RESISTANCE ACTIVITIES IN THE GDR

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP80-00809A000700160317-1
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: C
• Document Page Count: 3
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: September 8, 2011
• Sequence Number: 317
• Publication Date: February 26, 1954
• Content Type: REPORT

Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/09/08: CIA-RDP80-00809A000700160317-1
CLASSIFICATION CONFIDENTIAL
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY REPORT
INFORMATION FROM
FOREIGN DOCUMENTS OR RADIO BROADCASTS CD NO.
COUNTRY GDR DATE OF
SUBJECT Political - Resistance INFORMATION 1953
HOW DATE DIST. a(, Feb 1954
PUBLISHED Daily newspapers
WHERE
PUBLISHED Marseille, Stockholm, New York, Hamburg, Rome NO. OF PAGES 3
DATE
PUBLISHED 4 Sep-1 Nov 1953
SUPPLEMENT TO
LANGUAGE Swedish, Yiddish, German, Italian REPORT NO.
REPORTS OF ORGANIZED RESISTANCE IN EAST GERMANY -- Marseille, Le Meridional-
La France, 3 Nov 53
London -- According to secret reports arriving in London from East Germany,
Soviet authorities there are faced with an armed resistance movement. The re-
port; allege that, after the demonstrations of 17 June 1953, many East Germans
went into hiding, where they were joined by Polish and Czech deserters, and
began organizing a strong resistance movement. These partisans are now reported
to be conducting a campaign of sabotaging railroads and bridges.
It is said that proof exists that the movement is operating under a central
command. Its members are fed by the population. However, there is no indication
that they are recei'ting aid of West German origin.
It is believed that the partisans are well equipped with weapons, which had
been hidden by the Nazis. in 1945. The responsibility for combating the move-
ment belongs, not to the Soviet Army, but to the People's Police, whose strength
has been increased by the addition of many Russians wearing German police uniforms.
London observers, ordinarily well-informed, believe that these partisan
activities may partly explain the arrival in East Germany of Marshal Paulus.
An increasing number of reports are coming into West Berlin about mysterious
military activities in the Cottbus-Oderfurt region. Large numbers of the People's
Police, according to some sources as many as 15,000 men, seem to have been put
into action to track down and destroy a well-armed resistance organization said
to consist of Germans, Poles, Czechs, and deserters from the Red Army.
50X1-HUM
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Newly arrived refugees, among them several railway men, report that the
number of men in the People's Police is very large. Two guards are posted
every 100 to 200 meters on the Cottbus-Berlin railway line. Observers are
perched with field glasses on high trees near the roadbed. Patrols of the
People's Police are posted at every railway station and stop.
The rumors that Soviet deserters have also joined the resistance movement
seem confirmed by the fact that units of the Red Army have not been put into
action up to now, despite the fact that there are strong units of Soviet troops
within the affec*Ad region. It seems that it is desired to avoid contacts be-
tween the Soviet deserters and units of the Red Army. Also, at present, an
increasing number of Soviet officers are fleeing to West Berlin. They all
come from the maneuver area for armored units at Wuensdorf near Cottbus. -- Bo
Jtlrborg
STRIKES OCCUR IN GDR PLANTS -- New York, Forverts, 4 Sep 53
Berlin, 3 September -- The following incidents are reported from the GDR:
An anti-Communist strike broke out in the main plant of Hettstedt, and resistance
incidents occurred in the copper works of Helbra. In one plant the transformer
was damaged, which put the entire machinery out of order.
COMMUNIST LEADERS IN GDR HAVE SPECIAL BODYGUARDS -- New York, Forverts, 7 Sep 53
Berlin, 6 September -- Communist officials in the GDR have special bodyguards
from the People's Police. The anti-Communist Informations Buero West has stated
that squads consisting of 5 to 20 men have been established to guard the high-
est officials of the Communist Party. Up to the outbreak of the anti-Communist
riots in the GDR, only the President of the GDR and the members of the cabinet
had semimilitary police guards.
COMMUNIST PURGE TRADE UNIONS IN THE GDR -- New York, Forverts, 23 Sep 53
Berlin, 22 September -- The Communist leaders of th, GDR announced today
that trade unions in the GDR will be purged, presumably to remove the strike
leaders of the 17 June riots and punish the workers who received American food
packages from West Germany. According to the GDR trade unions, all membership
books of the unions for the period of 15 October to 15 November will be checked
for the purpose of getting rid of all anti-Communists and reactionary members.
According to the trade union newspaper Die Tribuene, published in Berlin,
each trade union member will be ordered to send his membership book to the union,
and each union will then report to the Trade Union Federation of the GDR.
PROMINENT EAST GERMAN COMMUNIST ARRESTED --Stockholm, Svenska Dagbladet,
13 Oct 53
The well-known East German Communist politician, Harry Zeuge, has been
arrested by Ernst Wollweber's State Security police. The police disregarded
Zeuge's immunity as a member of the Wolkakammer. Zeuge possessed the title
"Hero of Labor." -- By correspondent
GDR OFFICIAL RECEIVES BRIBES FROM WEST GERMANY -- Hamburg, Hamburger, Abendblatt,
6 Oct 53
Western agents have noted for quite some time that the Deputy Minister-
President of the GDR, Otto Nuschke, is receivi" large sums from West Germany
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for the purpose of freeing GDR industrialists from Jail. Reportedly, this is
being done with the approval of the State Security Service.
DEUTSCHE MARK CONVERTED INTO A GOLD THALER -- Rome, Giornale d'Italia, 1 Nov 53
Bonn, 31 October -- It has been learned that Soviet plans to permanently
incorporate the GDR into the Soviet orbit include the conversion of the Deutsche
mark (East) into a gold thaler.
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Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/09/08: CIA-RDP80-00809A000700160317-1