquarters in Berlin-Lichtenberg.
It stored its archived files of closed cases
in several repository rooms there. For rea-
sons of secrecy, access to them was highly
restricted.

The current archival holdings also contain

documents that were still being processed
in 1989 and 1990. Until March 1990, when
the State Security Service was ­disbanded,
its employees were still monitoring
social developments and working on
­ongoing cases. In a final effort to obscure
the scale of the decade-long spying, the
Stasi ­attempted to destroy documents
or render them unusable. When citizens’
­committees began occupying Stasi
offices in D
­ ecember 1989, they were able
to secure damaged documents as well
as completely intact records, working
materials and data carriers of the secret
police.

Today’s archive consists of various kinds of

information storage such as photos, slides,
videos, films, sound carriers, microfiches,
magnetic tapes and floppy discs. These
records left behind by the Stasi are pre-

THE STASI’S LEGACY served in the House 8 archive building, in

other neighbouring buildings and at addi-
tional archive locations of the Stasi Records
Archive. They are archivally processed and
put into a form that protects privacy while
making them available to those affected, to
researchers, the media, and the public.

65 ↑

ACCESS TO SECRECY
68 THE STASI’S LEGACY 69

The ­Reconstruction
of Torn-Up Documents

The Stasi not only left behind intact papers

and media, but also destroyed and torn-up
documents. As a secret police and intelli-
gence agency, it made a strong effort to
destroy as many documents as possible
during the Peaceful Revolution in the GDR.
It hoped to eliminate evidence of its mass
surveillance and repression of society
and to cover up traces of illegal activity. In
many of the Stasi offices, massive amounts
of documents were destroyed. Stasi em-
ployees tore, burned, shredded or pulped
countless documents in paper disposal
machines.

The occupation of Stasi offices from

­December 1989 on put an end to the
further destruction of records. Citizens’
committees managed to salvage many
“pre-destroyed” papers that had been
torn up by hand and were awaiting
­removal. Thousands of bags were stuffed
with torn-up pages, index cards, chopped
up photos or tangled balls of audio
­recordings and films. Records that had
been put through a shredder and rolled
into clumps were beyond repair and had
to be disposed of. This left around 16,000
containers with torn-up material that could
be saved from permanent destruction.

66 ↑
The state in which the Stasi left its docu-
ments created a particular challenge to
the archive in its goal of making docu-
ments accessible for use.

67 ↑
Bag storage facility in Magdeburg
­where the containers with pre-destroyed
material are stored today, 2017

ACCESS TO SECRECY
70 THE STASI’S LEGACY 71

A puzzle of Stasi snippets

This report from an IM file documents two

meetings between an unofficial collabo-
rator of the Stasi (IM) and his case officer.
The Stasi used an IM file to store both the
documents about unofficial collaborators
as well as the written reports they provid-
ed. Unofficial collaborators were divided
into different categories according to their
68 ←
area of activity. An IMS, which was the
Employees of the Stasi Records Archive
sort and manually piece together paper
most common category, was supposed
snippets that were torn up by the Stasi to identify “suspicious situations” and
prior to 1990, 2008. “new security requirements”. Providing
­unsolicited reports was meant to have a
“preemptive and damage-preventing”
effect.

Shortly after the meeting described in this

Manual Reconstruction report took place, Stasi employees tore up
the page. It was later reassembled by hand
The Stasi Records Archive has been com- point the matching pieces of paper are through the manual reconstruction project
missioned by law to safely store the Stasi pieced together by hand. and assigned to the corresponding case
files and make them accessible for use. in the Stasi Records Archive.
Hence, it is also responsible for recon- Through this precise detailed work,
structing torn documents. This undertak- several pages or even entire cases can In the permanent exhibition “Access to
ing is one-of-a-kind in the field of archives be reassembled. This is how thousands Secrecy”, visitors can try their hand at
in Germany and perhaps in the entire of documents have been reconstructed, assembling the individual snippets on a
world. subsequently archived and made available digital touch surface.
for use.
The first step in the reconstruction of
documents is the examination of the Although a new process of virtual compo-
bags containing the torn-up material. The sition has been developed, the process of
“Manual Reconstruction” project began in manual reconstruction of Stasi documents
1995. It involves inspecting the bags one continues. When a sheet has only been
by one and sorting the contents. The torn torn once or twice, it is faster and easier
documents are removed from the sacks to reassemble it by hand. Moreover, this
in layers and laid out on a work surface to method assures the preservation of the 69 ↗ 70 →
Report on a meeting with the IMS (un-
ensure that contextual connections are not original pages.
official collaborator used to penetrate
lost. Then they are arranged according to and secure the area of responsibility on
the different shades of paper, the writing a politically operative level) “Schlosser”
material, the typeface and, finally, on the from 26 October 1989
basis of the written text content, at which

ACCESS TO SECRECY
72 THE STASI’S LEGACY 73

Virtual Reconstruction

The successful reconstruction of Stasi the snippets. The developed software,

documents has shown that restoring torn the so-called “e-Puzzler”, compares the
documents is feasible and invaluable for snippets for matching characteristics, such
political and historical reappraisal. as colour, writing or cracked edges, and
reassembles the pieces that fit together
Many pages, however, were torn into into complete pages. The resulting recon-
several small pieces. Reconstructing structions can then be added to files and
these documents by hand would be very cases in the archive.
laborious. It would require a high level of
manpower and take decades to complete. The project has already successfully
In 2007 the research project “Virtual Re- demonstrated that virtual reconstruction
construction” was launched to enable the works in principle. During the project
Stasi Records Archive to fulfil its mission of test phase, it became apparent that this
making the documents – even damaged undertaking, which is unique in the world,
documents – accessible in the foreseeable is highly complex. It is being developed
future. further to improve the process, speed
up the scanning technology and make it
In a pilot project for computer-aided generally more effective. The goal is to fill
reconstruction, the Fraunhofer I­nstitute the gaps in the archive by creating a stable
for Production Systems and Design method for the virtual reconstruction of
­Technology (IPK) has developed a soft- documents.
ware that can reassemble the paper
71 ↑
fragments virtually. In preparation for the Quality assurance of the virtual reconstruction of Stasi
scanning process, the snippets are sorted records, 2013
layer by layer into small boxes to ensure In the quality assurance stage, archivists assist in reassemb-
that the contextual framework remains ling the snippets by checking whether the puzzle proposals
are complete, after which they confirm or reject them. The
intact. A high-performance scanner
Stasi Records Archive takes the reconstructed pages, compiles
then creates high-resolution images of them into files and cases and returns them to the context in
which they were created.

ACCESS TO SECRECY
74 THE STASI’S LEGACY 75

cessed, cases, as well as individual docu-

ments that they found in the offices and on
the desks of Stasi employees. These were The “Acker II” file
added to the holdings of today’s Stasi
Records Archive. Operational case (OV) “Acker II” is an The archived folder 6 of the OV “Acker II”
example of a file that had already been is presented here. The same file folder is
Over 111 linear kilometres of written archived by the Stasi and stored in its ar- seen in the photograph taken by the Stasi.
material – the equivalent to the distance chives. An operational case was a specific Photographs like this one from the every-
between Leipzig and Dresden – have been procedural category of the Stasi, in which day work of the Stasi are rare. The taking
preserved. Today, around half of these it collected information on criminal offenc- of photographs was strictly regulated. This
records are stored in the central Stasi es, mostly undercover investigations of one, however, was taken for documenta-
Records Archive in Berlin. The documents individuals and secret police actions. tion purposes and displayed to its own
from the MfS headquarters are kept here employees as part of its efforts “to keep
along with those from the district adminis- In December 1981 the State Security traditions alive” and depict the work of the
trations of Berlin and Potsdam. The other district administration in Berlin opened archive department.
half of the file material, which came from the operational case (OV) “Acker II”. It was
the other Stasi district administrations preceded by other surveillance cases,
and county offices, is spread over the including “Acker”. In these cases, the Stasi
Stasi Records Archive’s twelve additional compiled its findings about an organized
locations. These archives are situated on group of smugglers that helped people
72 ↑
Repository room in House 8 with the territory of the former districts of the who wanted to leave the GDR cross over
mobile aisle shelving units used by the German Democratic Republic (GDR), in the the border into the West. In 1984 the
Stasi to store its records, between 1984 new federal states of Germany. “­Acker II” file was closed, archived and
and 1989 transferred to the Stasi central archive.

73 ↓

The Written Records

of the Stasi

Written documents make up the lion’s

share of the records left behind by the
Ministry for State Security (MfS). These
include files on individuals under sur-
74 →
veillance, on unofficial collaborators and Folder 6 of the operational case
administrative procedures, index cards, “Acker II”
work instructions, minutes, telegrams,
transcripts of oral reports and much more.

The preserved written material is not limit-

ed to the documents archived by the Stasi
as file folders on completed cases. Before
the Stasi was dissolved, over half of its
documents were still in the departments
of the individual service units. Citizens’
committees were able to secure a large
part of these “active”, not yet fully pro-
76 THE STASI’S LEGACY 77

Mobile shelving

These original parts belong to mobile

shelving used by the Stasi to store its
archived files in Berlin. In House 8, the new
archive building, in which the Stasi’s cen-
tral archive had been located since 1984,
four large rooms were equipped with
a system of manually operated mobile
rolling shelves. These devices are used in
archiving and library systems in order to
cut back on floor space and provide more
storage area.

Before the repository rooms were refur-

bished in 2000, the files were stored in the
central Stasi Records Archive in these shelf
systems left behind by the Stasi. Today, the
repository rooms in House 8 are fitted with
state-of-the-art mobile aisle shelving units
which allow for proper storage of the Stasi
records. The shelf labelled H 089, which
is presented in the permanent exhibition,
is one of the few original mobile shelves
preserved from the Stasi era.

75 ↑

ACCESS TO SECRECY
78 THE STASI’S LEGACY 79

From the bundle to the file –

­cataloguing

When citizens’ committees occupied they originated. The archivists summarize

the Stasi buildings during the Peaceful the important contents of a file and record
Revolution in the GDR in 1989/1990, they them in a database so that they can be
discovered utter chaos in the offices of the retrieved and searched by subject, person
Stasi employees. Thousands of documents or place. To do this, it is necessary to take
were in disarray. The contents of folders into account the structure, working meth-
and loose sheets of paper had to be tied ods, information paths and the special
up in bundles and collected for storage. filing system of the Stasi.
A large share of the Stasi documents was
unsorted and uncatalogued. As part of its work as a secret police, the
Stasi massively encroached on personal
For the records to be at all useable, they rights and unlawfully collected informa-
had to be restored to the context in which tion about people. This means that before
they were created. In 1992, when the the documents can be used by the public,
Stasi Records Act (StUG) granted affected they have to be prepared in accordance
persons the right to inspect files, the docu- with data protection regulations.
ments had to be sorted and prepared for
use while maintaining data protection.
One of the most urgent tasks was to
establish connections between the highly
complicated card index system and the
masses of preserved files.

The work of recording, cataloguing and

76 →
Photograph of the repository room indexing the contents of unsorted doc-
of the Stasi Records Archive, 2017 uments continues to be one the most
The loose pages were tied together into important tasks of the Stasi Records Ar-
bundles of documents, arranged and chive today. This requires reconstructing
indexed according to content so that
the original order of the documents and
they can be used for research.
organizing them according to the corre-
sponding Stasi service unit from which

ACCESS TO SECRECY
80 THE STASI’S LEGACY 81

Preservation of written records

Since the written documents are con- collection. The Stasi Records Archive
stantly being used, the archive must also is collaborating with partner archives
address the task of restoring and conserv- to achieve this goal. Long-term digital
ing them for the future. The various paper archiving represents a particular challenge
materials are fragile; some are brittle and that must be met in the future. Currently,
cannot be stored indefinitely. It is impor- digitalised documents are being stored
tant to limit any additional damage caused in an archive-­compatible storage system
by external influences. Conservational based on ­specific parameters so that they
measures such as acid-free protective are available for further retrieval.
packaging and air-conditioned archive
rooms are also used to extend the life
of the documents. In the Stasi Records
Archive’s restoration workshop, measures
such as paper de-acidification and mould
removal are applied to already damaged
pages to restore their legibility and make
them usable.
77 ↘
It is also the responsibility of the archive
to ensure that the constant use of original
materials does not cause erosion. This is
where the digitalisation of documents can
play a role, creating new opportunities
by increasing the use of digital copies.
To this end, the documents are prepared
comprehensively and digitalised
with scanners that are gentle on the
documents’ content. It is also easier for
users to work with the digital documents.
78 ↑
Systematic digitalisation is being planned View into the repository room of the
as part of the strategy for preserving the Stasi Records Archive with modern
equipment, 2018
The rolling shelves contain new archive
boxes, in which records can be properly
stored today.

ACCESS TO SECRECY
79 ↖
84 THE STASI’S LEGACY 85

Ulrike Poppe in the

­Stasi Records

This example, based on an extract from In the GDR, political opponents, acts of
the file on Ulrike Poppe, illustrates the di- resistance and any criticism of the ruling
versity of the records left behind by Stasi. party fell into the category of PUT (“po-
In many cases, when a person’s name is litical underground activities”), which the
found in the Stasi documents, there does Stasi aimed to prevent. Main Department
not exist one specific individual file or XX was in charge of combating the PUT. Its
one surveillance case targeting this sole task was to uncover plans and intentions
individual. The same person can crop up hostile to the state and to prevent opposi-
in very different documents. Ulrike Poppe, tion groups from networking and gaining
for instance, is mentioned in several cases public attention.
in which the Stasi collected, stored and
processed information about different The Stasi stepped up surveillance of Ulrike
individuals and situations. Poppe in the 1980s when she became
active in the independent women’s and
Ulrike Poppe was born as Ulrike Wick in peace movement, which was classified
Rostock in the GDR in 1953. She moved to as part of the “political underground”. In
East Berlin to begin her university stud- addition to taking covert photographs and
ies in the early 1970s. There she became tapping telephones and private homes,
acquainted with people who met in dis- the Stasi also used informers who passed
cussion groups to exchange their critical on information about Ulrike Poppe and
views about politics and society in the her acquaintances to the secret police.
GDR. This is how she came to the attention
of the Stasi, which saw these meetings
as “subversive” and part of the “political The photos and document excerpts
underground”. presented on the following pages were
taken from files that the Stasi kept on
Ulrike Poppe. We would like to thank Ulrike
Poppe for consenting to the use of these
documents as well as for the interview she
provided for the exhibition.

80 ↑

ACCESS TO SECRECY
86 THE STASI’S LEGACY 87

Various Stasi records on Ulrike Poppe: OV „Zirkel“ ZMA on OV “Zirkel” ZMA “Women’s Circles/Groups”

V op “Partner” / AOP “Monolith” / In September 1977 the operational case An additional file, a central collection of in- In March 1982, when the GDR extended
AOP “Atelier” (OV) “Zirkel” (circle) was set up, in which formation (ZMA – Zentrale Materialablage) the mandatory military service under
the Stasi carried out surveillance of indi- that corresponds with the OV “Zirkel” also certain circumstances to women, Ulrike
From January 1972 on, Ulrike Poppe (still viduals whom it attributed to the “political contained information on Ulrike Poppe. Poppe joined the protest against the new
named Wick at the time) appeared in underground” (PUT). One of these people The ZMA was different from registered law. This initiative led to the founding
records of the Stasi in the role of a “contact was Poppe’s husband. Through these cases in that it functioned more like a man- of “Women for Peace” in East Berlin in
person”. A few registered surveillance cas- connections information on Ulrike Poppe ual file in which the Stasi could store situa- October 1982. The group was opposed
es (such as the preliminary file “Partner” or quickly landed in the “Zirkel” case, which tional information that it could continue to to militarization and rearmament poli-
the later archived operational person con- meant that the Stasi monitored her in process directly. The “Zirkel” case and the cies and grew into a network of women’s
trol “Monolith” and “Atelier”) on people several parallel cases. The Stasi stepped related collections of information were still groups throughout the GDR. Classifying
active in opposition circles in East Berlin up its surveillance and tapping activities being processed by the State Security up the activists as “exponents of political un-
also contain information on Ulrike Wick. in the operational case (OV) “Zirkel” in to its dissolution in 1989/1990. derground activities” (PUT) directed from
However, the Stasi did not process her in a ­January 1986, as Poppe and her husband the West, the State Security began taking
targeted manner. For a few years her name were helping to establish the “Initiative action against them. It gathered material
was simply entered into what was known Peace and Human Rights” (IFM), one of the from different sources into a central file,
as a Kerbloch-Kartei, an edge-notched most important opposition groups in the called a ZMA, that was used to provide
index card. This allowed the Stasi to begin GDR. daily reports on the women’s movement.
collecting information on her without
having to abide by the strict guidelines “This OV ‘Zirkel’ (circle), the operation-
and work regulations that applied to regis- al case compiled on me and my former “My first organized group was ‘­Women
tered cases. husband Gerd Poppe. And he took it upon for Peace’. This women’s group was
himself to filter out all the IMs from the founded in 1982. It was a reaction to the
records. He found 80 unofficial collabora- newly amended law on military service
In an interview presented in the perma- tors. […] that planned to include women into active
nent exhibition, Ulrike Poppe speaks about duty service, under certain conditions. We
her experiences of being surveilled by The ‘Initiative Peace and Human Rights’ protested this provision. And that was, so
the Stasi und later viewing her Stasi file. was founded after we failed to organize a to speak, the start of this group’s work.”
Excerpts from this interview from 2018 are human rights seminar under the roof of the
presented here. church. And this work became more and
more important.
“I graduated from high school in Oranien-
burg in 1971. And then right away I began We had accounted for the fact that our
my studies at the university in Berlin. Art phones were tapped, that the post was ex-
education and history. amined. At some point we found a micro-
phone in our flat. We resorted to writing
As soon as I arrived in Berlin, I came in important things onto a piece of paper
contact with groups that discussed politics and not talking in our flat.”
a lot. Members of those groups were also
former students that had been kicked out
of the university for political reasons. I hap-
pened to live in the flat of someone who
got arrested. So this is how I experienced
my first house search. And that’s when my
problems with the Stasi started.”
81 ↑

ACCESS TO SECRECY
88 THE STASI’S LEGACY 89

Investigative Case AU XV 5340/83 ZOV „Wespen“ ZMA “Women for Peace”

Ulrike Poppe was ­arrested by the Stasi on In response to the increased network- In parallel to “Wespen,” the central case
12 December 1983. She was i­nterrogated ing of women’s groups, the Stasi’s Main about the women’s movement, the Stasi
and taken to the remand prison in ­Berlin- Department XX set up the central oper- set up an extensive central collection of
Hohenschönhausen the following day. The ational case (ZOV) “Wespen” (wasps) in information (ZMA) file titled “Women for
Stasi instigated preliminary proceedings June 1985. The Stasi wanted to prevent a Peace”. It consisted of partial files from
against her on grounds of suspected nationwide merger and the systematic or- all 15 districts of the GDR from Rostock,
“treasonous transfer of information”. The ganization of the women’s groups. It used East Berlin, Leipzig, Dresden, Halle all the
official reason was a meeting that had both informers and psychological destabi- way to Erfurt. Only some of the ZMA still
­taken place between Poppe and a civil lising measures to hinder their high-profile exists, however, because it was partially
rights activist from the British women’s activities and thwart their connections destroyed by the Stasi in late 1989.
movement. Following massive interna­ abroad. When the central operational case
tional protests, Ulrike Poppe was released “Wespen” was created, the Stasi deleted
after six weeks in detention on 24 January from its central database the registration “I think if we had left the files closed, no
1984. The preliminary proceedings against of Ulrike Poppe in the “Zirkel” case. In one would have believed us. Because
her were dropped. The investigative case actuality, however, Poppe continued to be if we had talked about the methods of
was closed and archived in the central processed in both cases in the following surveillance and we had not been able to
archive of the Stasi in Berlin. years, which was not typical of the Stasi’s prove them, people would have thought
work methods. us preposterous. They would have thought
that we wanted to exaggerate our own
“Then an English peace activist, she was roles. But it was actually the Stasi that
originally from New Zealand, was used “Well, we did notice that the Stasi was hyped our activities. We, the few oppo-
as a reason or rather our contact with her observing us relentlessly, but we were still nents, would have never been able to
was used as a reason to arrest four wom- quite astounded when we were handed topple the state.”
en from the women’s group ‘Women for over the records in January of 1992 and
Peace’ in December 1983. saw what a humongous collection of re-
cords they put together. Because really, we
It took me five weeks before I started to were not as threatening as the Stasi made
take this detention seriously. That is when us out to be.”
I understood, we were approaching a trial.
Surprisingly I was released after six weeks.
84 ↖ ↖
And that was due to the enormous state- 85 ↖
ments of solidarity that were pouring in 86 ←
from all over the world.” 87 ↙
Stasi surveillance photos
of Ulrike Poppe in East Berlin
in the 1980s

82 ↖
83 →
Mugshot of Ulrike Poppe
after her arrest by the Stasi
in December 1983

ACCESS TO SECRECY
88 ↖
92 THE STASI’S LEGACY 93

Images, Audio
­Recordings, Films –
­Diverse ­Archival
­Holdings
91 ↘
In addition to its collection of written
documents, the Stasi Records Archive
also preserves a wide range of informa-
89 ↑
tion media. These include more than Tangled reels of film from the Stasi
2,800 films and videos, at least 1.8 million before they were catalogued in the
photographs and around 24,000 audio Stasi Records Archive, before 2000
recordings. The Stasi’s work operations
and methods are therefore not only docu-
mented in files and card indexes, but also
in photographs, audio recordings and film. abuses, such as environmental damage
or violent police operations. The Stasi Training films and videos from the
These different forms of media primarily also used audio-visual technology for Ministry for State Security
served the Stasi’s central task: monitor- self-promotion and training purposes.
ing and controlling the GDR population. Agitation against the “class enemy” was The Stasi also produced training films
Photo, film, video and audio technology meant to strengthen their employees’ for internal use. Some of these train-
provided the Stasi many different oppor- identification with their mission. In ing films are presented in the perma-
tunities to observe suspicious individuals, addition, to document its inner life and nent exhibition and are available in
collect information about alleged “ene- “keep traditions alive”, the Stasi captured their entirety, sometimes with audio,
mies of socialism” and secure evidence. on audio and film numerous work in the Stasi records online resource
Suspicious persons were observed in their conferences, festive events, as well as (www.stasi-mediathek.de).
everyday activities at diverse locations party and state receptions – recordings
such as on a streetcar, in public areas, at that shed light on the Stasi’s self-
the theatre or in a restaurant. Since most perception.
observations were “conspiratorial”, i. e. 90 ↓
secret, the Stasi employees camouflaged
their technical equipment in umbrellas,
suitcases, briefcases, strollers, toolboxes,
or otherwise.

Observation and investigative photos,

surveillance videos, recordings of room,
radio and telephone tapping operations,
recorded court proceedings, interroga-
tions and informant reports are all part of
the preserved archival holdings.

In addition to the Stasi’s own productions,

the collection also contains recordings of
television and radio programmes that the
Stasi used for evaluation purposes. There
is also preserved material that the Stasi
seized from people who documented

ACCESS TO SECRECY
94 THE STASI’S LEGACY 95

Cataloguing and making the media

available

When the Stasi buildings were occupied in In creating these media recordings, here
the winter of 1989/1990, citizens’ commit- too the Stasi massively encroached on the
tees found countless photos, negatives personal rights of the people it monitored.
and slides in disarray and tangled balls of It is therefore important that the provisions Preserving the media
unwound cassettes, audio and film tapes of the Stasi Records Act be observed when
in the offices of Stasi employees. The first using and publishing them. As part of the Preserving the inventory is another focus The photo laboratory is able to use acid
steps involved sorting and packing them right to view one’s own file, affected indi- of the archive work. Because media carrier tests to detect and counter damage to
for storage. viduals are able to view records and media material is fragile, the preserved items pictures at an early stage. The storage
that involves them personally. Researchers often have defects – background noise or conditions have also been improved to
The archival cataloguing work continues to and media representatives may only view scratches, which can cause interference, achieve the best possible protection of the
be absolutely essential in order to locate records in connection with a specific pur- noise and unintelligibility. When possible, media.
the information media and render it suita- pose. The persons affected may decide for the Stasi Records Archive tries to repair
ble for use. To this end, the content of the themselves how the observation photos or and restore such damaged material. Digitalisation also opens up new oppor-
data carriers is examined, after which key films are used. To ensure that data protec- tunities in this area. Contents from data
words describing the main information are tion regulations are complied with, in cases carriers that cannot be preserved are dig-
recorded in a database. of doubt the Stasi Records Archive renders italised, thus securing them for the future.
92 ↓
individuals anonymous. Work area in the Stasi Records Archive
Increasing the use of digital copies can
One major challenge here is to determine where films and videos are processed, also help prevent further wear and tear of
the origin of the individual media and to digitalised and made usable, 2018 the originals.
link the items to the written records. In
many cases, the recordings have been re- In addition, digitalisation offers advan-
moved from the historical context in which tages for developing the media. Scanning
they were created and lack any accompa- and digitalising negatives, for example,
nying information such as title, name, time makes it easier to capture images visually
or location. Finding the corresponding and catalogue their content. In the digital
original context is an ongoing task of the format, places and personal attributions
archive staff. Technical details are fre- can be compared more efficiently, specific
quently missing as well. The first task of the sequences of sound or film material can
Stasi Records Archive is finding the right be accessed more easily, and user queries
device for playing a recording. can be responded to more quickly.

In the digital age, however, when formats

and technical requirements are constantly
changing, the Stasi Records Archive is
faced with the important task of establish-
ing a digital long-term archive.

ACCESS TO SECRECY
96 THE STASI’S LEGACY 97

Audio recordings

In the 1950s, the Stasi began using audio

technology to record court proceedings,
interrogations and hearings, party events
and festive occasions, business meet-
ings and conferences. The recordings of
surveillance operations and interrogations
tend to be of particularly low quality. Usu-
ally recorded covertly, they often contain 94 ↓
disruptive background noise. Dictations ORWO audio tape
of verbal informant reports and record-
ings of room, radio and telephone sur-
veillance make up the bulk of preserved
audio material from the 1970s and 1980s.
The sound collection also includes audio
recordings of radio broadcasts that were
93 ← evaluated by the Stasi.
Surveillance photos taken by Stasi
employees with a hidden camera on
The Stasi Records Archive contains every
27 April 1983 in the vicinity of the
Church of the Redeemer (Erlöserkirche)
form of analogue sound storage media
in Berlin-Lichtenberg. Main Depart- in use in Europe between 1950 and 1989.
ment VIII of the MfS, which received its 1/4-inch magnetic records of varying
orders from other Stasi service units, lengths and materials make up the lion’s
was responsible for this type of covert
share. It also includes compact and dic-
surveillance.
tation cassettes, rare tapes, long playing
records, gram sound sheets or even wire
recordings. The archive is continuously
checking the content of additional audio
Images recording media. It catalogues, archives
and makes them accessible. Occasion-
From the beginning, the Stasi used pictures to make them usable and to index ally empty or deleted tapes have to be
photography for different purposes: as the important topics. Since then the staff disposed of.
evidence, for its own documentation has been working on reconstructing the
and, from the 1970s on, increasingly in its context in which photographs were taken,
surveillance work. In addition to investi- identifying places and objects, and linking
gative and surveillance photographs, the images to the preserved written material.
preserved pictures include confiscated
photos and numerous pictures of celebra-
tions, events, receptions, office anniversa-
ries and official hunting outings.

When the Stasi offices were occupied,

individual photographs, photo albums,
boxes with negative folders, cartons of
positives and negatives, slide series,
individual glass plates, microforms and
Polaroids were found. In the first years, ar-
chivists had to describe the content of the

ACCESS TO SECRECY
98 99

Films

Film and video make up another impor-

tant holding of the Stasi Records Archive.
They too provide insight into the work
processes and surveillance technology of
the Stasi.

The Stasi Records Archive contains films

in 8 mm, 16 mm and 35 mm formats as
well as videos of varying types in different
standards. The Stasi’s own productions,
which mostly stem from its surveillance
or training activities, make up the core
collection of the salvaged film rolls and
video cassettes. There are also recordings
of television broadcasts and film material
seized by the Stasi.

The Stasi also observed “suspicious”

individuals with concealed mobile or fixed
cameras. In the 1980s it increasingly used
95 ↑
ORWO K 60 compact cassettes video technology from Western coun-
Cassettes tries for this purpose. These surveillance
videos generally do not contain informa-
Compact or audio cassettes were among tion about the context in which they were
the most frequently used sound recording made, which makes it difficult to assign
media in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s. Each 96 ↓ them to specific cases.
side normally has a recording capacity
of between 30 and 60 minutes. Although
they have now largely been replaced
by digital technology, because of their
robustness cassettes are sometimes still
used. Hundreds of cassettes were also
salvaged from the Stasi. Their contents
are being examined and safely stored on
more up-to-date digital formats.

Tape recorder

This four-track mono tape recorder from

the Czechoslovakian company TESLA was
made in the late 1960s for analogue audio
recording and replay. The foldable table
97 ↑
device was operated by pressing buttons Film canisters
and could be connected to a slide pro-
jector for presentations. The Stasi used
the audio recorder to make and replay its
magnetic audio tapes.

ACCESS TO SECRECY
100 THE STASI’S LEGACY 101

Electronic Data Carriers

of the Stasi

The Ministry for State Security (MfS) had l­eadership decided to have a large portion
already begun using computer technology of the Stasi’s electronic data storage me-
and electronic data processing (EDV) in dia destroyed. It justified this decision with
the 1960s. It set up and maintained several protecting personal rights and preventing
databases in the 1970 and 1980s so that it the misuse of personal data – for instance
could more systematically evaluate surveil- by Western secret services. In spite of this,
lance results and “process” individuals in a it has been possible to make 54 data pro-
targeted secret police manner. cessing projects from preserved magnetic
tapes and fragments of databases accessi-
In the “central persons database” (ZPDB), ble in the Stasi Records Archive.
for instance, the Stasi stored information
about individuals, situations and incidents To secure the information, the data was
that could be interlinked in diverse ways. copied from floppy disks, magnetic tapes
The ZPDB could also handle complex and removable disks, stored on mod-
queries. The “travel database” (RDB) ern data carriers and made available for
contained details of incoming and outgo- research.
ing trips across the GDR border and was
designed to store 80 million datasets. To The Stasi computer centre
manage its data on registered persons,
the Stasi used the “automatic preselection The Stasi used its first computer systems
system”, which reproduced the data of to register West Berliners entering the
existing indexes. GDR and to record addresses as part of
its postal surveillance. In 1970 the Stasi
Numerous other EDP projects were devel- purchased three high-performance large-
oped in the 1980s. Plans extending into scale computers (type 4004) from Siemens
the year 2000 called for a massive expan- to establish its own central computer cen-
sion of electronic data storage. The idea tre in the Berlin district of Köpenick. From
was not, however, to entirely replace the 1979 it used the “Standardised System of
manual management of information in the Electronic Computer Technology” (ESER)
card indexes with electronic data carriers. that had been jointly developed by the
The indexes contained more detailed Eastern Bloc states. These ESER large-
information, were less prone to break- scale computers were generally compati-
downs and had proven their usefulness in ble with Western IBM systems.
everyday work. Moreover, technological
development was limited by the scarce
resources in the GDR. Until 1989 the Stasi
continued using the card indexes and
databases in parallel and keeping them in
sync with one another.

In early 1990, during the political upheav-

al following the Peaceful Revolution, the
98 ↑
View of the Siemens 4004 computer Central Round Table of civil rights activ-
system in the central computer ists and representatives of the old state
centre of the MfS in Wuhlheide,
­Berlin-­Köpenick, around 1975

ACCESS TO SECRECY
102 THE STASI’S LEGACY 103

Magnetic disc storage Disks

Information could be stored in track circles Portable magnetic disks were a wide-
on magnetically coated removable disks. spread and frequently used data carrier
The data on a removable disk device the from the 1970s until well into the 2000s.
size of a washing machine could be written Unable to cope with the steadily growing
or read by means of a rotating head. In the volume of data coupled with the need for
1970s the Stasi began using these mag- greater storage capacity and speed, they
netic disks as mass storage for its large-­ later became obsolete. The Stasi also used
capacity computers. various disk formats to store its collected
data.
Office computer

The A 5120 model office computer for

text and data processing was made by
Robotron, a state-run enterprise (VEB).
Manufactured in the GDR since 1982, this
computer was only supplied to enterpris-
es and institutions. The Stasi’s index and
archive department (Department XII) used
this model – seen in the photo on the far
left – to enter and process data on individ-
uals.

99 ↑
Placing a magnetic disc on a removable
disc device, undated

100 ←
Employee of the index and archive department
recording data on an office computer made by
102 ↗
Robotron, around 1985
5.25-inch floppy disk left behind by the
Stasi, from the 1980s

101 →

ACCESS TO SECRECY
104 THE STASI’S LEGACY 105

103 ↖
104 ←
105 ↑

106 ↑
107 →

ACCESS TO SECRECY
106 THE CASE OF GILBERT RADULOVIC IN THE STASI RECORDS 107

“Looking in a
­Distorting Mirror”
As the preserved documents make clear,
the Ministry for State Security (MfS) col-
lected and processed large amounts of
information on the people in whom it was
interested. The example of Gilbert Furian,
formerly Radulovic, shows how this was
done and how the information found its
way into the files.

The following excerpts from original doc-

uments testify to the intensity with which
the Stasi pursued its relentless collection
of data. They also provide insight into the
workings of a secret police force. In addi-
tion to reflecting its methods, the docu-
ments also reveal the Stasi’s objectives
and overriding task: to collect information
to be used in controlling and disciplining
the population. This was how the Stasi ful-
filled its function as the SED dictatorship’s
surveillance apparatus and instrument for
maintaining its power. Above all, however,
the example of Gilbert Radulovic shows
how quickly one could draw the attention
of the Stasi and the profound impact this
could have. It documents how a seemingly
harmless private interest became “subver-
sive” action with serious consequences.

Gilbert Furian, whose case is presented

here, describes tracing his own biogra-
phy through the lens of a secret police
as “looking into a distorting mirror.” This
distorted image presented by the Stasi in

THE CASE OF GILBERT ­R ADULOVIC its documents is juxtaposed here with the
personal views and memories of Furian,

IN THE STASI RECORDS

in whose life the State Security massively
intervened.

108 ↑

ACCESS TO SECRECY
108 THE CASE OF GILBERT RADULOVIC IN THE STASI RECORDS 109

Prelude:
“… ­Speaking Your
Mind”
“The Thursday Circle, which I took part in
from 1971, was held in a private apartment
Gilbert Radulovic was born in Görlitz in in Treptow. Around 10 to 12 people met
1945 as Gilbert Kloß. He had already come there once a month and we discussed
into conflict with the political system in the artistic, scientific or political issues. After
110 ↑
GDR during his youth. He caused trouble about three years, in 1974 or maybe 1975, Gilbert Radulovic on assignment
by repeatedly expressing dissenting opin- I left because the direction the discussions for the state-run enterprise (VEB)
ions and openly voicing criticism. were taking was not critical enough of The Stasi kept a critical eye on the heating system construction
the GDR for me. However, throughout my ­Thursday Circle and classified it as a plant in East Berlin, late 1970s
participation I never had the feeling that I ­“hostile-negative group”. It identified
In an interview in the permanent exhibi- should be worried about surveillance.” Radulovic as one of the “most negative
tion, Gilbert Furian, formerly Radulovic, people” in the circle. It began monitoring
provides insight into his story. The follow- him carefully and suspected him of
ing excerpts from this interview and from engaging in anti-state agitation. In the
the epilogue he wrote for the document GDR, this accusation could be used
booklet “Looking in a distorting mirror” to criminalise and punish nearly any
shed light on his experience of being sur- expression of criticism according to
veilled by the Stasi. Section 106 of the Criminal Code.

“When the opportunity arose after the end

of the GDR to take a look at the Stasi files, I
made a request to view my records as fast 111 ↓
as I could. I then found myself for the first
time in a reading room in 1992 looking
through a surprising number of folders.
Before this I would never have believed
there could be any reason for putting
together a file on me.” 109 ←
Gilbert Radulovic in front of
“In my family we frowned upon a practice a propaganda poster of the
that was widespread in the GDR. This prac- GDR during a short vacation
in Pasewalk, 1966
tice involved speaking differently in public
and at home, saying what you really think
at home but in public saying what you In 1970, after Radulovic had drawn atten-
think other people want to hear. In my fam- tion to himself repeatedly by expressing
ily this was called hypocrisy. I was always “negative political-ideological views”, he
encouraged to say what I think.” was dismissed from his philosophy studies
at the Karl-Marx-University in Leipzig. He
moved to East Berlin where he took a job
as an insurance clerk. In his free time, he
met with friends and acquaintances in a
discussion group called the “Thursday
Circle.”

ACCESS TO SECRECY
110 111

112 ↓

113 ↑ 114 ↑
Willi Marquardt, photo from his Hans Buhl, photo from his
personal file at the Ministry for personal file at the Ministry for
State Security, undated State Security, undated

Willi Marquardt (born in 1930) was an Hans Buhl (born in 1933) joined the State
experienced employee of the Ministry Security in 1952. During his career with
for State Security. The trained locksmith the Stasi, he was assigned to various
joined the Stasi in 1957 and worked for leadership positions. From 1974 to
many years for Main Department XX. In 1980 he was in charge of Department 2
Department 2 of Main Department XX, of Main Department XX, which was
To verify its initial suspicion and gather “After viewing the files in 1992, I realised responsible for prosecuting “subversion”, responsible for investigating “subversion.”
evidence of the crime, the Stasi initiated a that the Circle had been under surveil- Marquardt led the surveillance operation As Willi Marquardt’s supervisor, he was
surveillance and control operation (OPK) lance after all and that one of the people “Kopernikus” against Gilbert Radulovic. also responsible for the surveillance of
against Radulovic under the codename reported to the Stasi what went on at the He was a Captain at the time, but had Radulovic in conjunction with the OPK
“Kopernikus” in early 1979. Captain Willi meetings. At the same time I also read that achieved the rank of Major by the end of “Kopernikus”. Buhl still held the rank of
Marquardt took charge of the case. De- after the disintegration of the Thursday his career in 1988. The Stasi repeatedly Lieutenant Colonel at that time; by 1989
spite extensive investigations, however, Circle, the Stasi had lost interest in me for decorated him for his work “fighting the he had advanced to Colonel.
he was unable to prove that Radulovic a while.” political underground.”
had committed a crime. In 1980 the OPK
was closed and the case was archived
without Radulovic having ever noticed the
surveillance measures. For the time being,
the Stasi lost interest in him. By then
the Thursday Circle had ceased to exist.
The Stasi had successfully infiltrated the
group with informants and used targeted
psychological measures to destabilise its
members.

ACCESS TO SECRECY
112 THE CASE OF GILBERT RADULOVIC IN THE STASI RECORDS 113

116 ↗
Punk in East Berlin in front of the
slogan: “No-one does what he
should – everybody does what they
115 ↑
want”
The Case: Interested in the alternative lifestyle
of the East Berlin subculture, Gilbert
Radulovic conducted interviews
“… To Clarify with young punks in the summer of
1982. His colleague Nikolaus Becker 117 ←
a Matter” photographed the teenagers. When the Gilbert Radulovic at his desk in
Stasi began investigating the author the state-run enterprise (VEB)
of the material two and a half years heating system construction
later, Becker expected his photos to be plant in East Berlin, around
In the early 1980s, Gilbert Radulovic “In 1982 I had got to know a group confiscated. He scratched out the faces 1980
became curious about the emerging of punks here in the Pfingstkirche on the negatives to protect the punks’
punk scene in East Berlin and its ­non- (­Pentecostal Church) thanks to a deacon identity.
conformist way of life. Through his responsible for social affairs. And I
church contacts he became acquainted interviewed the punks because I was
with a group of young punks. He was interested in how and why they wanted to
interested in their attitude towards life demonstrate to the general public their
and their views and began recording desire to live differently from what was
his conversations with them. Radulovic expected of them by the GDR state.”
initially planned to publish them with a
GDR publishing house. He abandoned “The material initially disappeared into a
this idea, however, after realizing that the drawer as publication was impossible. The
state might interpret their comments as punks had expressed their criticism of the
highly critical of the regime. GDR in a relatively free manner.”

ACCESS TO SECRECY
THE CASE OF GILBERT RADULOVIC IN THE STASI RECORDS 115

118 ←
Excerpt from “Reminder of a Youth
Movement: Punk”
This was the title of Radulovic’s
booklet, in which he tried to capture
the subculture’s attitude towards life.
He used various catchwords – such
as anarchy, appearance, community,
music, love, and future – to get the
teenagers to speak about their views.

119 →
The Gutenfürst border checkpoint
in Saxon Vogtland was located
between the cities of Plauen in the
East (GDR) and Hof in the West (FRG).
In the course of inter-German travel,
passenger trains crossing the border
had to stop here.

Two years later Radulovic compiled the The envelopes were discovered at the
material into a booklet titled “Reminder of Gutenfürst border crossing point during
a Youth Movement: Punk” and distributed a routine control on 17 January 1985.
it privately to people he knew. He wanted Because the booklet contained provoca-
to give a few copies to acquaintances in tive remarks by punks, it was classified as
the West and asked his mother to take “subversive writing directed against the
eight addressed envelopes containing GDR” and promptly confiscated. When
copies of the booklet with her on her asked about the author, Radulovic’s moth-
trip to the West. As a pensioner she was er had to disclose her son’s name. This
allowed to travel to West Germany, where set the machinery of the Stasi in motion
she was to post the envelopes. again. The production and distribution
of the punk booklet was, in the opinion
of the Stasi, likely to harm the interests of
“After two years I took it back out, short- the GDR abroad and should, therefore, be
ened it to 20 pages and secretly got some- criminally prosecuted.
one to make copies in the factory where I
worked. That would have been impossible
through official channels. So a colleague
printed 100 copies for me. I distributed
90 copies in the East to family and friends
and gave the rest to my mother. She was
a pensioner and, as such, was allowed to
visit the West. She sewed eight copies into
a seat cushion. But the customs officials
discovered them at the border.”

ACCESS TO SECRECY
116 THE CASE OF GILBERT RADULOVIC IN THE STASI RECORDS 117

To determine without a doubt that Gilbert Captain Staedtler began analysing the
Radulovic was the author of the booklet, data that the Stasi had already collected
the Stasi launched a new surveillance on Radulovic. To obtain incriminating
operation (OPK) codenamed “Schreiber” evidence against him, special attention
(writer) on 31 January 1985. This time was paid to Radulovic’s past, his per-
Main Department XVIII was in charge sonal background and his surroundings.
of processing the case. Responsible for During this process the first surveillance
“securing” the national economy in the operation, “Kopernikus,” resurfaced. The
GDR, it also had the task of monitoring the more information the Stasi collected on
121 ↑
plant where Radulovic worked. Captain him, the more it found confirmation of its Gerd Staedtler, photo from his
Gerd Staedtler was the Stasi officer initial suspicion. It felt that his attempt “to personal file at the Ministry for
overseeing the case. establish illegal contact” was the logical State Security, undated
consequence of the ongoing evolution of
The new surveillance operation was Radulovic as an “enemy of the state”.
based on the suspicion that Radulovic was
disseminating texts with “hostile-negative The precondition for instigating prelimi-
content” in the “non-socialist economic nary investigations was finding concrete
area”, meaning countries deemed by the evidence to show that Radulovic was
GDR to be hostile. It interpreted this act indeed the author of the punk booklet.
as “illegal establishment of contact” – a To achieve this, he was to be observed
serious crime in the GDR. Radulovic was secretly and subsequently interrogated.
suspected of having wanted to supply the After he had been under continuous sur-
“class enemy” in the West with subversive veillance for an entire day, he was picked Gerd Staedtler (born in 1949), a trained
material directed against the GDR. The up from his workplace by the Stasi on the measurement and control engineering
aim of the OPK was to collect evidence morning of 27 March 1985. technician from Zeitz, had been with
to corroborate this suspicion so that it the State Security since 1968. He first
could initiate criminal proceedings against served three years with the MfS “Felix
Radulovic. “And then on 27 March, when I almost ­Dzerzhinsky” Guards Regiment in Berlin.
wasn't expecting it any more, they came to As a Stasi employee, he was sent to study
get me and told me I had to go with them engineering in Zwickau in 1971 to learn
“My sister phoned me and told me that ‘to clarify a matter’. I went and got my the technical expertise he would need
they had found the booklets. This led to leather pouch from my office and had to for his future work. After completing
me almost collapsing because my body get into one of the two cars without know- his engineering studies, he joined Main
clearly wanted to give me some idea of ing where they were taking me.” ­Department XVIII of the Ministry for
what was going to happen next. I myself State Security in 1975. He worked there,
tried to suppress any thoughts and initially monitoring central industrial sectors in
no-one showed up. Nothing for one, the GDR, until 1989. He was repeatedly
nothing for two, nothing for three weeks. decorated for his many years of reliable
I was beginning to think that perhaps they service, including for his “successful”
hadn't taken it so seriously.” handling of the OPK “Schreiber”. At the
time he still had the rank of Captain, but
120 ↑
by 1989 Staedtler had advanced to the
position of deputy head of section with
the rank of Major.

ACCESS TO SECRECY
122 ↖
THE CASE OF GILBERT RADULOVIC IN THE STASI RECORDS 121

Radulovic was taken to the pretrial deten-

tion centre II on Magdalenenstrasse in
Berlin-Lichtenberg, which was right next
door to the Stasi headquarters. The sus-
pect Radulovic was expected to respond
to the crimes he was accused of. He im-
mediately confessed to having made the
punk booklet, stressing, however, that his
interest in documenting “how punks live
and think” had been purely personal and
that he did not have the slightest intention
of disseminating this material as propa-
ganda against the GDR.

As soon as he “confessed” he was formally

arrested by the Stasi. Only now did the
Stasi have sufficient incriminatory material
to support the strong suspicion of “illegal
establishment of contact”, as defined in
Section 219 of the GDR Criminal Code.
Radulovic’s status shifted from accused to
strong suspect. With the aim of proving his
“subversive intentions”, the Stasi moved
him to pretrial detention.

123 ← 124 ↑
Photo report on “Schreiber” Warrant for the arrest of Gilbert Radulovic
From the early morning of 26 March 1985 After the initial interrogation on the morning
through to the next morning, Stasi employees of 27 March 1985, the Stasi applied to the
continuously observed the “suspect” Gilbert public prosecutor’s office for a court arrest
Radulovic. They noted in detail where warrant on the basis of a strong suspicion
Radulovic went that day, how much time he of “illegal establishment of contact”. The
spent at each location and exactly what he competent municipal district court of Central
did. Equipped with conspiratorial surveillance Berlin issued the arrest warrant the following
technology, the Stasi employees also covertly day. The judge ordered the pretrial detention
photographed and painstakingly recorded of Gilbert Radulovic on the grounds that the
their observations. suspect was accused of the “crime” of having
made “records with the purpose of dissemi-
nation abroad” that could “harm the interests
of the GDR”.

ACCESS TO SECRECY
122 THE CASE OF GILBERT RADULOVIC IN THE STASI RECORDS 123

After the initial interrogation, Gilbert 126 →

Radulovic was taken to the central pretrial Detailed pictures of the typewriter
The Stasi, suspecting that Radulovic
detention centre in Berlin-Hohenschön-
The Consequences: hausen. The notorious Stasi prison was
had written the punk booklet on
this typewriter, requested a forensic
located in the middle of a restricted mili- examination. The technical investiga-
„… With the Intention tary zone that appeared on the city maps tive unit prepared an expert report that
of East Berlin merely as a blank area. The compared the typeface samples from
of Harming the GDR“ inmates were intentionally left in the dark the confiscated typewriter and punk
booklet. These photos show certain
about where they were detained – one of
keys of the typewriter. The expert
many psychological “undermining meth- report confirmed that Radulovic’s
ods” used by the Stasi to make prisoners typewriter had indeed been used for
feel powerless and at their mercy. the text on the punks.

“At the end of the questioning I had to get

into a small van, a tiny, windowless cell.
Prior to this, they handcuffed me and I was
told that if I tried to escape, they would
use their firearms."

“The journey lasted about 20 minutes and

I was taken to a secret destination. As I
found out later: to the central detention
125 ↘
centre of the State Security in Hohen-
Typewriter, Rheinmetall Record
In the early 1980s, Gilbert Radu-
schönhausen.”
lovic wrote his booklet: “Reminder
of a Youth Movement: Punk” on a
typewriter of the same make. The Stasi
confiscated the original typewriter as
evidence in a house search conducted
during the preliminary investigations.
Its whereabouts are still unknown
today.
In the GDR the Ministry for State Secu- “subversive ­intentions”. It collected work
rity (MfS) was also responsible for crim- evaluations from Radulovic’s employer,
inal prosecution in political cases. In compiled information from his personal
its capacity as investigative body, Main circle, examined his post, questioned a
Department IX of the MfS had criminal number of witnesses, and seized incrimi-
police powers and conducted criminal nating material.
investigations. On paper, it reported to
the public prosecutor but, in practice, it
largely worked on its own. Department 2
within Main Department IX, which focused
on investigating cases involving “political
underground activities”, took over the
“Schreiber” case and initiated exten-
sive action to prove Radulovic’s alleged

ACCESS TO SECRECY
124 THE CASE OF GILBERT RADULOVIC IN THE STASI RECORDS 125

127–130 ← ↙ “The main emphasis in the interrogations

Photo report of an apartment search was obviously for him to prove that I had
To compile all incriminating evidence made the punk interviews ‘with the inten-
against him, the Stasi repeatedly
tion of harming the GDR’. That was the
searched Radulovic’s flat and work-
place. During a targeted search of his precondition for sentencing. And as that
attic, Stasi employees found additional did not work for a long time, he started
material related to the punk booklet searching for dark spots in my past. And
and took these pictures to record the when I asked him what this was all about,
location of their finding.
The extended investigation focused on he said without any qualms, ‘I'm doing this
interrogations of the suspect by the inves- to put together evidence for the court.’”
tigative officer in charge, Major Wolfgang
Mascher. He interrogated Radulovic more
132 ↑
than 40 times during his pretrial detention, In early September 1985, the main pro- Wolfgang Mascher, photo
sometimes three times a day. Again and ceedings were opened before the criminal from his personal file at the
again he had to outline his political views, division of the municipal district court Ministry for State Security,
his reasons for preparing the booklet, the of Berlin-Lichtenberg. After two days in undated
exact circumstances of its production and court, the judge sentenced the accused
the circle of recipients. to a prison sentence of two years and two
months on the grounds of “illegal estab-
lishment of contact”. When pronouncing
“In Hohenschönhausen I was always inter- the sentence, she went beyond the de-
rogated by the same officer for the entire mands of the prosecution. She also found
seven months. He did everything to create Radulovic guilty of the “public defamation
a friendly atmosphere. He talked about his “At the end of the preliminary investiga- of state organs” pursuant to Section 220 of
home life, what his sons were studying, tions, things changed dramatically. No the Criminal Code of the GDR.
answered my questions. For instance, I more friendly tone, no tea with lemon, no Wolfgang Mascher from Erfurt (born
wanted to know why the guards acted special books, no chatty tone. It had clear- in 1946) began working for the Ministry
like robots. And he said: “They have been ly been a pretence or a means of more or for State Security (MfS) at the age of 20.
trained in healthy hate.” less successfully completing his interroga- The trained concrete constructor was
tions.” first assigned to different service units of
the MfS before beginning his studies in
In mid-July 1985 the Stasi concluded the criminology at Berlin Humboldt University
preliminary investigations against Gilbert in 1970 as preparation for his investigative
Radulovic. Technically, Major Mascher work. Afterwards, Mascher became an in-
had not achieved his investigation goal vestigative officer in Main Department IX,
of proving that Radulovic’s intention was the investigative body of the MfS. In this
the “illegal establishment of contact”. capacity he led the preliminary investi-
There was no evidence that he had wanted gations against Gilbert Radulovic. By the
to publish the punk booklet in Western end of his career with the Stasi in 1989,
countries or had consciously intended “to Mascher had advanced to the position of
harm the interests of the GDR”. In fact, the head of section with the rank of Major.
accused repeatedly stressed that he had
indeed made and distributed the book-
let, but that he had not been aware of the
criminal nature of his actions.

131 ↑

ACCESS TO SECRECY
THE CASE OF GILBERT RADULOVIC IN THE STASI RECORDS 127

133 ←
Conviction in the criminal proceed-
ings against Radulovic
After six month’s surveillance, prelim-
inary proceedings and detention, the
main trial in the criminal proceedings
against Radulovic was held on 19 and
23 September 1985. The municipal
district court Berlin Lichtenberg found
Gilbert Radulovic guilty of the “illegal
establishment of contact” pursuant to
section 219 of the GDR Criminal Code.
He was sentenced to two years and two
months imprisonment.

“In the beginning the court proceedings After the conviction the Stasi concluded
looked like they were governed by the rule both the surveillance and control opera-
of law, like you naively imagine they would tion (OPK) “Schreiber” and the preliminary
be. There was a state prosecutor, a judge, investigations against Gilbert Radulovic.
two lay judges. I had a defence lawyer The OPK file ended with the final report
whom I could choose myself. But to put it by Staedtler, the Stasi employee who had
bluntly, I could have picked a broom han- originally been responsible for the case.
dle to defend me, it would not have made In his report he once again stressed the
any big difference.” “questionable” character and the “hostile
intentions” of the sentenced person. Since
Radulovic had wanted to present a margin-
al youth culture as a mainstream move-
ment, his writings were likely “to be used in
a defamatory manner against the GDR”.

Gilbert Radulovic was taken to the pris-

134 ↘ on in Cottbus, Brandenburg to serve his
Reminder of a Youth Movement: sentence. Never had he imagined that the
Punk punk booklet he compiled would have
This booklet was the starting point for
such drastic consequences for him.
the arrest and conviction of Gilbert
Radu­lovic. In 1984 Radulovic sum-
marised on 20 pages the discussions
he had held two years previously
with s­ even young people from the
East Berlin punk scene. Divided into
topic based chapters, he presented
statements of the punks alongside his
own passages, song lyrics and lines of
poetry. The brochure was illustrated
with photos of the punks taken by
Radulovic’s colleague, Nikolaus
Becker. Radulovic called his writings
a “document of a youthful take on
life”. The State Security, however,
interpreted it as “subversive writing”
and as a provocation to the SED’s claim
to absolute power.

ACCESS TO SECRECY
135 ↖
»
THE CASE OF GILBERT RADULOVIC IN THE STASI RECORDS 131

“Since my lawyer had informed me in “I applied for my rehabilitation even

our one and only conversation prior to before the end of the GDR. In June 1990
the court proceedings that I was looking the Berlin municipal court (GDR) acquitted
at a custodial sentence of between two me in a kind of self-forgetfulness. This
and three years, I was relatively prepared was particularly satisfying for me because
when the sentence was pronounced. In GDR judges sat across from me who had
any case since the beginning of my pretrial to set aside one of their own sentences. A
detention, I had instinctively immersed GDR state prosecutor apologised to me on
myself in a kind of daze to prevent ‘them’ behalf of the chief public prosecutor.”
from taking control of my feelings, too.
Thanks to this I was released from prison, “After the end of the GDR, I soon had the
after serving half of my sentence, without exceptional opportunity to take a look at
suffering any major mental harm. When the files the Stasi had put together about
I arrived at the station, my oldest friend me. For me it was like looking through a

Before this I would never welcomed me quite rightly with the words:
‘Welcome to the big prison’”.
distorting mirror where a once menacing
secret service had looked at my life. But
when I sat in the reading room, every time

have believed there could

“Up to the summer of 1989, I had been the I looked at the files it was something like a
best-behaved person in the world. I never late victory over the State Security.”
crossed the road when the pedestrian

be any reason for putting

light was red, never took the underground
without paying. But I had to get it off my
chest and told all my friends about it, even
if there was a fear lurking in the back of

together a file on me. my mind that ‘they’ could find grounds for
turning that into a criminal offence, too.”

136 ↓
Gilbert Furian in June 2018 in the
­section of the exhibition titled
“Looking in a distorting mirror” that We would like to thank Gilbert
Gilbert Furian (formerly Radulovic) is dedicated to his story Furian (formerly Radulovic)
for consenting to the use of
the documents that the Stasi
compiled on him in violation of
the rule of law. We also appre-
ciate his willingness to share
his story and participate in the
exhibition.

ACCESS TO SECRECY
132 THE CASE OF GILBERT RADULOVIC IN THE STASI RECORDS 133

137 →
138 ↓
139 ↘

140 →
141 ↓

ACCESS TO SECRECY
134 EPILOGUE: AT THE HISTORICAL SITE 135

The headquarters of the GDR State

­Security were located in the Berlin district
of Lichtenberg from 1950 to 1990. It was
from here that the Stasi organized the
surveillance and persecution of the
population for almost 40 years, thereby
securing the rule of the Socialist Unity
Party of Germany (SED).

The Stasi headquarters expanded over

the decades, cutting through a long-­
established residential neighbourhood
and destroying an allotment garden.
Little by little, buildings and streets
disappeared behind walls and fences.
The grounds developed into a militarily-
secured secret service complex that was
sealed off from the surrounding area. The
Stasi headquarters underwent constant
change as older buildings were razed,
new buildings erected and service units
relocated. In the end, it covered an area
of 2 square kilometres, containing around
fifty buildings and thousands of offices.

Houses 1, 7, 8 and 22, which were of cen-

tral importance to the Stasi, stand at the
centre of the complex. The former Stasi
buildings, which for decades represent-
ed a system of repression, are now part
of the “Campus for Democracy”. Today,
exhibitions, guided tours, public events
and more are offered at this historical site,

EPILOGUE: facilitating a vivid, impressive and lively

examination of the past and encouraging

AT THE HISTORICAL SITE discussions about dictatorship, democra-

cy and human rights.

142 ↑

ACCESS TO SECRECY
136 EPILOGUE: AT THE HISTORICAL SITE 137

House 1 House 22
Former seat of the Minister for State Former Stasi service building with
Security Erich Mielke ­conference room and cafeteria

Today: Stasi Museum with the perma- Visitors Centre of the “Stasi Head­
nent exhibition “State Security in the quarters. Campus for Democracy.”
SED Dictatorship” House 1 formed the centrepiece of the In 1960 the Stasi built a new dining house,
Stasi headquarters from 1962 to 1989. This House 22, to create space for work confer-
is where the offices of Minister for State ences and provide food to senior officials.
Security Erich Mielke were located. This Built in the modern style, its large win-
central building within the Stasi complex dows, stairwell glazing and interior design
closed the gap to House 7, which had made it suitable for official occasions. The
been built in 1957. But the building’s main ground floor contained a dining hall; the
entrance, with its modern, glass doorway, upper floor included a conference room
was clearly visible from the nearby res- that was used for festive events, work
idential high-rises on Frankfurter Allee, conferences and receptions for foreign
making it a weak point in the design. To delegations.
block this view from the outside, the Stasi
added a concrete block structure to the Today, House 22 functions as a visitors
front of the building in the mid-1970s. centre, providing general information and
an overview of the grounds. It also serves
Today, the Stasi Museum, located in as an event venue with a reading café.
House 1, presents the permanent exhi-
bition “State Security in the SED Dicta-
torship,” which describes the structure, 144 ↘
development and surveillance methods View of House 22 from the parking lot,
of the Stasi and displays the historical of- early 1980s
fices, which have been preserved in their
original form. The workplaces of several
initiatives dealing with the past and vic-
tims’ associations are also located in the
building.

143 ↑
Frontal view of House 1, seat of the
Minister for State Security, early 1980s

ACCESS TO SECRECY
138 EPILOGUE: AT THE HISTORICAL SITE 139

House 7 Floor occupancy of House 7

in 1989
Former Stasi office building, used 1st floor
­primarily by Main Department XX
­(surveillance of culture and opposition)
in the late 1980s

Today: Office building of the Stasi

­Records Archive and site of the perma-
nent exhibition “Access to Secrecy”
House 7, which now houses the permanent 146 ↑
exhibition on the Stasi Records Archive,
was built in 1956/1957 as one of the first
extensions to the Stasi headquarters. The
six-storey building, erected in the neoclas-
sical style of Stalinallee (today Karl-Marx-
Allee), was completed in a single year. It
consists of two building wings arranged
at right angles to one other, with a roof-
Colonel Horst Kuschel Horst Kuschel was responsible, among other things, for prosecuting “anti-state
top addition at the point of intersection. Head of Department 2 of Main agitation” and monitoring the youth. He was also involved in implementing official
House 7 contained the offices of several Department XX youth policies, processing “rowdy, negative-decadent” individuals and prosecuting
Nazi and war crimes.
Stasi service units until the end of the
Areas of responsibility: “anti-state
GDR. In the late 1980s, it mostly housed agitation”, youth policies, war crimes
offices of Main Department XX. In the fall
of 1989, many of the 461 full-time employ-
ees of Department XX were still working in
this building.

Main Department XX was responsible

for the surveillance and political perse- 147 ←
cution of people critical of the regime in
the fields of art, culture, literature, media,
church and sports. It also had the task of
145 ↑ Lieutenant General Gerhard As “Deputy to the Minister for Military-Operative Tasks”, Gerhard Neiber was in
Northern view across the parking lot to suppressing opposition and any conduct Neiber charge, among other things, for the departments of defence work and terror defence.
House 7, photo from 1986 that deviated from official party policy in One of four deputies to the Minister In this function, Neiber was largely responsible for organizing the reception and
for State Security shelter in the GDR of RAF (Red Army Faction) members who had dropped out of the
important sections of the state apparatus,
West German left-wing extremist terrorist organization.
such as the health and education divisions,
as well as in the bloc parties and mass or-
ganizations. Main Department XX, there-
fore, made up the core area of political
repression and surveillance.

148 ←

ACCESS TO SECRECY
140 EPILOGUE: AT THE HISTORICAL SITE 141

Floor occupancy in House 7 Floor occupancy in House 7

in 1989 in 1989
2nd floor 3rd floor

149 ↑ 152 ↑

Lieutenant General Paul Kienberg Paul Kienberg had served as department head since 1964, and was responsible, Colonel Eberhard Jaekel Lieutenant Colonel Jürgen Notroff
Head of Main Department XX among other things, for monitoring the arts and culture, media, church and sports, for Head of Department 1 of Main Head of Department 3 of Main
prosecuting “political underground activity” (PUT), and controlling important areas of Department XX Department XX
the state apparatus, including the judiciary, healthcare and education.
Areas of responsibility: surveillance of Areas of responsibility: surveillance of
government and judiciary, healthcare, sports, central sports facilities, sports
bloc parties (all parties except the SED) associations and major sports events.
and mass organizations

150 ← 153 ← 154 ←

Lieutenant Colonel Fritz Busch Fritz Busch was responsible, among other things, for “safeguarding” and controlling Lieutenant Colonel Colonel Wolfgang Reuter
Head of Department 10 of Main the editorial staff, the publishing house and printing plant of the daily newspaper ­Werner ­Fleischhauer Head of Department 9 of Main
Department XX “Neues Deutschland” (ND), the Institute for Marxism and Leninism and the Academy Head of Department 8 of Main Department XX
of Social Sciences. Department XX
Areas of responsibility: SED institutions Areas of responsibility: combating
and special buildings Areas of responsibility: “securing” and “political underground activity” (PUT)
surveillance of the education system, and “hostile bases” within the GDR
universities and technical schools

151 ← 155 ← 156 ←

ACCESS TO SECRECY
142 EPILOGUE: AT THE HISTORICAL SITE 143

Floor occupancy in House 7 Floor occupancy in House 7

in 1989 in 1989
4th floor 5th floor

157 ↑ 160 ↑

Colonel Joachim Wiegand Joachim Wiegand was responsible, among other things, for the surveillance of the Colonel Hans Buhl Hans Buhl was responsible, among other things, for combating and preventing PUT
Head of Department 4 of Main Protestant Church, the Catholic Church and the diocese, religious orders and priest Head of Department 5 of Main against the GDR by the Federal Republic of Germany and West Berlin, for “processing”
Department XX seminaries, religious groups and sects and also conscientious objectors and construc- Department XX supporters of alternative groups and organizations in the Federal Republic and West
tion soldiers. Berlin, and for combating “hostile” individuals in the OG who “left illegally or were
Areas of responsibility: churches and Areas of responsibility: “political expelled from the GDR”.
religious groups underground activity” (PUT) from
the operational area (OG) = Federal
­Republic of Germany, especially
West Berlin

158 ← 161 ←

Lieutenant Colonel Joachim Tischendorf’s responsibilities included the control of radio, television, film
­Joachim Tischendorf and central state press institutions as well as the surveillance of literature, publishing,
Head of Department 7 of Main writing, journalism and visual artists.
Department XX

Areas of responsibility: arts, literature,

culture and media

159 ←

ACCESS TO SECRECY
144 EPILOGUE: AT THE HISTORICAL SITE 145

House 8
Former Stasi archive building

Today: Central Stasi Records Archive

preserving the documents left behind 164 ↘
Main access road to the central Stasi
by the Stasi The west wing of House 7 is adjoined to
remand prison on Freienwalder Strasse
the archive building, House 8, by a con- in Berlin-Hohenschönhausen, with
necting building. Today, House 8 is used the former central archive on the left,
by the Stasi Records Archive as an office mid-1980s
and archive building, in which a large part
of the documents left behind by the Stasi
is safely stored, processed and made
usable. In addition to the files already ar-
chived by the Stasi, these holdings include
the material that was still being processed
by the secret police until its dissolution
in 1989/1990. House 8 contains records
of the Stasi central headquarters as well
those from the district administrations From 1984 to 1989, the Stasi’s central
for State Security in Berlin and Potsdam. archive was located in House 8, one of
These include files and index cards, as well the few buildings erected in the GDR
as photos, audio and film recordings, and specifically for archival purposes. It was
many other information storage systems. finally completed following many years
The Stasi Records Archive makes these of planning, after which Department XII,
documents accessible to the people the central card index and archive de-
who were targeted by the Stasi and to partment, moved in with its file holdings.
the broader public as a way to provide The Stasi’s central archive had previously
information on the structure, methods and been housed in a makeshift administration
impact of the State Security and to con- building that had belonged to a former
tribute to the discussion on dictatorship machine factory on Freienwalder Strasse
and democracy. in Berlin-Hohenschönhausen. The Stasi
continued to store its secret archive of
personal documents from the Nazi era
there after the archive department moved
to its new location. The Stasi’s central
pretrial detention centre along with other
office buildings were also located in
Hohen­schönhausen.
162 ↖
View from the courtyard to the archive
building, House 8 (left), the connecting
building House 9 (centre), and the
adjoining west wing of House 7 (right),
1986

163 ←
Northern view of the archive
building, House 8, taken from
­Magdalenenstrasse, 1986

ACCESS TO SECRECY
146 CREATING THE EXHIBITION 147

From 2016 to 2018, the permanent exhibi-

tion “Access to Secrecy” was established
in House 7, the former Stasi office building
which is today part of the Stasi Records
Archive.

Before the exhibition could be installed

at the historical location, the building had
to be prepared structurally, taking into
account its special features. Renovation
work and modern barrier-free access had
been planned for House 7 in any case. In
creating the exhibition, one challenge was
to find a way to carry out these measures
in an office building that was in daily use,
without strongly interrupting ongoing
operations.

Additionally, an investigation of the

­building’s landmark-protected features,
particularly in the stairways and foyers
of each floor, was also being conducted.
In the new exhibition areas, the histor-
ical c­ olour and texture of the columns
and walls from the 1950s were partially
­exposed and restored.

The strict fire protection requirements

for House 7, which lies adjacent to the
archive building with its special collection
of Stasi documents, posed an additional
challenge. This led to a rethinking, revision
and adaption of the exhibition content and

CREATING design concept on several occasions.

THE ­E XHIBITION With the completion of this lengthy

preparation phase, the actual installation
of the exhibition began in the first half of
2018. The photos on the following pages
provide an impression of this final phase of
the exhibition assembly work.

165 ↑

ACCESS TO SECRECY
148 CREATING THE EXHIBITION // GROUND FLOOR 149

166 ←
167 ↑
168 ↘

ACCESS TO SECRECY
150 CREATING THE EXHIBITION // GROUND FLOOR 151

169 ↖
170 ←
171 ↑
172 ↓

ACCESS TO SECRECY
152 CREATING THE EXHIBITION // 1ST FLOOR 153

173 ↖
174 ←
175 ↑
176 ↓
154 CREATING THE EXHIBITION // 1ST FLOOR 155

177 ↖
178 ←
179 ↑
180 ↓

ACCESS TO SECRECY
156 CREATING THE EXHIBITION // 2ND FLOOR 157

181 ↖
182 ←
183 ↑
184 ↓

ACCESS TO SECRECY
158 CREATING THE EXHIBITION // 2ND FLOOR 159

185 ↑
186 ↓
187 →
188 ↘

ACCESS TO SECRECY
160 CREATING THE EXHIBITION // 3RD FLOOR 161

189 ↖
190 ↙
191 ↑
192 ↓

ACCESS TO SECRECY
162 CREATING THE EXHIBITION // 3RD FLOOR 163

193 ↖
194 ←
195 ↑
196 ↓

ACCESS TO SECRECY
164 APPENDIX 165

166 Exhibition Objects

170 Film and Media Stations in the Exhibition
APPENDIX 171
183
Index of Sources and Illustrations in the Exhibition
Exhibition ­Imprint
184 Literature
188 Catalogue Illustrations Index
190 Contact
191 Thanks
192 Imprint

ACCESS TO SECRECY
166 APPENDIX 167

Exhibition
Objects

Information on the Archive – Ground floor Persons index card F 16 on Lutz Rathenow The Stasi’s Legacy – 2nd Floor on floor space and provide more storage area.
Ministry for State Security (GDR); original from 1980; Today, the repository rooms in House 8 are fitted
Stacks of Files Replica of file shelves from the repository room of
Barbara Krückemeyer; Potsdam, 2018; facsimile; with modern mobile aisle shelving units in which
Barbara Krückemeyer; Potsdam, 2018; r­ eplica the Stasi Records Archive
DIN A6; BStU the Stasi records can be stored properly.
out of cardboard, paper, plaster, acrylic;
Files and folders of various case categories
280 cm (h) × 200 cm (d) × 280 cm (w); BStU Case index card F 22 on the operational case Selection of original files in which the Stasi compiled
(surveillance cases, cases of unofficial collaborators,
­“Assistant” information on Ulrike Poppe
Interim User Rules administrative cases, personal files, archive files)
Ministry for State Security (GDR); original from 1980; Ministry for State Security (GDR); between 1972 and
Special Commissioner of the Federal Government Ministry for State Security (GDR); originals from 1950
Barbara Krückemeyer; Potsdam, 2018; facsimile; 1989; paper; DIN A4; BStU
for the Records of the Former State Security Service; to 1989; Barbara Krückemeyer; Potsdam, 2018; repli-
DIN A6; BStU
­Berlin; edition from December 1990; paper; DIN A5; cas out of cardboard, paper; DIN A4; BStU Tangled reels of film from the Ministry for State
BStU Codename index card F 77 with the codename Security
Courier bag from the Ministry for State Security used
­“Assistant” GDR; 1970s/1980s; coated plastic, BStU holdings
The first user regulations from December 1990 to transport documents
Ministry for State Security (GDR); original from 1980;
provisionally regulated the taking over, stor- GDR; 1950 to 1989; textile, leather and plastic; ORWO K 60 and K 90 compact cassettes from the
Barbara Krückemeyer; Potsdam, 2018; facsimile;
age, administration, archiving, cataloguing and 28 cm (h) × 10 cm (d) × 41 cm (w); BStU holdings Ministry for State Security
DIN A6; BStU
use of Stasi records. It was initially restricted to VEB Chemiefaserwerk “Friedrich Engels” Premnitz
Original archive boxes from the archive department
examining whether employees in public service Pre-compressed and search index F 401 on Lutz (GDR); ca. late 1970s; plastic casing, magnetic tapes
of the Ministry for State Security
had collaborated with the Stasi and to provide Rathenow made of coated plastic; 6.35 cm (h) × 1.27 cm (d)
GDR; between 1950 and 1989; carton with metal
information for criminal prosecution and rehabili- Ministry for State Security (GDR); original from 1989; × 10.6 cm (w); BStU holdings
staples; 35.5 cm (h) × 26 cm (d) × 12.5 cm (w); BStU
tation purposes. Barbara Krückemeyer; Potsdam, 2018; facsimile;
holdings Compact or audio cassettes were among the
DIN A6; BStU
Stasi Records Act most frequently used sound recording media in
Folder 6 of the operational case “Acker II”
The Federal Commissioner for the Records of the F 402 card on Lutz Rathenow the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s. Each side normally
Ministry for State Security (GDR); original from 1981;
State Security Service of the Former German Ministry for State Security (GDR); undated; Barbara has a recording capacity of between 30 and 60
Barbara Krückemeyer; Potsdam, 2018; facsimile;
­Democratic Republic; Berlin, edition from June 2016; Krückemeyer; Potsdam, 2018; facsimile; DIN A6; BStU minutes. Although they have now largely been
DIN A4; BStU, MfS, AOP, No. 10928/84, Bd. 6; BStU
paper; DIN A5; BStU replaced by digital technology, because of their
Index cabinet, type B-A6
Bundles of various paper material, documents collec- robustness cassettes are sometimes still used.
On 14 November 1991 the united German VEB Gothaer Metallwarenfabrik (GDR); year of
tion, forms, service books, work files, and others Hundreds of cassettes were also salvaged from
Bundestag passed the Stasi Records Act, which ­manufacture 1978; steel plate and metal; 135 cm (h)
Ministry for State Security (GDR); between 1950 and the Stasi. Their contents are being examined and
entered into force on 29 December 1991. As of × 63 cm (d) × 42 cm (w); BStU holdings
1989; deaccessioned material (material deemed safely stored on more up-to-date digital formats.
1992, citizens could personally view the files that
This original index cabinet was used by the Stasi unworthy of archiving); BStU holdings
the Stasi had compiled on them. TESLA B 47 tape recorder with tape
to store DIN A6 index cards. Above the drawers,
Modern archive boxes from the Stasi Records TESLA (Czechoslovakia); ca. 1969/1970; plastic casing,
remains of the sealing mass used to fasten the
The Card Index System of the Stasi – 1st Floor ­Archive, in which documents can be properly stored metal and coated plastic; ca. 6.5 kilogram; 12 cm (h)
drawers are visible. This was done to prevent
WAHL Kartonagen Mainz (Federal Republic of × 30 cm (d) × 31.5 cm (w); BStU holdings
Paternoster Index Cabinet K 071 Type KG II 303 access by unauthorised persons.
­Germany); 2018; acid-free cardboard; 14.5 cm (h)
VEB Gothaer Metallwarenfabrik (GDR); year of This four-track mono tape recorder from the
Seal stamps used by the Stasi × 34 cm (d) × 28 cm (w); BStU
manufacture 1981; metal and plastic; 535 kilogram Czechoslovakian company TESLA was made in
GDR; before 1990; Metal; Ø 3 cm; BStU holdings
in its original condition; 133 cm (h) × 100 cm (d) Section of original mobile shelf H 089 from the MfS the late 1960s for analogue audio recording and
× 218 cm (w); ­BStU-holdings These stamps presented in the exhibition were central archive replay. The foldable table device was operated
used by Stasi employees to seal index cabinets VEB Gothaer Metallwarenfabrik (GDR); around by pressing buttons and could be connected
From 1984 on, this original index cabinet was
and safes in order to restrict access to certain 1984; metal and plastic; 120 kilogram; 241 cm (h) to a slide projector for presentations. The Stasi
used in the new archive building of the Stasi
information. They were also used on offices to × 45 cm (d) × 113 cm (w); BStU holdings used the audio recorder to make and replay its
headquarters. The Stasi used these cabinets to
prevent entry by unauthorised persons. magnetic audio tapes.
store its index cards in an orderly and space-­ These original parts belong to mobile shelving
saving manner. They gave Stasi employees in used by the Stasi to store its archived files in
the index department rapid and efficient access ­Berlin. In House 8, the new archive building,
to information. The cabinets were operated by in which the Stasi’s central archive had been
an integrated electric motor (which has been ­located since 1984, four large rooms were
removed from the exhibit for safety reasons) that equipped with a system of manually operated
rotated the index sections around to the cabinet mobile rolling shelves. These devices are used in
opening. The front flap could be locked. archiving and library systems in order to cut back

ACCESS TO SECRECY
168 APPENDIX 169

ORWO film canisters from the Ministry for State Disk from the Ministry for State Security Room installation “Walk-in Files”: archived file “Reminder of a Youth Movement: Punk”
Security BASF Ludwigshafen (West Germany); 1980s; plastic f­ older 3 from the investigation on Gilbert Radulovic Gilbert Radulovic (today: Gilbert Furian); photo-
VEB Filmfabrik Wolfen (GDR); between 1950 and with magnetic coating; 5.25 inch; BStU holdings BStU; original from 1986; replica of laminated wood, graphs by Nikolaus Becker; Berlin; original from 1984;
1989; metal canister; various formats, BStU holdings plastic; 245 cm (h) × 35 cm (d) × 375 cm (w); BStU, ­Barbara Krückemeyer; Potsdam, 2018; facsimile of
Portable magnetic disks were a widespread and
MfS, AU, Nr. 11980/86, Bd. 3 paper, ink, cardboard; DIN A4; BStU
The Stasi Records Archive contains films in 8 mm, frequently used data carrier from the 1970s until
16 mm and 35 mm formats as well as videos of well into the 2000s. Unable to cope with the Typewriter, Rheinmetall Record The original booklet is currently in the permanent
varying types in different standards. The Stasi’s steadily growing volume of data coupled with Rheinmetall-Borsig AG, Sömmerda (Thuringia); exhibition of the Memorial Prison Cottbus
own productions, which mostly stem from its sur- the need for greater storage capacity and speed, ­after 1936; metal, rubber, plastic; 24 cm (h) × 34 cm
This booklet was the starting point for the arrest
veillance or training activities, make up the core they later became obsolete. The Stasi also used (d) × 60 cm (w); BStU
and conviction of Gilbert Radulovic. In 1984
collection of the salvaged film rolls and video various disk formats to store its collected data.
In the early 1980s, Gilbert Radulovic wrote his Radulovic summarised on 20 pages the discus-
cassettes. There are also recordings of television
Robotron A 5120 office computer with 5.25 inch disk booklet, “Reminder of a Youth Movement: Punk” sions he had held two years previously with seven
broadcasts and film material seized by the Stasi.
drive from the Ministry for State Security on a typewriter of the same make. The Stasi young people from the East Berlin punk scene.
Magnetic tapes from the Ministry for State Security VEB Kombinat Robotron Buchungsmaschinenwerk confiscated the original typewriter as evidence in Divided into topic based chapters, he present-
VEB Fotochemisches Kombinat Wolfen; ca. 1970s/ Karl-Marx-Stadt (GDR); around 1985; metal, plastic; a house search conducted during the preliminary ed statements of the punks alongside his own
1980s; magnetic coated plastic, various formats, BStU ca. 15 kilogram; 33.5 cm (h) × 46 cm (d) × 68 cm (w); investigations. Its whereabouts are still unknown passages, song lyrics and lines of poetry. The
holdings BStU holdings today. brochure was illustrated with photos of the punks
taken by Radulovic’s colleague, Nikolaus Becker.
VCR (Video Cassette Recording) cassette from the Computer keyboard from the Ministry for State
Radulovic called his writings a “document of a
Ministry for State Security Security
youthful take on life”. The State Security, howev-
BASF Ludwigshafen (West Germany); late 1970s; VEB Schaltgerätewerk Auerbach (GDR); year of
er, interpreted it as “subversive writing” and as a
plastic casing, magnetic tape; 14.6 cm (h) × 4 cm (d) manufacture 1987; plastic; 7 cm (h) × 24.5 cm (d)
provocation to the SED’s claim to absolute power.
× 13 cm (w); BStU holdings × 52 cm (w); BStU holdings

The Stasi also observed “suspicious” individuals The A 5120 model office computer for text and
with concealed mobile or fixed cameras. In the data processing was made by Robotron, a state-
1980s it increasingly used video technology run enterprise (VEB). Manufactured in the GDR
from Western countries for this purpose. These since 1982, this computer was only supplied to
surveillance videos generally do not contain enterprises and institutions. The Stasi’s index and
information about the context in which they were archive department (Department XII) used this
made, which makes it difficult to assign them to model to enter and process data on individuals.
specific cases.
“Looking in a Distorting Mirror”: The Case of
Magnetic disc storage EC 5266.01 from the Ministry
­Gilbert Radulovic in the Stasi Records – 3rd Floor
for State Security
ISOT (Bulgaria); 1980s; coated plastic, plastic cover; Room installation “Walk-in Files”: Archived file
100 MB capacity; 13.5 cm (h) and Ø 37 cm; BStU folder 2 from the surveillance and control operation
holdings ­“Kopernikus”
BStU; original from 1980; replica of laminated wood,
Information could be stored in track circles on
plastic; 245 cm (h) × 35 cm (d) × 375 cm (w); BStU,
magnetically coated removable disks. The data
MfS, AOPK, Nr. 23732/80, Bd. 2
on a removable disk device the size of a washing
machine could be written or read by means of a Room installation “Walk-in Files”: Archived file
rotating head. In the 1970s the Stasi began using folder 1 from the surveillance and control operation
these magnetic disks as mass storage for its “Schreiber”
large-capacity computers. BStU; original from 1988; replica of laminated wood,
plastic; 245 cm (h) × 35 cm (d) × 375 cm (w); BStU,
MfS, AOPK, Nr. 1230/88, Bd. 1

ACCESS TO SECRECY
170 APPENDIX 171

Film and Media Stations Index of Sources and Illustrations

in the Exhibition in the Exhibition

Information on the Archive – Ground Floor “Looking in a Distorting Mirror”: The Case of The majority of the photographs and all documents, Information on the Archive – Ground Floor
­Gilbert Radulovic in the Stasi Records – 3rd Floor reproductions and illustrations of documents shown
Stasi offices in the GDR (as of 1989) The Minister for State Security, Erich Mielke, (right)
in the exhibition come from the records of the State
Media station; production: BStU/kreativköpfe; Projection “Looking in a Distorting Mirror” welcomes the head of state and party leader, Erich
Security Service and are registered in the archives of
­Berlin, 2018 Media installation; projection: BStU/kreativköpfe; Honecker (left), in front of his ministerial offices,
the Federal Commissioner for the Stasi Records of the
Berlin, 2018 House 1, on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of
The Stasi Online Resource Former GDR (BStU) under the signatures listed below.
the MfS, 1980.
Media station, production: BStU; Berlin, 2018 “… speaking your mind” We would again like to thank the copyright holders
Photo: BStU, MfS, ZAIG, Fo, Nr. 885, Bild 158, detail
Video documentation on the case of Gilbert ­Radulovic listed here for authorizing the use of all photographs.
The Card Index System of the Stasi – 1st Floor (part 1); production: k­ reativköpfe­/­Bodo Brüsehaber Stasi employee at a paternoster cabinet with space
for the BStU; Berlin, 2018; time: 3 ­minutes 15 seconds Entrance Area saving storage of index cards, around 1985
The persons index card F 16 and the central case
On 15 January 1990 demonstrators sprayed “Where Photo: BStU, MfS, Abt. XII, Fo, Nr. 92, Bild 1
index card F 22 “… to clarify a matter”
is my file?” on a wall of the Stasi headquarters in
Video documentation; production: BStU; Berlin, 2018; Video documentation on the case of ­Gilbert ­Radulovic Stasi employee in front of filing shelves in the re-
Berlin-Lichtenberg. By occupying the offices of the
playing time: 3 minutes 1 second (part 2); production: kreativköpfe/Bodo Brüsehaber pository area, where the Stasi kept its archived files,
GDR secret police, people also secured their own files
for the BStU; Berlin, 2018; time: 2 minutes 57 seconds between 1984 and 1989
A concrete example of an index card F 16 which the Stasi had illegally compiled about them.
Photo: BStU, MfS, Abt. XII, Nr. 8408, detail
Media station; production: BStU/kreativköpfe; Projection “Interrogation Protocol” Photo: Andreas Schoelzel, January 1990, detail
­Berlin, 2018 Media installation; BStU/kreativköpfe; Berlin, 2018 Stasi employee reading a file, undated
View into a repository room of the Stasi Record
Photo: BStU, MfS, Abt. XII, Nr. 8408, detail
A concrete example of a central case index card F 22 “… with the intention of harming the GDR” Archives
Media station; production: BStU/kreativköpfe; Video documentation on the case of ­Gilbert ­Radulovic Photo: Christian Morgenstern, 10 January 2017 “Never again Stasi! Oust the Socialist Unity Party
­Berlin, 2018 (part 3); production: kreativköpfe/Bodo Brüsehaber from power! Germany, United Fatherland!” are the
for the BStU; Berlin, 2018; time: 3 minutes 47 seconds Foyer – Ground Floor demands of demonstrators storming the Stasi head-
A concrete example of a codename index card F 77
quarters in Berlin Lichtenberg on 15 January 1990.
Media station; production: BStU/kreativköpfe; Official Stasi employee working in a surveillance
Photo: Andreas Schoelzel, January 1990
­Berlin, 2018 station, around 1980
Photo: BStU, MfS, HA III, Fo, Nr. 313, Bild 4 District administration for State Security Rostock on
The M index – postal surveillance
August-Bebel-Strasse, 1970s
Video documentation; production: BStU; Berlin, 2018; After storming the Stasi premises on 15 January 1990,
Photo: BStU, MfS, BV Rostock, AKG, Nr. 875, S. 94
playing time: 2 minutes 8 seconds demonstrators painted their demand “Enough spy-
ing – out now!” on a wall of a Stasi building. Women from the New Forum citizens’ movement at
The Stasi’s Legacy – 2nd Floor Photo: Andreas Schoelzel, 7 February 1990 a protest vigil in front of the district administration of
State Security Rostock, December 1989
The reconstruction of torn-up Stasi documents Bundles of documents and sacks with various Stasi
Photo: Dietmar Weidler
Video documentation; production: BStU/DEMAX items that were salvaged after the Stasi headquarters
GmbH Filmproduktion Munich; Berlin, 2018; time: in Berlin was occupied in 1990 District administration for State Security Schwerin on
2 minutes 40 seconds Photo: Bundesregierung/Arne Schambeck, Demmlerplatz, 1955
18 March 1992 Photo: BStU, MfS, BV Schwerin, AU, Nr. 42/55, S. 54
A puzzle of Stasi snippets
Media station; production: BStU/kreativköpfe; Inspection and sealing of the Stasi county office Röbel
At the Historical Site – Side Corridor Ground Floor
­Berlin, 2018 in the Neubrandenburg region on 5 December 1989
Aerial photograph of part of the grounds of the Stasi Photo: Berthold Meyer
“We really weren’t that threatening …”
headquarters in Berlin-Lichtenberg from the direction
Video documentation on Ulrike Poppe in the Aerial photograph of part of the grounds of the Stasi
Normannenstrasse / corner Ruschestrasse in 1985
Stasi r­ ecords; production: BStU; Berlin, 2018; time: headquarters in Berlin-Lichtenberg from the direction
Photo: BStU, MfS, HA II, Fo, Nr. 32, Bild 8, detail
3 ­minutes 29 seconds Normannenstrasse/corner Ruschestrasse in 1985
View of the front of the House 1, seat of the Ministry Photo: BStU, MfS, HA II, Fo, Nr. 32, Bild 8
Training films and videos of the Ministry for State
for State Security, early 1980s
Security On 15 January 1990 demonstrators pour onto the site
Photo: BStU, MfS, BdL, Fo, Nr. 82, Bild 467
Media installation; production: BStU/kreativköpfe; of the former Stasi headquarters after the gates to the
Berlin 2018 Northern view across the parking lot to House 7, inner courtyard are opened.
photo from 1986 Photo: Bundesarchiv, Bild 183-1990-0115-029/photo­
The work of the video studios in the Stasi Records
Photo: BStU, MfS, BdL, Fo, Nr. 296, Bild 1 grapher: Thomas Uhlemann
Archive
Video documentation; production: k ­ reativköpfe/ Northern view of the archive building, House 8, taken Office building of the district administration for
Bodo Brüsehaber for the BStU; Berlin, 2017; from Magdalenenstrasse, 1986 State Security Berlin on Strasse der Befreiung (today
time: 3 minutes 2 seconds Photo: BStU, MfS, BdL, Fo, Nr. 295, Bild 16 Alt-Friedrichsfelde) in Berlin-Lichtenberg, around
1985
View of House 22 from the parking lot, early 1980s
Photo: BStU, MfS, BV Berlin, Fo, Nr. 876, Bild 3
Photo: BStU, MfS, BdL, Fo, Nr. 82, Bild 457

ACCESS TO SECRECY
172 APPENDIX 173

District administration for State S

­ ecurity F
­ rankfurt “Comrades in arms – class-brothers – together invin- New building complex of the district administration Index room in the archive building of the Stasi head-
(Oder) on Otto-­Grotewohl-Strasse ­(today Robert-­ cible”, building of the district administration for State for State Security Suhl, known as the “Stasi fortress”, quarters, around 1985
Havemann-Strasse), 1980s Security Leipzig, known as the “Round Corner”, on on a hill on Hölderlinstrasse, before 1990 This is where the persons index cards with the initial
Photo: BStU, MfS, BV Frankfurt (Oder), BdL, Nr. 40, Dittrichring, 1985 Photo: BStU, MfS, BV Suhl, ZPL, Fo, Nr. 7, Bild 1 letters A–K were stored. The index cards with the
Seite 121 Photo: BStU, MfS, BV Leipzig, Abt. RD, Nr. 762, Bild 7 initial letters L–Z, including the index card on Lutz
Countless citizens demand entry to the old building
Rathenow, were kept on the floor above in a similarly
Members of civil-rights groups occupy the district Occupation of the district administration for State of the district administration for State Security Suhl,
equipped room.
administration for State Security Frankfurt (Oder) on Security Leipzig, 4 December 1989 5 December 1989
Photo: BStU, MfS, Abt. XII, Fo, Nr. 92, Bild 3
5 December 1989 Photo: Eckhard Otto Photo: Reinhard Wenzel
Photo: Hartmut Kelm/Lizenz CC: BY NC ND/Source: Index card boxes lined up in the Stasi Records
District administration for State Security Dresden on Eva-Maria Hagen, Pamela Biermann, Katja Havemann,
www.wir-waren-so-frei.de ­Archive
Bautzner Strasse, undated Jürgen Fuchs and Wolf Biermann inspecting files for
In the central persons index F 16, the Stasi classified
Office building of the district administration for State Photo: BStU, MfS, BV Dresden, Abt. IX, Nr. 30710, the first time in January 1992
cards with the names Möller under Müller because “ö”
Security Cottbus “Am Nordrand”, undated Bild 21 Photo: Peter Wensierski, 2 January 1992
and “ü” sound similar. Employees of the Stasi Records
Photo: BStU, MfS, BV Cottbus, BdL, Nr. 3513, Bild 1
On 5 December 1989 citizens occupy the building View into a repository room of the Stasi Records Archive in Berlin lined up all the Müller index boxes
Disbanding of the district administration for State complex of the district administration for State Securi- Archive with thousands of index cards in a row to visually de-
­Security Cottbus. The last remaining employees ty Dresden thereby preventing the further destruction Photo: Christian Morgenstern, 10 January 2017 pict the scale. Together they formed a 21-metre-long
handed in their keys and staff badges by 12 noon of files line of files.
on 16 January 1990 to the criminal police and public Photo: Ronald Lohse The Card Index System of the Stasi – 1st Floor Photo: BStU/Stark, around 2000
prosecutor. “Building occupied by the citizens’
District administration for State Security Karl-Marx- Index room in the archive building, House 8, before Persons index card F 16 on Lutz Rathenow
committee – building guarded by the DVP (German
Stadt on Dr. Richard Sorge Strasse on Kassberg (today the refurbishment work began in 2000. A few of the East Berlin, 1980; Photo reproduction
People’s Police)”: A banner announces the security
Hohe Strasse in Chemnitz), 1985 paternoster index cabinets used by the Stasi are BStU, MfS, Abt. XII, Nr. 8370
partnership.
Photo: BStU, MfS, BV Karl-Marx-Stadt, AKG, Fo, Nr. visible.
Photo: Bundesarchiv, Bild 183-1990-0117-016/Photo­ An employee of Department XII working on index
607, Bd. 1, Bild 8 Photo: BStU/Doris Stark, before 2000
grapher: Rainer Weisflog, 17 January 1990 cards and lists, around 1985
Storage of preserved files in the emergency com- One of the refurbished index rooms in House 8 with Foto: BStU, MfS, Abt. XII, Fo, Nr. 94, Bild 8
Seat of the district administration for State S
­ ecurity
mand bunker of the district administration Karl-Marx- the modern paternoster index cabinets used by the
Magdeburg from 1952 to 1980 and from 1980 to Case index card F 22 on the operational case
Stadt in Dittersdorf, 9 December 1989 employees of the Stasi Records Archive today.
1989 seat of the county office of State Security ­“Assistant”
Photo: Klaus Jedlicka Photo: Christian Morgenstern, 10 January 2017
Magdeburg between Walther-Rathenau-Strasse East Berlin, created on 18 November 1980, photo
and ­Hohepforte­s trasse, taken in 1982 District administration for State Security Erfurt on The Stasi used cold vapour devices to open letters reproduction
Photo: BStU, MfS, BV Magdeburg, KD Magdeburg, Andreasstrasse, undated and inspect their content. It also used index cards to BStU, MfS, Abt. XII, Nr. 8376
Fo, r. 14115, S. 56 Photo: Peter Große store and manage the results of postal surveillance.
Stasi employee of Department XII processing index
Photo: BStU, MfS, Abt. M, Fo, Nr. 31, Bild 2
“This property is guarded by the People’s Police Military state prosecutor, Lieutenant Colonel Horst cards, around 1985
on instructions from the governmental c­ ommission Weißmantel, seals rooms, archives, computers, Index room in the archive building that still contained Photo: BStU, MfS, Abt. XII, Fo, Nr. 94, Bild 5
in coordination with the Citizens Committee” – shredders and incineration plants of the Stasi district the earlier equipment with Stasi paternoster index
Codename index card F 77 with the codename
­Occupied district administration for State Security administration Erfurt after citizens’ groups occupied cabinets
­“Assistant”
on ­Kroatenweg in Magdeburg, December 1989 the building on 4 December 1989 Photo: BStU/Doris Stark, around 2000
East Berlin, created on 18 November 1980, photo
Photo: Bürgerkomitee Sachsen-Anhalt e. V./Rainer Photo: Bundesarchiv, Bild 183-1989-1204-024/photo­
View into an index room today in the Stasi Records reproduction
Krauße grapher: Heinz Hirndorf
Archive with up-to-date paternoster index cabinets BStU, MfS, Abt. XII, Nr. 8390
Main building of the district administration for State New building of the district administration for State Photo: Christian Morgenstern, 10 January 2017
Stasi employee processing index cards, around 1985
Security Halle on Gimritzer Damm, before 1990 Security Gera on Klement Gottwald Strasse (today
An employee of Department XII using a paternoster Photo: BStU, MfS, Abt. XII, Fo, Nr. 95, Bild 2
Photo: BStU, MfS, BV Halle, BdL, Fo, Nr. 166, Bild 1, Hermann Drechsler Strasse), January 1990
index cabinet which contained index cards of the
detail Photo: Michael Beleites Pre-compressed and search card F 401 on Lutz
central persons index F 16, around 1985
­Rathenow
Employee of the Halle branch inspecting and safe- District state prosecutor Grieder Eisenreich (r), state Photo: BStU, MfS, Abt. XII, Fo, Nr. 92, Bild 2
East Berlin, 1989, photo reproduction
guarding Stasi records, after 1990 prosecutor Wolfgang Sybili and Captain Ottmar
An employee of Department XII fills out index cards BStU, MfS, HA XX, Nr. 24238
Photo: BStU Zimmermann (m) from the criminal police seal the
on a typewriter, around 1985
“shredder” during the investigative work in the district Reference card F 402 on Lutz Rathenow
Photo: BStU, MfS, Abt. XII, Fo, Nr. 94, Bild 1
administration of State Security Gera, 5 December East Berlin, undated, photo reproduction
1989 BStU, MfS, HA XXII, Nr. 21241
Photo: Bundesarchiv, Bild 183-1989-1205-036, photo­
Stasi cabinets sealed with stamps, undated
grapher: Jan Peter Kasper
Photo: BStU, MfS, OTS, Fo, Nr. 36, Bild 60, detail

ACCESS TO SECRECY
174 APPENDIX 175

Pre-printed M 10 form Examined letters are reclosed in a letter sealing This report from an IM file documents two meet- • “Good Afternoon, Passport Control”, 1981
BStU holdings, photo reproduction machine. ings between an unofficial collaborator of the BStU, MfS, ZAIG, Fi, Nr. 142, detail
Photo: BStU, MfS, Abt. M, Fo, Nr. 29, Bild 63 Stasi (IM) and his case officer. Shortly after the • “The Anti-constitutional Office for the Protec-
Example of an index card file pocket (M 10 form),
meeting described in this report took place, Stasi tion of the Constitution”, 1983
in which Department M placed photocopies and Employee of Department M placing resealed enve-
employees tore up the page. It was later reassem- BStU, MfS, HA II, Vi, Nr. 114, detail
filmed results of postal inspections. The data on lopes in a letter press to remove any traces of postal
bled by hand through the manual reconstruction • Revisor – illegal establishment of contact”,
“suspicious” senders and recipients of inspected control.
project and assigned to the corresponding case 1985
letters could be entered into the empty fields. Photo: BStU, MfS, Abt. M, Fo, Nr. 31, Bild 25
in the Stasi Records Archive. BStU, MfS, HA II, Vi, Nr. 70, detail
Operational notice of letter handover • “Border Passages”, 1985
The Stasi’s Legacy – 2nd Floor Repository room in House 8 with mobile aisle shelving
East Berlin, 10 December 1988, photo reproduction BStU, MfS, ZAIG, Fi, Nr. 140, detail
units used by the Stasi to store its records, between
BStU, MfS, AOP, Nr. 1076/91, Bd. 14, S. 261 View of a corridor inside an old repository room • “Who is Who?”, 1987
1984 and 1989
where the Stasi kept its archived files in mobile BStU, MfS, HA II, Vi, Nr. 119, detail
With this document from December 1988, Photo: BStU, MfS, Abt. XII, Nr. 8408, detail
­shelving units • “Forgers” – How escape agents manipulated
­Department M, on behalf of its head, Major
Photo: BStU/Roland Lucht, April 1998 Stasi employee with the archived Folder 6 of the the stamps in passports, 1987
General Strobel, handed over a confiscated
Operative Case “Acker II” in the repository area of the BStU, MfS, HA II, Vi, Nr. 121, detail
postal item to Main Department (HA) XX/9. It had A repository room today with modern mobile aisle
central archive of the Stasi in Berlin, between 1984 • “Dzierzynski Soldiers”, 1988
asked Department M to monitor post from and shelving units in which the Stasi records can be
and 1989 BStU, MfS, ZAIG, Fi, Nr. 99, detail
for Lutz Rathenow, whom the Stasi regarded as a ­properly stored in archive boxes
Photo: BStU, MfS, Abt. XII, Nr. 8408, detail
suspect from the “political underground”. Photo: Christian Morgenstern, 10 January 2017 Tangled reels of film from the Stasi before they were
Photograph of the repository room of the Stasi catalogued in the Stasi Records Archive
Handwritten letter to Lutz Rathenow Technical equipment used by the Stasi to record its
­Records Archive Photo: BStU/Doris Stark, before 2000
Jena, 1 November 1989, photo reproduction tapping activities, 1985
The loose pages are tied together into bundles of
BStU, MfS, AOP, Nr. 26097/91, Bd. 11, S. 39 und S. 41 Photo: BStU, MfS, HA III, Fo, Nr. 299, Bild 31 “In honour of the 35th anniversary of the GDR and the
documents and arranged and indexed according to
MfS, in realisation of the class mission of the X. Party
This letter to Lutz Rathenow dated November Repository room in the adjacent archive building, content so that they can be used for research.
Congress – highest Checkist accomplishments for the
1989 was opened by Department M within the House 8, with the very first equipment dating back to Photo: Christian Morgenstern, 10 January 2017
secure protection of Socialism and Peace!” This photo
framework of postal surveillance and copied for 1984 with mobile shelving units
View into the repository room of the Stasi Records from the records of the Ministry for State Security
further use. Department M gave a copy of the let- Photo: BStU/Doris Stark, around 2000
Archive with modern equipment (MfS) shows the slogan of honour next to the portrait
ter to the Stasi service unit that had “processed”
View into the repository room of the Stasi Records A repository room today with modern mobile aisle of head of state and party leader, Erich Honecker,
and collected information on Rathenow.
Archive with modern equipment shelving units in which the Stasi records can be at a festive event of the MfS in 1985. The Stasi had
As the State Security was disbanding and evi- Photo: Christian Morgenstern, 10 January 2017 ­properly stored in archive boxes recordings made of events like this, meetings or work
dence was being destroyed, this document was Photo: Christian Morgenstern, 10 January 2017 conferences to document its own internal workings
Bag storage facility in Magdeburg where the contain-
torn up. It was later possible to reassemble the and to “keep traditions alive“.
ers with pre-destroyed material are stored today Stasi surveillance photos of Ulrike Poppe
snippets and have the letter classified into the Photo: BStU, MfS, HA XX, Fo, Nr. 1691, Bild 16
Photo: BStU/Jörg Stoye, 2017 East Berlin, 1980s
appropriate file in the Stasi Records Archive.
Photos: BStU, MfS, HA XX, Fo, Nr. 742, Bild 2 und Bild Surveillance photos taken by Stasi employees with a
Employees of the Stasi Records Archive sort and
Employee of Department M opening letters, undated 32; BStU, MfS, AOP, Nr. 1010/91, Bd. 18, S. 21, Bild 4; hidden camera on 27 April 1984 in the vicinity of the
­manually piece together paper snippets that were
Photo: BStU, MfS, Abt. M, Fo, Nr. 31, Bild 3 BStU, MfS, AOP, Nr. 1010/91, Bd. 18, S. 22, Bild 8 Church of the Redeemer (Erlöserkirche) in Berlin-
torn up by the Stasi prior to 1990
Lichten­berg. Main Department VIII of the MfS, which
Work station for manually resealing postal items, Photo: Friedrich Klütsch, 2008 Mugshot of Ulrike Poppe after her arrest by the Stasi
received its orders from other Stasi service units, was
undated in December 1983
Quality assurance of the virtual reconstruction of responsible for this type of covert surveillance.
Photo: BStU, MfS, Abt. M, Fo, Nr. 31, Bild 30 Photo: BStU, MfS, HA IX, Nr. 22869, detail
Stasi records Photo: BStU, MfS, HA VIII, Fo, Nr. 441, Bild 18 und 19
Photographs from Department M of the MfS that In the quality assurance stage, archivists assist in Training films and videos of the Ministry for State
Work area in the Stasi Records Archive where films
show technical devices for opening and sealing ­re­assembling the snippets by checking whether the Security
and videos are processed, digitalised and made
­letters, around 1984 puzzle proposals of the software are complete, after GDR, between 1974 and 1988, media installation
usable
Already opened letters are placed in a letter sealing which they confirm or reject them. The Stasi Records
The Stasi also produced training films for internal One major challenge here is to determine the origin
machine. Archive takes the reconstructed pages, compiles them
use. Some of these training films are presented of the individual media and link them to the written
Photo: BStU, MfS, Abt. M, Fo, Nr. 29, Bild 57 into files and cases and returns them to the context
in the permanent exhibition and are available records. In many cases, the recordings have been
in which they were created.
in their entirety, sometimes accompanied by removed from the context in which they were created
Photo: BStU/Karina Jüngert, 2013
audio, in the Stasi records online resource and accompanying information or technical details
Report on a meeting with the IMS (unofficial colla­ ­(­w ww­.­s tasi-mediathek.de). are missing. The employees in the Stasi Records
borator used to penetrate and secure the area of • „FIAT II“, 1974 Archive must first determine which device a recording
responsibility on a politically operative level) BStU, MfS, ZAIG, Fi, Nr. 37, detail can be played on, if at all.
East Berlin, 26 October 1989, photo reproduction • “Border Control Point Wartha”, around 1980 Photo: BStU/Christian Appl, 2017
BStU, MfS, AIM, Nr. 9085/91, Beifügung, Bd. 1, S. 1 BStU, MfS, ZAIG, Fi, Nr. 141, detail

ACCESS TO SECRECY
176 APPENDIX 177

Various film storage media in the repository area of Gilbert Radulovic at his desk in the state-run enter- Overview of the surveillance and control operation Recommendation for the award of a gold medal of
the Stasi Records Archive prise (VEB) heating system construction plant in East East Berlin, 11 November 1977, photo reproduction merit of the National People’s Army (NVA) to Willi
Photo: Christian Morgenstern, 10 January 2017 Berlin, around 1980, projection BStU, MfS, AOPK, Nr. 23732/80, Bd. 1, S. 6 Marquardt
Photo: Private collection of Gilbert Furian East Berlin, 2 June 1976, photo reproduction
View of the Siemens 4004 computer system in the This overview sums up the most important infor-
BStU, MfS, KS II, Nr. 271/89, S. 109
central computer centre of the MfS in Wuhlheide, Punk in East Berlin in front of the slogan: “No-one mation about the surveillance and control opera-
Berlin-Köpenick, around 1975 does what he should – everybody does what they tion (OPK) against Gilbert Radulovic. It gives the During his time with the Ministry for State
Photo: BStU, MfS, Abt XIII, Fo, Nr. 1, Bild 6 want”, projection names of the official Stasi employees, Captain Security, Willi Marquardt received several
Photo: BStU, MfS, AU, Nr. 11980/86, Bd. 10, Seite 56, Marquardt who was in charge of the case, decorations for his devotion to duty and reliable
Placing a magnetic disc on a removable disc device,
Bild 6 bzw. Nikolaus Becker, 1982 and his superior Lieutenant Colonel Buhl. The work. In November 1977 his superior and head
undated.
justifica­tion for and aims of the surveillance show of department, Lieutenant Colonel Hans Buhl,
Photo: BStU, MfS, Abt. XIII, Fo, Nr. 17, Bild 6 Photo report on “Schreiber”
that the initial suspicion of “anti-state activity” recommended him for the NVA (National Peo-
East Berlin, created on 2 April 1985, photos from
Employee of the index and archive department ­according to Section 106 of the Criminal Code ple’s Army) gold medal of merit. Accordingly,
26 March 1985, projection
recording data on an office computer made by was to be examined and evidence of such a crime Marquardt had made a major contribution to
BStU, MfS, AOPK, Nr. 1230/88, S. 299–300
­Robotron, around 1985 ­collected. However, surveillance of Radulovic “combating the political underground” – also
Photo: BStU, MfS, Abt. XII, Fo, Nr. 93, Bild 2 Report on securing the typewriter as evidence did not furnish sufficient proof. In 1980 the Stasi through the use of unofficial collaborators and
East Berlin, 18 July 1985, projection closed the surveillance and control operation intelligence measures, for instance surveillance
“Looking in a Distorting Mirror” The Case of BStU, MfS, AU, Nr. 11980/86, Bd. 10, S. 169 “­Kopernikus” and had it archived. and control operations.
­Gilbert Radulovic in the Stasi Records – 3rd Floor
Report on securing punk booklet as evidence Hans Buhl, photo from his personal file at the Ministry Willi Marquardt, photo from his personal file at the
Mugshots of Gilbert Radulovic after his arrest by the East Berlin, undated, projection for State Security, undated Ministry for State Security, undated
Stasi on 27 March 1985 BStU, MfS, AU, Nr. 11980/86, Bd. 3, S. 192 Photo: BStU, MfS, KS, Nr. 3700/90, S. 14, detail Photo: BStU, MfS, KS II, Nr. 271/89, S. 336, Bild 5
Photos: BStU, MfS, AU, Nr. 11980/86, Bd. 1, S. 141,
Photo report of a search of the apartment on Hans Buhl (born in 1933) joined the State Security Willi Marquardt (born in 1930) was an expe-
Bild 1–3
­Husemannstrasse of: Radulovic, Gilbert, ordered by in 1952. During his career with the Stasi, he was rienced employee of the Ministry for State
Surveillance photos taken by Stasi employees during the GDR general state prosecutor assigned to various leadership positions. From ­Security. The trained locksmith joined the
the covert observation of Gilbert Radulovic on East Berlin, undated, projection 1974 to 1980 he was in charge of Department 2 of Stasi in 1957 and worked for many years for
26 March 1985 BStU, MfS, AU, Nr. 11980/86, Bd. 8, S. 49 Main Department XX which was responsible for Main D­ epartment XX. Among other things this
Photos: BStU, MfS, AOPK, Nr. 1230/88, S. 299–300, investigating “subversion.” As Willi Marquardt’s unit was responsible for “fighting subversion”
Brief information on Radulovic, Gilbert
detail supervisor, he was also responsible for the and, therefore, also for the OPK “Kopernikus”
East Berlin, 18 April 1979, photo reproduction
surveillance of Radulovic in conjunction with mounted against Gilbert Radulovic. In the rank
Archived Folder 2 of the surveillance and control BStU, MfS, HA XX, Nr. 6221, Bd. 2, S. 1111–1112
the OPK “Kopernikus”. Buhl still held the rank of of C
­ aptain at the time, Marquardt ended his
operation “Kopernikus”
In 1979 the State Security began “the operational Lieutenant Colonel at that time; by 1989 he had career in 1988 as Major.
East Berlin, 1980, Photo reproduction
processing” of Gilbert Radulovic and instigated, advanced to Colonel.
BStU, MfS, AOPK, Nr. 23732/80, Bd. 2 Gilbert Radulovic on assignment for the state-run
to this end, the surveillance and control opera-
Proposed appointment to department head enterprise (VEB) heating system construction plant in
Archived Folder 1 of surveillance and control tion (OPK) “Kopernikus”. This short information
East Berlin, 2 June 1975, photo reproduction East Berlin, late 1970
­operation “Schreiber” sums up the most important aspects. Besides
BStU, MfS, KS, Nr. 3700/90, S. 96 Photo: BStU, MfS, AU, Nr. 11980/86, Bd. 1, S. 200
East Berlin, 1988, Photo reproduction the personal details of Radulovic, it also contains
BStU, MfS, AOPK, Nr. 1230/88, Bd. 1 the name of the Stasi employee in charge, Willi From 1 May 1974 Hans Buhl had been acting Gilbert Radulovic in front of a propaganda poster of
Marquardt, the type of recording in the file cate- head of Department 2 within Main Depart- the GDR during a short vacation in Pasewalk, 1966
Archived Folder 3 of the investigation on Gilbert
gory OPK and any measures already initiated like, ment XX and, as such, Willi Marquardt’s supe- Photo: Private collection of Gilbert Furian
Radulovic
for instance, the use of unofficial collaborators rior. Buhl had completed his assigned tasks to
East Berlin, 1986, Photo reproduction
(IM) as informants. the satisfaction of his boss, the head of Main
BStU, MfS, AU, Nr. 11980/86, Bd. 3
Department XX, General Major Paul Kienberg.
The reason given by Marquardt for the surveil-
Gilbert Radulovic on assignment for the state-run On the recommendation of Kienberg, Buhl was
lance of Radulovic was his participation in the
enterprise (VEB) heating system construction plant in appointed permanent head of Department 2 of
“Thursday circle”, a discussion group on politics.
East Berlin, late 1970, projection Main Department XX in July 1975.
The Stasi saw this as a “hostile activity” directed
Photo: BStU, MfS, AU, Nr. 11980/86, Bd. 1, S. 200
against the state. In the German Democratic
Gilbert Radulovic in front of a propaganda poster of Republic almost every critical opinion voiced
the GDR during a short vacation in Pasewalk, 1966, was liable to punishment pursuant to Section 106
projection of the Criminal Code (StGB) on the grounds of
Photo: Private collection of Gilbert Furian “subversion”.

ACCESS TO SECRECY
178 APPENDIX 179

The Gutenfürst border checkpoint in Saxon Vogtland The central persons index card F 16 of Gilbert Index card F 77 on the codename “Schreiber” Detention report
Photo: SLUB (Sächsische Landesbibliothek – Staats- ­Radulovic East Berlin, created on 1 February 1985, ended on East Berlin, 27 March1985, photo reproduction
und Universitätsbibliothek) Dresden/Deutsche Foto- East Berlin, 1 February 1985, photo reproduction 27 January 1988, photo reproduction BStU, MfS, AU, Nr. 11980/86, Bd. 1, S. 131
thek, Ivo Petrík, 1992 BStU, MfS, Abt. XII, Nr. 8370 BStU, MfS, Abt. XII, Nr. 8390
From the Stasi’s perspective, its surveillance activ-
The Gutenfürst border checkpoint in Saxon With the mounting of the OPK “Schreiber”, The codename index card F 77 gives the code- ities provided the “initial operational indications”
­Vogtland was located between the cities of the central archive and index department, name “Schreiber”. This belongs to the case that that Gilbert Radulovic was guilty of the ­attempted
­Plauen in the East (GDR) and Hof in the West ­Department XII, assigned a registration number could be found under the same registration “illegal establishment of contact”, which was
(FRG). In the course of inter-German travel, and created the corresponding index cards on number XV/1009/85 as in the case index F 22. considered a serious political crime in the GDR. In
passenger trains crossing the border had to stop the case. The Stasi used indexes to structure and Here, too, details are given of the type of case, order to “examine” this suspicion, Stasi employees
here. This is also the station where R
­ adulovic’s store the data it collected. It could then directly the surveillance and control operation (OPK), the picked him up at his workplace on the morning
mother underwent routine controls on her access information at any time. corresponding competences of the Stasi (Section of 27 March 1985. “To clarify a matter”, he was
trip to West Germany in January 1985. During 2 of Department 3 of Main Department XVIII as first taken up to the detention centre of the State
The persons index card F 16 contains details of
the controls, customs officials discovered and well as Staedtler, the employee in charge), and ­security on Magdalenenstrasse (UHA II) right next
Gilbert Radulovic, such as his full name, date of
­confiscated her son’s booklets. the date the case was created. In 1988 the date door to the Stasi headquarters. Here, he was to
birth, address and occupation. At the top right,
was added on which the case was closed as was respond to the criminal acts he was accused of.
Gerd Staedtler, photo from his personal file at the the registration number refers to the case cre-
the archive number of the archived file on the
Ministry for State Security, undated ated on him in a separate index, the case index Gilbert Radulovic at his desk in the state-run enter-
OPK “Schreiber”. The reason for closing the case
Photo: BStU, MfS, KS, Nr. 4962/90, S. 1, detail F 22. The registration number consists of the prise (VEB) heating system construction plant in East
was added in handwriting: one person faced
following elements: Berlin, around 1980
Gerd Staedtler (born in 1949), a trained measure- criminal investigations with imprisonment and
• XV for the registration area of the headquar- Photo: Private collection of Gilbert Furian
ment and control engineering technician from “preventive educational measures” were taken
ters of the Ministry for State Security in Berlin,
Zeitz, had been a member of the State Security against three other people involved in the case. Punk in East Berlin in front of the slogan: “No-one
• 1009 as consecutive number,
since 1968. After completing his engineering does what he should – everybody does what they
• 85 for the year 1985, in which the index cards Photo report on “Schreiber”
studies, he joined Central Department XVIII want”
and the case were created. East Berlin, created on 2 April 1985, photos from
of the MfS in 1975 where he worked until 1989 Photo: BStU, MfS, AU, Nr. 11980/86, Bd. 10, Seite 56,
26 March 1985, photo reproduction
on the control of industrial sectors in the GDR. The central case index card F 22 for the Bild 6 bzw. Nikolaus Becker, 1982
BStU, MfS, AOPK, Nr. 1230/88, S. 299–300
Staedtler held the rank of Captain when he over- OPK ­“Schreiber”
Through his contacts to the Protestant Church,
saw the “Schreiber” case. He ended his career as East Berlin, created on 1 February 1985, closed on In the course of the OPK “Schreiber”, the Stasi
Radulovic got to know a group of punks in the
deputy head of section with the rank of Major. 28 January 1988, photo reproduction collected incriminating material against Gilbert
summer of 1982. He recorded his discussions
BStU, MfS, Abt. XII, Nr. 8376 Radulovic with a view to clearly identifying him
Search request and operational information from with them in order to document their alterna-
as the author of the “subversive” punk booklet.
Department XII The case index card F 22, which can be found tive lifestyle. In addition, his colleague Nikolaus
In addition, he was to be the subject of covert
East Berlin, 30 January 1985, photo reproduction under the registration number that the per- Becker took photos of the youngsters. When
surveillance and then brought in for interroga-
BStU, MfS, AOPK, Nr. 1230/88, S. 245–246 sons card F 16 contains: XV/1009/85. The F 22 Radulovic was arrested two and a half years later
tion.
indicates the kind of case created: it involves and Becker assumed that his images would be
To launch the surveillance and control operation
monitoring, a surveillance and control operation From the early morning of 26 March 1985 confiscated, he scratched the faces in the photos
(OPK) “Schreiber”, the responsible Stasi em-
(OPK) for the purposes of “gathering intelligence through to the next morning, Stasi employees to protect the punk’s identity.
ployee Staedtler first initiated a search request
about criminal acts”. The date on which the index had the “target individual” Radulovic under con-
from Department XII, the access and inquiry Committal Notification
card was created, Section 2 of Department 3 in tinuous surveillance. It prepared a highly detailed
department of the MfS. The employees there East Berlin, 27 March 1985, photo reproduction
the Main Department XVIII, and Staedtler, the protocol of where Radulovic went that day, how
checked whether Gilbert Radulovic was already BStU, MfS, AU, Nr. 11980/86, Bd. 1, S. 134–135
employee in charge, are also noted. much time he spent at each location and exactly
recorded in the central database. The supplied
what he got up to. Equipped with conspiratorial As soon as he “confessed” that he had produced
information shows that the MfS headquarters in However, the real name of Radulovic is no longer
surveillance technology, the Stasi employees not the punk brochure, Radulovic was formally
Berlin already kept an OPK-file (AOPK 23732/80) listed in the case card, only the codename
only had him under surveillance, but they also arrested by Main Department IX of the Stasi on
on Radulovic that had been archived in 1980 – “Schreiber”. For reasons of secrecy, the case card
took covert photos and painstakingly recorded 27 March 1985 around 11:40 am. Only now did
the OPK “Kopernikus”. He had also cropped alone was not meant to allow any direct conclu-
their observations. the Stasi have sufficient incriminatory material to
up in a case (AOP 174/74) of the Stasi district sions about the person recorded in this case.
support the strong suspicion of “illegal establish-
administration (BV) in Leipzig (Lpz), where he had
When the Stasi archived the OPK “Schreiber” in ment of contact”, as defined in Section 219 of the
studied. Staedtler was then able to draw on this
1988, the archive number 1230/88 used to locate GDR Criminal Code. Radulovic’s status shifted
information about the person and background of
the corresponding files was added to the index from accused to strong suspect. With the aim
Radulovic.
card. of proving his “subversive intentions”, the Stasi
moved him to pretrial detention.

ACCESS TO SECRECY
180 APPENDIX 181

Arrest warrant interviewing a number of witnesses, seizing and The experts’ report confirmed that Radulovic’s Conviction in the Radulovic case
East Berlin, 28 March 1985, photo reproduction analysing incriminating material, and checking typewriter had indeed been used for the text on East Berlin, 23 September 1985, photo reproduction
BStU, MfS, AU, Nr. 11980/86, Bd. 8, S. 10 postal items. For the Stasi it was important to the punks. BStU, MfS, AU, Nr. 11980/86, Bd. 7, S. 289
gain knowledge of all information on the alleged
After the initial interrogation of Radulovic on the Photo report of a search of the apartment on Huse- After six month’s surveillance, preliminary
crime, any compounding factors and possible
morning of 27 March 1985, the Stasi applied for a mannstrasse of: Radulovic, Gilbert, ordered by the proceedings and detention, the main trial in the
accomplices.
court warrant for arrest to the public prosecutor’s GDR general state prosecutor criminal proceedings against Radulovic was held
office on the grounds of the strong suspicion of Wolfgang Mascher, photo from his personal file at the East Berlin, undated, photo reproduction on 19 and 23 September 1985. The municipal
“illegal establishment of contact”. One day later Ministry for State Security, undated BStU, MfS, AU, Nr. 11980/86, Bd. 8, S. 48–49, details district court Berlin Lichtenberg found Gilbert
the competent municipal district court Berlin Photo: BStU, MfS, KS, Nr. 12460/90, S. 14, detail Radulovic guilty of the “illegal establishment
Being subjected to innumerable interrogations
issued the arrest warrant. The judge ordered the of contact” pursuant to section 219 of the GDR
Wolfgang Mascher from Erfurt (born in 1946) during his custody in the central Stasi pretrial
pretrial detention of Gilbert Radulovic on the Criminal Code and sentenced him to two years
began working for the Ministry for State Secu- detention centre in Hohenschönhausen, the
grounds that the suspect was guilty of a “crime” and two months imprisonment. The Court even
rity (MfS) at the age of 20. The trained concrete suspect Gilbert Radulovic had to explain, over
that could “harm the interests of the GDR”. widened the criminal offence to the “public def-
constructor first worked in different service units and over, his motivation behind the preparation
amation of state organs” pursuant to section 220
Interrogation protocol of Radulovic in accordance of the MfS before he began studying criminology of the punk booklet and the exact circumstances
of the GDR Criminal Code (StGB).
with Para. 95 StPO at the Berlin Humboldt University in 1970. of its production.
East Berlin, 27 March 1985, source excerpt The conviction brought to an end both the
On completion of his degree, Mascher became To compile all incriminating evidence against
BStU, MfS, AU, Nr. 11980/86, Bd. 1, S. 277 surveillance and control operation (OPK)
investigative officer in Main Department IX, the him, the Stasi repeatedly searched Radulovic’ s
“­Schreiber”, and the preliminary investigations.
“[…] I would like to reiterate that my 8 acquaint- investigative body of the MfS. In this function flat and workplace. During a specific search of
For the Stasi, the case had been “successfully”
ances living in the West had received calendars he led the preliminary proceedings against his attic, Stasi staff members found additional
concluded. Gilbert Radulovic was then taken to
from me in the past. This was done by post. But Radulovic. By the end of his career with the Stasi material related to the punk booklet and took
Cottbus prison to serve his sentence.
given the nature of the content of my booklet in 1989, Mascher had advanced to the position of these pictures to record the location where it was
I ­assumed that they might be exempted from head of section with the rank of Major. found.
House 7 in 1989 – Side Corridor 1–5th Floor
­postal traffic and not arrive. I informed my
Statement on the proposed nomination of Comrade Final report on the surveillance and control operation
­mother, who was visiting me in late 1984/early Horst Kuschel speaking before an assembly meeting,
Major Mascher, Wolfgang […] to department head (OPK) “Schreiber”, Reg. Nr. XV 1009/85
1985, of my concerns. She, in turn, offered to take between 1979 and 1985.
and his new status in the remuneration level (VS) XIV no location, undated, photo reproduction
the booklets with her on her trip to the BRD in Photo: BStU, MfS, HA XX, Fo, Nr. 1691, Bild 9, detail
with effect on 1.5.1987 BStU, MfS, AOPK, Nr. 1230/88, S. 317–318
­January 1985 and to mail them from there. She
East Berlin, 14 April 1987, photo reproduction Photo of Gerhard Neiber from his cader index card at
did, in fact, take them with her but it should be Department 3 of the Main Department XVIII had
BStU, MfS, KS, Nr. 12460/90, S. 107 the Ministry for State Security, undated
said that the customs administration of the DDR processed the surveillance and control operation
Photo: BStU, MfS, HA KuSch, Nr. 1567, detail
confiscated all 8 booklets at the border. […]” In 1987 Wolfgang Mascher was put forward by (OPK) “Schreiber”. This was the prerequisite to in-
his superiors for promotion to the post of head stigating the preliminary proceedings that ended Paul Kienberg giving a speech at a work meeting of
Action plan in the preliminary proceedings against
of section. The employees of the personnel with the conviction of Gilbert Radulovic. Main Department XX in House 22, around 1986
Radulovic, Gilbert
department of the Stasi, the Main Department Photo: BStU, MfS, HA XX, Fo, Nr. 570, Bild 12, detail
East Berlin, 2 April 1985, photo reproduction In his final report, Staedtler, the Stasi employee
for Cadres and Training (HA KuSch) agreed to
BStU, MfS, AU, Nr. 11980/86, Bd. 1, S. 319–322 who had originally been responsible for the Photo of Fritz Busch from his personal file at the
his nomination. According to them, Mascher had
case, once again summed up the results of the ­Ministry for State Security, undated
From March to September 1985, Gilbert ­Radulovic always shown himself to be competent and had
Stasi investigation. According to him, Radulovic Photo: BStU, MfS, KS II, Nr. 3664/90, S. 1, detail
was held in custody in the pretrial detention been prepared, step by step, to assume a func-
was proven to have attempted to “establish
centre of the Stasi in Hohenschönhausen. Over tion of this kind. Eberhard Jaekel speaking at an assembly of Main
illegal contact” and court proceedings were
and over again, he was interrogated about the Department XX, between 1986 and 1989
Detailed pictures of the typewriter (picture of keys initiated in line with the desired outcome. The
circumstances surrounding the punk booklet. Photo: BStU, MfS, HA XX, Fo, Nr. 1688, Bild 43, detail
from a Rheinmetall typewriter Model GS, Machine concrete accusation against Radulovic was that
The investigating officer, Major Mascher, from no. 178225) he had sought to present the marginal group Jürgen Notroff at a meeting of Main Department XX,
Department 2 of Main Department IX led the East Berlin, 1985, photo reproduction of East B­ erlin punks as mainstream movement. between 1986 and 1989
preliminary proceedings. He drew up an action BStU, MfS, AU, Nr. 11980/86, Bd. 10, S. 167 In particular, he was accused of always having Photo: BStU, MfS, HA XX, Fo, Nr. 1688, Bild 48, detail
plan to consolidate the gathering of evidence. known that his writings could be used “in
The Stasi confiscated Radulovic’s typewriter as
It envisaged, amongst other things, collecting a defamatory manner against the GDR”. In
evidence. It suspected that he had written the
evaluations from Radulovic’s employer, infor- accordance with the GDR Criminal Code (StGB),
punk booklet on this typewriter and requested a
mation from his personal circle and on his past, this justified handing down a prison sentence in
forensic examination. The technical investigative
excess of two years.
unit prepared an expert report that compared
the typeface samples from the confiscated type-
writer and the punk booklet. The detailed photos
here present particular keys of the typewriter.

ACCESS TO SECRECY
182 APPENDIX 183

Exhibition
­Imprint

Werner Fleischhauer speaking at an event of Main Joachim Tischendorf speaking at an assembly of Main Access to Secrecy Photography:
Department XX, between 1986 and 1989 Department XX, between 1986 and 1989 Exhibition on the Stasi Records Archive Christian Appl, BStU, Berlin
Photo: BStU, MfS, HA XX, Fo, Nr. 1688, Bild 50, detail Photo: BStU, MfS, HA XX, Fo, Nr. 1688, Bild 35, detail The Federal Commissioner for the Records of the Nikolaus Becker, Berlin
State Security of the Former German Democratic Bundesregierung, Arne Schambeck, Berlin
Wolfgang Reuter at an assembly meeting of Main Photo of Hans Buhl from his personal file at the Minis-
Republic (BStU) Gilbert Furian, Berlin
Department XX, between 1986 and 1989 try for State Security, undated
Roland Handke-Lucht, BStU, Berlin
Photo: BStU, MfS, HA XX, Fo, Nr. 1688, Bild 1, detail Photo: BStU, MfS, KS II, Nr. 3700/90, S. 14, detail Idea and concept:
Karina Jüngert, BStU, Berlin
Nicol Püschl, Nadja Häckel, BStU, Berlin
Joachim Wiegand at an assembly meeting, between Friedrich Klütsch, München
1975 and 1985 Project planning and coordination: Christian Morgenstern, Potsdam
Photo: BStU, MfS, HA XX, Fo, Nr. 1691, Bild 15, detail Nicol Püschl, BStU, Berlin Roos Mulders, BStU, Berlin
Sächsische Landesbibliothek — Staats- und
Archive, object and photo research:
Universitäts­bibliothek Dresden (SLUB)/Deutsche
Nicol Püschl, Nadja Häckel, BStU, Berlin
Fotothek, Ivo Petrík
Texts: Andreas Schoelzel, Berlin
Nadja Häckel, BStU, Berlin Doris Stark, BStU, Berlin
Stasi-Unterlagen-Archiv, BStU, Berlin
Editing:
Jörg Stoye, BStU, Magdeburg
Dr. Ralf Trinks, BStU, Berlin
Peter Wensierski, Berlin
Translations:
Film productions:
Aileen Sharpe, Sharpe Translations, Le Mans, Berlin
Bodo Brüsehaber, Potsdam
Property planning: BStU, Berlin
Klaus Becker, Julia Kaiser, BStU, Berlin
Audio recordings:
Project administration: Kulturaufnahme MV, Erfurt
Nina Grimmecke, Nadja Häckel, Ramona Lamm,
Restoration:
Olaf Reinhold, BStU, Berlin
Dorothee Schmidt-Breitung, Neißemünde
Assistance:
Furniture construction:
Susan Pethe, Karin Michalek, Dagmar Hovestädt,
Tischlerei Markus Rupprich, Rehfelde
Julia Frommhold, ­Sebastian Lindner, Nina Ziesemer,
BStU, Berlin Glass construction:
SZKLO – Zaklad Szklarski S.C., Stettin
Consulting:
Prof. Dr. Waltraud Schreiber, Eichstätt; Uwe Schwabe, Metal construction:
Leipzig; Dr. Andrea Wettmann, Dresden Glas- und Metallbau Christian Kronmarck,
­Rosenwinkel
Exhibition design, graphics design, media design,
installations, statistics: Printing press:
kreativköpfe – Raum- & Ausstellungsgestaltung, print, Potsdam
­Potsdam
Media technology:
Director: Stephanie Kroll
VST GmbH, Saalfeld
Assistance: Robert Emden, Susann Stein, Ulrike
­Schirmer-Lützow, Alexandra Zackiewicz, ­Justyna Lighting design:
Gralak, Jens Scheiwe, Julia Bindseil, Thomas Lumoplan GmbH & Co. KG, Berlin
­Rosche, Sven Mikeleit, Christian Czaika, Jürgen Lust,
Electrical engineering:
­Alexander Schaak, Maria Stein, Christian Laschinski
Hentzschel & Frankiewicz Elektro GmbH, Berlin
Art installations:
Illuminated boxes:
Barbara Krückemeyer, Potsdam
Bohn Werbeanlagen GmbH, Schönow
Facsimiles:
Barbara Krückemeyer, Potsdam

Homepage:
Online-Redaktion, BStU, Berlin

ACCESS TO SECRECY
184 APPENDIX 185

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StUG) of 20 December 1991, Berlin 2017.

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186 APPENDIX 187

Jedlitschka, Karten/Springer, Philipp (Hg.): Das Ge- Salamon, Birgit: Die Archive der Bundesbeauftragten Häckel, Nadja/Püschl, Nicol: “Looking in a ­distorting Halbrock, Christian: Mielkes Revier. Stadtraum
dächtnis der Staatssicherheit. Die Kartei- und Archiv- für die Stasi-Unterlagen (BStU). Die archivfachliche mirror”. The case of Gilbert Radulovic in the Stasi und Alltag rund um die MfS-Zentrale in Berlin-­
abteilung des MfS [Archiv zur DDR-Staats­sicherheit, Arbeit an den MfS-Geheimdienstunterlagen – Fragen records [Dokumentenheft. Einblicke in das Stasi-Unter­ Lichtenberg, Lukas Verlag für Kunst- und Geistes­
Bd. 12], Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, Göttingen 2015. und Herausforderungen, in: Der Archivar 55, 3/2002, lagen-Archiv], hg. vom Bundesbeauftragten für die geschichte, Berlin ²2010.
S. 203–207. (Available online at: http://www.bstu.de/ Unterlagen des Staatssicherheitsdienstes der ehe-
Halbrock, Christian: Stasi-Stadt. Die MfS-Zentrale
On the legacy of the Stasi and the work of the archiv/fachbeitraege/) maligen Deutschen Demokratischen Republik (BStU),
in Berlin-Lichtenberg. Ein historischer Rundgang,
Stasi Records Archive: Berlin 2018. (Available online at: http://www.bstu.de/
Schütterle, Juliane: Die virtuelle Rekonstruktion zer- Ch. Links Verlag, Berlin ²2011.
informationen-zur-stasi/publikationen/­publikation/
Blum, Ralf/Jedlitschka, Karsten: Filme der Staats- rissener Stasi-Unterlagen. Ein Werkstattbericht, in:
looking-in-a-distorting-mirror/) Kuhlicke, Nora/Rost, Beate: Zur Entstehung und
sicherheit. Viertes Nutzerforum der Bundes­ Gerbergasse 18, Heft 81, 4/2016, S. 42–46.
Entwicklung des Zentralen Dienstkomplexes des
beauftragten für die Unterlagen des Staatssicher- Joestel, Frank (Hg.): Strafrechtliche Verfolgung
Weberling, Johannes/Spitzer, Giselher (Hg.): Virtuelle Ministeriums für Staatssicherheit in Berlin Lichtenberg
heitsdienstes der ehemaligen DDR, in: Archivar 62, politischer Gegner durch die Staatssicherheit im
Rekonstruktion „vorvernichteter“ Stasi-Unterlagen. zwischen 1950 und 1989/90, Dipl.-Arb. FH Potsdam
4/2009, S. 426–427. (Available online at: http://www. Jahre 1988. Der letzte Jahresbericht der MfS-Haupt-
Technologische Machbarkeit und Finanzierbarkeit – 2005.
bstu.de/archiv/fachbeitraege/) abteilung Untersuchung [Dokumente – Reihe A], hg.
Folgerungen für Wissenschaft, Kriminaltechnik und
von der Bundesbeauftragten für die Unterlagen des
Jedlitschka, Karsten: Archivtagung „Erschließung und Publizistik [Schriftenreihe des Berliner Landesbeauf- Publication Index of the Federal Commissioner
Staatssicherheitsdienstes der ehemaligen Deutschen
Zugang“ im Archiv der BStU-Zentralstelle, in: Archivar tragten für die Unterlagen des Staatssicherheitsdiens- for the Records of the State Security Service of the
Demokratischen Republik (BStU), Berlin 2003.
61, 4/2008, S. 394. (Available online at: http://www. tes der ehemaligen DDR, Bd. 21], Berlin ²2007. Former German Democratic Republic (BStU):
bstu.de/archiv/fachbeitraege/) Knabe, Hubertus (Hg.): Gefangen in Hohenschön-
The Federal Commissioner regularly publishes series
On the case of Gilbert Radulovic in the records hausen. Stasi-Häftlinge berichten [Schriftenreihe der
Jedlitschka, Karsten: Stasi-Archiv Multimedial, in: and single volumes on the history and the structure
of the Stasi: Bundeszentrale für politische Bildung, Bd. 1002],
Archivar 64, 3/2011, S. 310–312. (Available online at: of the Ministry for State Security, as well as the current
Berlin 2007.
http://www.bstu.de/archiv/fachbeitraege/) Engelmann, Roger/Joestel, Frank: Die Haupt­ research on the topic, reappraisal in general, political
abteilung IX: Untersuchung [Anatomie der Staats- education and archival themes. The index gives an
Jedlitschka, Karten/Niederhut, Jens/Springer, Philipp On the historical site and the service units of the
sicherheit. Geschichte, Struktur und Methoden overview of publications printed in-house or by exter-
mit Fotografien von Appl, Christian: Verschluss-­ Ministry for State Security:
(MfS-Handbuch)], hg. vom Bundesbeauftragten für nal publishers.
Sachen. Dokumente, Fotos und Objekte aus dem
die Unterlagen des Staatssicherheitsdienstes der Auerbach, Thomas/Braun, Matthias/Eisenfeld, Bernd/
Archiv der Staatssicherheit, hg. vom Bundesbeauf- Der Bundesbeauftragte für die Unterlagen des
ehemaligen Deutschen Demokratischen Republik von Prittwitz, Gesine/Vollnhals, Clemens: Haupt­
tragten für die Unterlagen des Staatssicherheits- Staatssicherheitsdienstes der ehemaligen Deutschen
(BStU), Berlin 2016. abteilung XX. Staatsapparat, Blockparteien, Kirchen,
dienstes der ehemaligen Deutschen Demokratischen Demokratischen Republik (BStU) (Hg.): Gesamt-
Kultur, „politischer Untergrund“ [Anatomie der
Republik (BStU), Berlin 2017. Engelmann, Roger/Vollnhals, Clemens (Hg.): Justiz im verzeichnis der Veröffentlichungen, Stand: August
Staatssicherheit. Geschichte, Struktur und Methoden
Dienste der Parteiherrschaft. Rechtspraxis und Staats- 2018. (Available online at: http://www.bstu.de/­
Konopatzky, Stephan: Möglichkeiten und Grenzen (MfS-Handbuch)], hg. vom Bundesbeauftragten für
sicherheit in der DDR [Wissenschaftliche Reihe des informationen-zur-stasi/publikationen/publikation/
der SIRA-Datenbanken, in: Herbstritt, Georg/Müller- die Unterlagen des Staatssicherheitsdienstes der
BStU, Bd. 16], hg. vom Bundesbeauftragten für die gesamtverzeichnis-der-veroeffentlichungen/)
Enbergs, Helmut: Das Gesicht dem Westen zu ... DDR- ehemaligen Deutschen Demokratischen Republik
Unterlagen des Staatssicherheitsdienstes der ehe-
Spionage gegen die Bundesrepublik Deutschland (BStU), Berlin ²2012.
maligen Deutschen Demokratischen Republik (BStU),
[Analysen und Dokumente, Wissenschaftliche Reihe
Ch. Links Verlag, Berlin ²2006. Gieseke, Jens: Die hauptamtlichen Mitarbeiter der
der BStU, Bd. 23], hg. von der Bundesbeauftragten für
Staatssicherheit. Personalstruktur und Lebenswelt
die Unterlagen des Staatssicherheitsdienstes der ehe- Furian, Gilbert/Becker, Nikolaus: „Auch im Osten
1950–1989/90 [Analysen und Dokumente – Wissen-
maligen Deutschen Demokratischen Republik (BStU), trägt man Westen“. Punks in der DDR – und was aus
schaftliche Reihe der BStU, Bd. 20], hg. von der
Edition Temmen, Bremen 2003, S. 112–132. ihnen geworden ist, hg. vom Archiv der Jugend­
Bundesbeauftragten für die Unterlagen des Staats-
kulturen, Berlin 42012.
Oberhack, Silvia/Rübenstrunk, Katrin: Die bewegten sicherheitsdienstes der ehemaligen Deutschen
Bilder des ehemaligen Ministeriums für Staatssicher- Häckel, Nadja/Püschl, Nicol: „Blick in einen Zerrspie- Demokratischen Republik (BStU), Ch. Links Verlag,
heit: Filme und Videos, in: Info 7, 1/2010, S. 15–19. gel“. Der Fall Gilbert Radulovic in den Stasi-Unterlagen Berlin 2000.
(Available online at: http://www.bstu.de/archiv/­ [Dokumentenheft. Einblicke in das Stasi-Unterlagen-
Gieseke, Jens: Wer war wer im Ministerium für Staats-
fachbeitraege/) Archiv], hg. vom Bundesbeauftragten für die Unter-
sicherheit. Kurzbiographien des MfS-Leitungsperso-
lagen des Staatssicherheitsdienstes der ehemaligen
Oberhack, Silvia/Jurichs, Katri/Steinbach, Elke: Die nals 1950 bis 1989 [Anatomie der Staatssicherheit.
Deutschen Demokratischen Republik (BStU), Berlin
Töne der Staatssicherheit, in: Info 7, 2/2010, S. 10–13. Geschichte, Struktur und Methoden (MfS-Handbuch),
2018. (Available online at: http://www.bstu.de/­
(Available online at: http://www.bstu.de/archiv/­ Teil V/4], hg. vom Bundesbeauftragten für die Unter-
informationen-zur-stasi/publikationen/publikation/
fachbeitraege/) lagen des Staatssicherheitsdienstes der ehemaligen
blick-in-einen-zerrspiegel/)
Deutschen Demokratischen Republik (BStU), Berlin
²2012. (Available online at: http://www.bstu.de/­
informationen-zur-stasi/publikationen/publikation/
wer-war-wer-im-ministerium-fuer-staatssicherheit/)

ACCESS TO SECRECY
188 APPENDIX 189

Catalogue Illustrations Index

1: BStU/Roos Mulders 66: BStU/Roos Mulders 124: BStU, MfS, AU, Nr. 11980/86, Bd. 8, S. 10 ­ etween 1986 and 1989; BStU, MfS, HA XX,
b
2: BStU/Marco Dresen 67: BStU/Jörg Stoye 125: BStU/Roos Mulders Fo, Nr. 1688, Bild 35, detail
3: BStU, MfS, HA III, Fo, Nr. 313, Bild 4 68: Friedrich Klütsch 126: BStU, MfS, AU, Nr. 11980/86, Bd. 10, S. 167 160: BStU, MfS, BdL, Fo, Nr. 296, Bild 1
4: BStU, MfS, ZAIG, Fo, Nr. 885, Bild 158, 69: BStU, MfS, AIM, Nr. 9085/91, Beifügung, 127–130: BStU, MfS, AU, Nr. 11980/86, Bd. 8, 161: Photo of Hans Buhl from his personal file
detail Bd. 1, S. 1 S. ­48–49, details at the Ministry for State Security, undated;
5: BStU, MfS, Abt. XII, Fo, Nr. 92, Bild 1 70: BStU/Roos Mulders 131: BStU/Roos Mulders BStU, MfS, KS II, Nr. 3700/90, S. 14, detail
6, 7: BStU, MfS, Abt. XII, Nr. 8408, details 71: BStU/Karina Jüngert 132: BStU, MfS, KS, Nr. 12460/90, S. 14, detail 162: BStU, MfS, BdL, Fo, Nr. 296, Bild 17
8: Andreas Schoelzel, January 1990 72: BStU, MfS, Abt. XII, Nr. 8408, detail 133: BStU, MfS, AU, Nr. 11980/86, Bd. 7, S. 289 163: BStU, MfS, BdL, Fo, Nr. 295, Bild 16
9: Andreas Schoelzel, 7 February 1990 73: BStU/Roos Mulders 134–139: BStU/Roos Mulders 164: BStU, MfS, HA IX, Fo, Nr. 2560, Bild 37
10: BStU/Marco Dresen 74: BStU, MfS, AOP, Nr. 10928/84, Bd. 6 140: BStU/Marco Dresen 165: BStU/Marco Dresen
11: Bundesregierung/Arne Schambeck, 75: BStU/Roos Mulders 141: BStU/Roos Mulders 166–170: BStU/Roos Mulders
18 March 1992 76: Christian Morgenstern 142: BStU, MfS, HA II, Fo, Nr. 32, Bild 8, detail 171, 172: BStU/Marco Dresen
12: BStU/Roos Mulders 77, 78: BStU/Roos Mulders 143: BStU, MfS, BdL, Fo, Nr. 82, Bild 467 173, 174: BStU/Roos Mulders
13: BStU 79: BStU/Marco Dresen 144: BStU, MfS, BdL, Fo, Nr. 82, Bild 457 175: BStU/Marco Dresen
14: BStU 80, 81: BStU/Roos Mulders 145, 146: BStU, MfS, BdL, Fo, Nr. 296, Bild 1 176–182: BStU/Roos Mulders
15: Peter Wensierski, 2 January 1990 82: BStU, MfS, HA IX, Nr. 22869, detail 147: Horst Kuschel speaking before an assem- 183: BStU/Marco Dresen
16: Christian Morgenstern 83: BStU/Roos Mulders bly meeting, between 1979 and 1985; 184–190: BStU/Roos Mulders
17: BStU/Roos Mulders 84: BStU, MfS, HA XX, Fo, Nr. 742, Bild 2 BStU, MfS, HA XX, Fo, Nr. 1691, Bild 9, 191, 192: BStU/Marco Dresen
18–23: BStU/Marco Dresen 85: BStU, MfS, HA XX, Fo, Nr. 742, Bild 32 detail 193–195: BStU/Roos Mulders
24: BStU, MfS, Abt. XII, Fo, Nr. 92, Bild 2 86: BStU, MfS, AOP, Nr. 1010/91, Bd. 18, S. 21, 148: Photo of Gerhard Neiber from his cader 196: BStU/Marco Dresen
25: BStU, MfS, Abt. XII, Fo, Nr. 94, Bild 1 Bild 4 index card at the Ministry for State Security,
26: BStU/Doris Stark 87: BStU, MfS, AOP, Nr. 1010/91, Bd. 18, S. 22, undated; BStU, MfS, HA KuSch, Nr. 1567, Cover:
27: Christian Morgenstern Bild 8 detail
Cover photo:
28: BStU, MfS, Abt. XII, Nr. 8370 88: BStU/Marco Dresen 149: BStU, MfS, BdL, Fo, Nr. 296, Bild 1
BStU/Marco Dresen
29: BStU, MfS, Abt. XII, Nr. 8376 89: BStU/Doris Stark 150: Paul Kienberg giving a speech at a work
30: BStU, MfS, Abt. XII, Nr. 8390 90, 91: BStU/Roos Mulders meeting of Main Department XX in House Front, inside:
31: BStU/Doris Stark 92: BStU/Christian Appl 22, around 1986; BStU, MfS, HA XX, Fo, View of a corridor inside an old repository room
32: BStU, MfS, Abt. XII, Nr. 8370 93: BStU, MfS, HA VIII, Fo, Nr. 441, Bild 18/19 Nr. 570, Bild 12, detail where the Stasi kept its archived files in mobile
33: BStU, MfS, Abt. XII, Fo, Nr. 92, Bild 3 94–97: BStU/Roos Mulders 151: Photo of Fritz Busch from his personal file ­shelving units
34: BStU, MfS, Abt. XII, Fo, Nr. 94, Bild 8 98: BStU, MfS, Abt XIII, Fo, Nr. 1, Bild 6 at the Ministry for State Security, undated; Photo: BStU/Roland Lucht, April 1998
35: BStU, MfS, Abt. XII, Nr. 8376 99: BStU, MfS, Abt. XIII, Fo, Nr. 17, Bild 6 BStU, MfS, KS II, Nr. 3664/90, S. 1, detail
Back, inside:
36: BStU/Roos Mulders 100: BStU, MfS, Abt. XII, Fo, Nr. 93, Bild 2 152: BStU, MfS, BdL, Fo, Nr. 296, Bild 1
View into a repository room of the Stasi Records
37, 38: BStU/Marco Dresen 101: BStU/Roos Mulders 153: Eberhard Jaekel speaking at an assembly
Archive
39: BStU, MfS, Abt. XII, Nr. 8390 102: BStU/Roos Mulders of Main Department XX, between 1986
Photo: Christian Morgenstern, 10 January 2017
40: BStU, MfS, Abt. XII, Fo, Nr. 94, Bild 5 103–105: BStU/Roos Mulders and 1989; BStU, MfS, HA XX, Fo, Nr. 1688,
41, 42: BStU/Roos Mulders 106–108: BStU/Marco Dresen Bild 43, detail
43: BStU, MfS, Abt. XII, Fo, Nr. 95, Bild 2 109: Private collection of Gilbert Furian 154: Jürgen Notroff at a meeting of Main
44: BStU/Roos Mulders 110: BStU, MfS, AU, Nr. 11980/86, Bd. 1, S. 200 Department XX, between 1986 and 1989;
45: BStU, MfS, HA XX, Nr. 24238 111: BStU/Roos Mulders BStU, MfS, HA XX, Fo, Nr. 1688, Bild 48,
46: BStU, MfS, HA XXII, Nr. 21241 112: BStU/Roos Mulders detail
47: BStU/Roos Mulders 113: BStU, MfS, KS II, Nr. 271/89, S. 336, Bild 5 155: Werner Fleischhauer speaking at an event
48–50: BStU/Marco Dresen 114: BStU, MfS, KS, Nr. 3700/90, S. 14, detail of Main Department XX, between 1986
51: BStU, MfS, Abt. M, Fo, Nr. 31, Bild 2 115: BStU/Roos Mulders and 1989; BStU, MfS, HA XX, Fo, Nr. 1688,
52: BStU 116: BStU, MfS, AU, Nr. 11980/86, Bd. 10, Bild 50, detail
53: BStU, MfS, AOP, Nr. 1076/91, Bd. 14, S. 261 ­Seite 56, Bild 6 bzw. Nikolaus Becker, 1982 156: Wolfgang Reuter at an assembly meeting
54: BStU, MfS, AOP, Nr. 26097/91, Bd. 11, S. 41 117: Private collection of Gilbert Furian of Main Department XX, between 1986
55: BStU, MfS, Abt. M, Fo, Nr. 31, Bild 3 118: BStU, MfS, AU, Nr. 11980/86, Bd. 8, S. 91 and 1989; BStU, MfS, HA XX, Fo, Nr. 1688,
56: BStU, MfS, Abt. M, Fo, Nr. 31, Bild 30 119: Sächsische Landesbibliothek — Staats- und Bild 1, detail
57: BStU, MfS, Abt. M, Fo, Nr. 29, Bild 57 Universitätsbibliothek Dresden (SLUB)/ 157: BStU, MfS, BdL, Fo, Nr. 296, Bild 1
58: BStU, MfS, Abt. M, Fo, Nr. 29, Bild 63 Deutsche Fotothek, Ivo Petrík, 1992 158: Joachim Wiegand at an assembly meeting,
59: BStU, MfS, Abt. M, Fo, Nr. 31, Bild 25 120: BStU/Roos Mulders between 1975 and 1985; BStU, MfS, HA XX,
60: BStU/Marco Dresen 121: BStU, MfS, KS, Nr. 4962/90, S. 1, detail Fo, Nr. 1691, Bild 15, detail
61–64: BStU/Roos Mulders 122: BStU/Roos Mulders 159: Joachim Tischendorf speaking at an
65: BStU/Marco Dresen 123: BStU, MfS, AOPK, Nr. 1230/88, S. 299 ­assembly of Main Department XX,

ACCESS TO SECRECY
190 APPENDIX 191

Contact Thanks

The Stasi Records Archive Stasi Headquarters. Campus for Democracy We would like to express our gratitude to those Many thanks to everyone who made important sug-
Access to Files – Preserving Records – Explaining the people without whose endurance, perseverance and gestions and provided encouragement to the project
Visitor Centre
Work of the Stasi tireless commitment the exhibition and accompany- team, which gave further impetus to the exhibition.
House 22
ing catalogue would not have been possible. And finally, we would like to thank the Berlin graphic
Despite the huge amount of records destroyed by Ruschestrasse 103
design studio Pralle Sonne for its helpful cooperation
the State Security, more than 111 linear kilometres 10365 Berlin Thanks are due to the exhibition agency kreativköpfe
in realising this catalogue, which makes the exhibition
of w­ ritten material as well as numerous photo, film, Tel.: 030 2324-6999 from Potsdam and to all the trade businesses and
more tangible and adds further “access to secrecy.”
­video and audio documents have been preserved Open daily: 10am–6pm individuals involved in the design and planning of the
in the archives of Stasi Records Agency (BStU). exhibition, media production, exhibition graphics,
Central Stasi Records Archive The Project Team
They testify to an informer apparatus, to planned model construction, translation of exhibition texts,
­E xhibition “­Access to Secrecy”
and ­committed injustices, to conformism and logistical preparation, technical implementation and Nicol Püschl (BStU) and Nadja Häckel (formerly BStU)
House 7
­betrayal, as well as to civil courage and resistance. exhibition construction, and who did not become
Ruschestrasse 103
exasperated by the wishes and ideas of the project
The Stasi Records Archive has its headquarters in 10365 Berlin
team. We would like to thank the representatives of
Berlin. Branch offices operate in twelve of the GDR’s Tel.: 030 2324-6699
the BImA (Bundesanstalt für Immobilienaufgaben)
former district cities: Chemnitz (formerly Karl-Marx- Fax: 030 2324-7179
for their cooperation in preparing for the realisation
Stadt), Dresden, Erfurt, Frankfurt (Oder), Gera, Halle, [email protected]
of the exhibition. Thanks also to the advisory expert
Leipzig, Magdeburg, Neubrandenburg, Rostock, Exhibition hours:
committee for its helpful hints and food for thought.
Schwerin and Suhl. There is an advisory office in Mon–Fri: 10am–6pm
Cottbus. Sat–Sun: 11am–6pm Additional thanks go to the staff of the BStU, who
For more information, visit the website at: supported the project team in regard to location
Regardless of one’s place of residence, it is possible
www.einblick-ins-geheime.de planning and official authorisation procedures,
to apply to the central office and to all the branch of-
project administration, archives, image and object re-
fices to view personal files. Visitors to the site can also Stasi Museum
search, and text editing, and who assisted in the film
learn about the work of the archive and the methods ­E xhibition “State ­Security in the SED Dictatorship”
production, photographs and Internet presentation of
and impact of the Stasi through guided tours, events House 1
the exhibition.
and exhibitions. Ruschestrasse 103
10365 Berlin We are grateful to the Berlin-Hohenschönhausen
For more information, visit the website at: www.­bstu.de
Tel.: 030 553 68 54 Memorial for its uncomplicated film permits, to the
[email protected] Cottbus Human Rights Centre for the generous loan
Main Office in Berlin
Mon–Fri: 10am–6pm of its brochure as a reproduction copy, and to all the
BStU Sat, Sun, holidays: 11am–6pm rights holders who gave their consent to publish.
Karl-Liebknecht-Strasse 31/33 For more information, visit the website at:
In particular, we would like to thank our contempo-
10178 Berlin-Mitte www.stasimuseum.de
rary witnesses, Ulrike Poppe, Gilbert Furian, Nikolaus
Postal address: 10106 Berlin
Education Department Becker and Lutz Rathenow.
Tel.: 030 2324-50
House 1
[email protected]
Ruschestrasse 103
10365 Berlin
Tel.: 030 2324-8937
Fax: 030 2324-8939
[email protected]

Open-Air Exhibition “Revolution and the Fall

of the Wall”
Open around the clock, every day
For more information, visit the website at:
www.revolution89.de

ACCESS TO SECRECY
Imprint

Access to Secrecy The publication of files of the State Security Service

Catalogue to the Permanent Exhibition should not impair the affected parties’ interests
of the ­Stasi ­Records Archive, Berlin deemed worthy of protection pursuant to Section
www.einblick-ins-geheime.de 32(3) of the Stasi Records Act (StUG). For this reason,
some names, personal details or sections of text have
Price: 7 €
been redacted in the exhibition and in this catalogue.
ISBN: 978-3-946572-52-7
URN: urn:nbn:de:0292-97839465725270 This exhibition catalogue is part of the public
­relations work of the Federal Commissioner for the
This publication is listed by the German National
Stasi Records (BStU). It is made available for a token
Library in the German National Bibliography; detailed
fee of 7 euros. For more information, please visit
bibliographical information is available online at:
our website: www.bstu.de.
http://dnb.dnb.de.
This publication, including all of its parts, is protected
Publisher
by copyright. When reprinting or using for journalis-
The Federal Commissioner for the Records
tic purposes, the author and source details must be
of the State Security Service of the Former
provided and the provisions of the German Copyright
­German Democratic Republic (BStU)
Act must be complied with.
Karl-Liebknecht-Strasse 31/33
10178 Berlin
© BStU 2021
Postal Address: 10106 Berlin
www.bstu.de
Telephone: +49 (0)30 2324-50
Email: [email protected]
www.bstu.de

Texts and editing

Nadja Häckel, M. A.
Heidelberg

Translation
Miriamne Fields
Berlin

Editing and proofreading

Dora Komnenović, BStU
Berlin

Coordination and organisation

Nicol Püschl, BStU
Berlin

Photographic work
Marco Dresen, Berlin
Roos Mulders, BStU, Berlin
Christian Morgenstern, Potsdam

Typesetting and layout

Pralle Sonne
Berlin

Printing
DBM Druckhaus Berlin-Mitte GmbH
The Stasi, the secret service of the GDR, left behind
nearly 111 linear kilometres of files, some 41 ­million
­index cards, more than 1.8 million photographs,
approxi­mately 25,000 film and audio recordings and
at least 15,000 bags of torn documents.

For the first time, a comprehensive permanent

exhibition is devoted to the vast files left behind by a
secret police agency and the archive that preserves
them. Thirty years after the Peaceful Revolution in the
GDR, the exhibition “Access to Secrecy”, presented
at the historical site of the former Stasi headquarters
in Berlin, shows why the Stasi collected and analysed
information on millions of people and how it used this
data to monitor and control society.

The new exhibition provides “access to secrecy” by

focusing on documents that were created covertly and
never intended for publication. The exhibition and this
accompanying catalogue make clear why these records,
which document human rights violations and deep
encroachments on private life while bearing witness to
personal fates, courage and resistance, still exist today
and how they are useful to us.

ISBN 978-3-946572-52-7