MATTERS WORRYING OTTO GROTEWOHL

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP80-00810A000200340008-4
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: September 3, 2009
• Sequence Number: 8
• Publication Date: March 17, 1953
• Content Type: REPORT

Approved For Release 2009/09/03: CIA-RDP80-0081 OA000200340008-4
CLASSIFICATION SECURITY 3NFOM%TICU
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY REPORT
ONFORMATION REPORT CD NO.
COUNTRY East Germany
SUBJECT Matters Worrying Otto Grotewohl.
PLACE
ACQUIRED
DATE OF
INFO.
DATE DISFR. 1.7 March 1953
NO. OF PAGES 1
NO. OF EIHCLS.
!LISTED BEL( W
SUPPLEMENT TO
REPORT NO.
THIS IS UNEVALUATED INFORMATION
1. Price Minister Otto Grotewohi has recently appeared to be In a depressed
mood and his wife expressed the belief he was worried b;' the reshuffle
in the Polish Governrr-ent during which all prominent Social Du ocr ats were
removed from leading positions. Grotewohl apparently fears that the East
German Government may also be purged. 1
2. Grotewohi is further reported to have been angry that the West German
Government was the first to raise a federal loan. He now believes that
for propaganda reasons the East German Government will have -.o forego
its long discussed loan. 2
1., Cnent. Grotewohl may be particularly worried by the removal of
ose Cyrankiewicz who has played a similar role in Poland since 1945 to
that of Grotewohl in East Germany. Both figured prominently in efforts
to merge the Social Democrats and Communists into one monolithic party in
their respective countries. Cyrankiewiez, one of the last influential
Social Democrats, was recently removed as Prime sinister by Poleslaw
Bierut. Grotewohl's concern ray not be completely unfounded since there
is the possibility that Russian policy may aim at the complete incorporation
of Germany irtc the.Eastern Ploe,thus avoiding any apparent readiness
to make concessions to German bourgeois elements which, in the eyes of the
East, are represented by Grotwohl. However, there is no inforration to
indicate that his position is actually endangered.
2. E:::]Corcmnt. It is conceivable that propaganda reasons, as indicated
above, may influence a negative decision on the appropriateness of a state
loan in East Germany.
STATE
ARMY
CLASSIFICATION SErR.FT
1-1
Approved For Release 2009/09/03: CIA-RDP80-0081 OA000200340008-4