18-02-2020, 05:42 PM
I am not sure whether I posted the following correctly, so I will repeat it again here:
On vacation, I completed reading the lengthy book of the History of the Stasi by John O Koehler. A very interesting comparison can be made with the Udo Ulfkotte book on the BND. The author, Mr. Koehler had worked for Ronald Reagan. Not surprisingly, the only US official he "reviewed" using the Stasi files was Ronald Reagan. Koehler claimed the Stasi had endless admiration for Reagan, yet the Stasi was very down on Jimmy Carter.
Koehler did leave the impression that the Stasi Files were pretty open to researchers. He claimed that if the Stasi file folders were stacked next to each other, the length of the pile of the files would extend 121 miles. Pretty hard to imagine but may be true.
The notable thing about his book is that most of the stuff I had already read about, such as the kidnapping of Dr. Linse and the JFK affair with Ellen Rometsch. Pretty stale stuff.
But I was put on the trail, by Koehler, of likely a more objective book by Markus Wolf who was a defender of the Stasi and whose book sold many copies in Germany and the US. I bought the latter and intend to read it also for comparision.
All-in-all, the Stasi book was poor because the author didn't print any information or analysis of anything except run-of-the-mill spy cases involving lowly informants. I would much rather have been reading about the Stasi analysis of the JFK assassination, the West German Chancellors and other US Presidents like LBJ, Nixon, Ike, George HW Bush, etc., the Cuban Missile Crisis, the U-2 spy program, atomic strategy, etc.
One surprising thing was his detailed description of the Stasi and Soviet infiltration of many third world countries. Some were well known like Angola, but there was also South Africa, Ethiopia and others about which I had never heard that much about. Also, huge involvement in Nicaragua in a major way.
Koehler had a description of the "Bader-Mienhoff Gang" and the Red Army Faction. Koehler's reporting about the Red Army Faction and the" Bader-Meinhoff" crimes makes no sense whatever. If one knows anything about covert ops, the Skorzeny network, etc. then his description makes it look like there were only two or three folks in the Red Army Faction at any one time. Nothing about any infrastructure or organizational stuff. It seems to be only a convenient way for the West Germans to assassinate people and put the label "Red Army Faction" on it, and then walk away.
Also, not much involving the CIA or the BND. If there are 121 miles of Stasi files, it doesn't look to me like author Koehler studied more that a couple of feet of them at most.
James Lateer
On vacation, I completed reading the lengthy book of the History of the Stasi by John O Koehler. A very interesting comparison can be made with the Udo Ulfkotte book on the BND. The author, Mr. Koehler had worked for Ronald Reagan. Not surprisingly, the only US official he "reviewed" using the Stasi files was Ronald Reagan. Koehler claimed the Stasi had endless admiration for Reagan, yet the Stasi was very down on Jimmy Carter.
Koehler did leave the impression that the Stasi Files were pretty open to researchers. He claimed that if the Stasi file folders were stacked next to each other, the length of the pile of the files would extend 121 miles. Pretty hard to imagine but may be true.
The notable thing about his book is that most of the stuff I had already read about, such as the kidnapping of Dr. Linse and the JFK affair with Ellen Rometsch. Pretty stale stuff.
But I was put on the trail, by Koehler, of likely a more objective book by Markus Wolf who was a defender of the Stasi and whose book sold many copies in Germany and the US. I bought the latter and intend to read it also for comparision.
All-in-all, the Stasi book was poor because the author didn't print any information or analysis of anything except run-of-the-mill spy cases involving lowly informants. I would much rather have been reading about the Stasi analysis of the JFK assassination, the West German Chancellors and other US Presidents like LBJ, Nixon, Ike, George HW Bush, etc., the Cuban Missile Crisis, the U-2 spy program, atomic strategy, etc.
One surprising thing was his detailed description of the Stasi and Soviet infiltration of many third world countries. Some were well known like Angola, but there was also South Africa, Ethiopia and others about which I had never heard that much about. Also, huge involvement in Nicaragua in a major way.
Koehler had a description of the "Bader-Mienhoff Gang" and the Red Army Faction. Koehler's reporting about the Red Army Faction and the" Bader-Meinhoff" crimes makes no sense whatever. If one knows anything about covert ops, the Skorzeny network, etc. then his description makes it look like there were only two or three folks in the Red Army Faction at any one time. Nothing about any infrastructure or organizational stuff. It seems to be only a convenient way for the West Germans to assassinate people and put the label "Red Army Faction" on it, and then walk away.
Also, not much involving the CIA or the BND. If there are 121 miles of Stasi files, it doesn't look to me like author Koehler studied more that a couple of feet of them at most.
James Lateer