“The Party’s Shield and Sword”
The role of the intelligence agency in protecting government and party ideals
Introduction
Recently, I travelled to Berlin, Germany. More specifically, I visited “East Berlin,” the capital of the GDR, also known in the West as the German Democratic Republic, or, for those of us who lived behind an iron curtain, as the DDR (Deutsche Demokratische Republik).
It goes without saying that exploring streets, places, and discussions with East Berliners brought some sense of melancholy, nostalgia, and missing old times before East and West Germany unified into one country.
Interviewing experts about the Cold War and one of the most successful intelligence agencies, STASI, made me wonder why some people seem to miss those bygone days of the ruthless and brutal police apparatus.
One thing I discovered, which is often overlooked, is that STASI is the first modern intelligence agency to cease operations with its activities intact. Yes, I acknowledge the destruction of a significant portion of archives, but STASI, as a modern intelligence agency, remained open for post-mortem analysis by NATO countries and their intelligence agencies.
It goes without saying that researchers study numerous operational procedures to comprehend the effectiveness and successes of STASI.
This article is based on my research and analysis while in Berlin in May 2024.
The German Democratic Republic’s (GDR) secret police and intelligence agency was known as the Stasi, or “Ministry of State Security” (also MfS).
In reality, though, the Stasi served as the Socialist Party of Germany’s (SED) spy network, monitoring GDR inhabitants and tracking down its political rivals.
The Stasi was also known as “the shield and sword of the party.”
The Stasi’s adversary was the GDR’s ideological foe, the class enemy.
Furthermore, what did “Class Enemy” stand for?
The term “class enemy” originated in communism and referred to anyone who disagreed with the SED’s socialist doctrine and the working class.
However, the Stasi used the word more frequently to describe anyone who posed a threat to the state.
Stasi: The head
Wilhelm Seisser was the first minister, or leader, of the Ministry of State Security. The Stasi’s failure to identify and put an early stop to the rebellion on June 17, 1953, forced him to hold the position until 1953.
As a result, the MfS briefly lost its ministerial rank and became a state secretariat between 1953 and 1955.
On November 24, 1955, the Stasi added the Intelligence Headquarters, which acted as the foreign intelligence service’s representative.
The early years of the GDR saw an exodus from the Republic, prompting the Stasi to first concentrate on stopping the refugees.
In particular, ideological divisions between the GDR and the Federal Republic of Germany, as well as between the East and West, ensured that the Stasi watched and prosecuted the secret services operating in the West.
Following the Berlin Wall’s erection, which restricted escape movements, the stasi’s primary responsibility was to avert any threat to the GDR’s stability.
Erich Milke assumed leadership of the SS in 1957 and stayed in that position until 1989.
Stasi: Work methods
As I mentioned earlier, the Stasi served as the GDR’s secret police. Their methods of operation included population oppression and surveillance.
With the SED providing guidance and backing, the Stasi took advantage of every freedom.
Included in the homework:
The investigations and cover-ups surrounding the deaths at the Berlin Wall; the regulation of anti-regime organisations and individuals; supervision of GDR citizens; maintenance of state security; education and the prevention of escape from the Republic are crucial.
oversight of other GDR bodies, including the People’s Police, ministries, enterprises, the transport system, etc.
Personal protection for party officials.
It is becoming increasingly clear that the state, including the GDR, willfully ignored civil rights and civil liberties.
On occasion, the Stasi ordered or participated in the killings of regime opponents, the majority of whom were foreign nationals.
Furthermore, the Stasi collaborated with the Reconnaissance Headquarters as a foreign intelligence service.
The Stasi carried out routine counterintelligence and espionage operations within her country. Additionally, in keeping with the SED, the Stasi foreign service specifically distributed material about the GDR overseas.
Stasi: Tasks and Organisation
The GDR’s administrative headquarters housed the Stasi in a hierarchical structure.
The Stasi office in Berlin-Lichtenberg served as the venue.
Following that, district departments were held accountable to district administrations. Additionally, there were property departments in charge of particular businesses.
Moreover, the Stasi and its divisions received specific assignments such as:phone monitoring, counterintelligence, and combating escape.
Stasi strategies
People view the Stasi’s tactics as controversial and particularly harsh.
Torture and forced confessions were not something the Stasi fled from.
Psychological techniques have also been employed to agitate victims or suspects until they no longer provide a threat and to get them to confess.
The Stasi mainly worked in secret as the GDR grew more and more dependent on outside recognition.
The Stasi used covert tactics that received little notice. The Stasi avoided criminal charges whenever possible, opting instead for so-called decompositions.
The Stasi employed a psychological technique called “zersetzung,” or “decomposition,” to discourage “hostile-negative people” from acting.
OIC and OP
Once, the Stasi distinguished between the OPK and the OV in terms of their opposition and political opponents, labelling them as “hostile-negative people.”
OIC
If it was believed that she had engaged in government-critical behaviour or committed a crime, an operational identity check, or OIC, was conducted.
We gathered information through various methods, such as accessing personal correspondence and professional files maintained by individuals and the German People’s Police.
The Stasi also employed wiretapping as a tactic.
If the OIC expressed doubt, we initiated the OP operational procedure.
OP
The OP prioritised “political-operational cooperation” with other authorities and “unofficial officials” (UO) through several “measure plans.”
The purpose of an operation is to deepen the investigation into a suspect.
We also examined the relationships between the friend group and the family.
The OP’s outcome dictated how the investigation would proceed moving forward.
In the event that the OP was unsuccessful, we put the probe on hold.
On the other hand, if the OP validates the suspect, the National Police may launch an official investigation.
Methods of torture
During the course of the investigation, the Stasi also employed torture techniques to obtain a confession.
This covered both psychological and physical forms of torture.
The suspects were isolated, constantly under pressure, and agitated.
It was common for people to confess to crimes they had not really committed.
However, a breakup occurred instead of official investigations.
Decommissioning began when it became clear that the suspect’s custody was not advantageous. This was the case, for instance, if the Stasi wanted to get additional incriminating information about the suspect or did not want to disrupt the suspect in their surroundings.
Exposing someone is a compromise
Since 1976, “Directive No. 1/76 on the Development and Processing of Operational Processes” has governed Zersetzung.
The covert decommissioning procedures essentially manipulated the “hostile-negative person” into being less of a threat.
Most of the time, the individual experienced psychological coercion without understanding that the Stasi was the source.
We kept the individual as far away from others as possible and prohibited him from carrying out any plans that would have been against him.
Through the use of real or fake evidence, the public image of a “hostile-negative person” was harmed until the evidence was proven incorrect.
Additionally, obstacles such as professional bans obstructed the individual’s path.
It was intended for someone to lose faith in himself through repeated failures.
She ought to lose motivation and turn against others in her immediate vicinity, accusing them of spreading untruths.
Zersetzung measures even made reference to psychological research from the MfS Faculty of Law’s “operational psychology” course.
The Stasi’s primary tactic was subtlety.
The goal was to gather as much information as possible about suspected individuals without drawing attention to themselves by avoiding public or governmental investigations.
Many of those impacted by the “collapse” were unaware that the state was controlling their lives until the GDR fell apart.
Employees of Stasi
Only permanent staff members officially made up the MfS. The Stasi always hired this specifically.
Before considering a person, the dictatorship checked their background to ensure their loyalty.
When they first started work, full-time employees were required to sign a statement of allegiance and take an oath of allegiance to the GDR and Stasi flags.
Officers, enlisted temporary soldiers, special assignment officers, civil servants, and full-time unofficial workers are all examples of Stasi personnel.
If they disregarded the proclamation, Stasi employees faced harsh consequences, including the death penalty.
There was one full-time Stasi employee for every 180 citizens, which is an extremely high employee density.
This made the Stasi the biggest secret police force in the world in terms of both personnel and citizens.
The Stasi Faculty of Law provided training for Stasi candidates.
Stasi: illegal employees
Unofficial employees (UE) were those who worked for the Stasi but weren’t formally employed, as the term implies.
They either obeyed Stasi directives to manipulate those around them or provided information to the Stasi, mainly from their surroundings. UE operated invisibly, evading detection.
On the other hand, UEs were originally known as GIs, or covert informants.
There are various methods for recruiting UEs. The SED classified someone as a UE either because they demonstrated their allegiance to the SED by possessing the appropriate ideological traits, or because they expressed a particular motivation in doing so or expected to personally benefit from it.
For UE, monetary reward was irrelevant.
An individual was required to demonstrate their devotion as an UE by disclosing personal information or secrets.
Sometimes, in an effort to track down additional opposition figures or groups, the Stasi would also attempt to appoint a suspected individual as an unofficial officer.
Typically, we used coercion to force the UE to cooperate.
The SED also classified numerous religious and artistic organizations as dissident organizations.
The GDR’s communist ideology excluded religion out of fear that a strong religious conviction might clash with it.
Because art serves as a platform for expressing criticism, people often perceive artists as “negative-hostile” individuals.
In other instances, the Stasi deliberately selected individuals as IMs to monitor “hostile-negative persons” within their personal circles.
Typically, the applicant for instant messaging would handwrite a statement guaranteeing anonymity, include a pseudonym, and sign it.
Up to 24% of people living in the GDR were occasionally active UEs.
Composing reports about his surroundings or particular people was one of UE’s responsibilities.
This implies that UE was also spying on his friends and family.
Categories of non-official employees:
To spread specific information, unofficial Special Assignment Officers mistreated and coerced powerful media.
Persons suspected of hostile activity or unofficial counterintelligence officers with enemy links were assigned to gather information on a particular subject they already had close contact with, such as part of the OV.
As the name suggests, special operations assigned non-official officers’ specific responsibilities, most of which involved observation and analysis within their work environment.
The responsibility for keeping an eye on internal security and spotting dangers fell to unofficial political-operational penetration and security areas of responsibility.
Up to five subordinate IMs received tasks from management UEs.
Those in managerial positions, such as business and administration, were known as social security workers. Even if they weren’t IMs per se, they were still information collectors, much like especially devoted workers.
Disintegration of Stasi
The Office for National Security replaced the NSA on November 18, 1989, to mark the end of the GDR.
Citizens who wished to stop the destruction of Stasi archives took over AfNS district offices in December.
The most well-known occupation took place during the Berlin Stasi headquarters attack, which you can learn more about in the article.
Afterwards, committees within the Civil Guard initiated the process of dissolving the AfNS, also known as the Stasi, and began addressing the crimes perpetrated by this group.
Several desperate attempts to combine the AfNS with the Federal Republic of Germany’s intelligence services were unsuccessful. The People’s Chamber of the GDR constituted a “special committee to control the dissolution of the Ministry of State Security” at the end of the regime.
Joachim Gauck became the special committee’s new leader.
Ultimately, practically every Stasi employee was let go by March 31, 1990. Afterwards, the “Federal Commissioner for Records of the State Security Service of the former German Democratic Republic” took over oversight of the Special Committee “Dissolving the Stasi.”.
This post was written by Mario Bekes