RECRUITMENT OF TRANSPORT POLICE FROM THE REICHSBAHN

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP80-00810A005200010007-9
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 3
• Document Creation Date: December 20, 2016
• Document Release Date: November 8, 2007
• Sequence Number: 7
• Publication Date: November 2, 1954
• Content Type: REPORT

Approved For Release 2007/11/08: CIA-RDP80-0081 OA005200010007-9
ULAtiblHUAIION SuRi r
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY RE
INFORMATION REPORT CD NO.
4-
COUNTRY East Germany
SUBJECT
PLACE
ACQUIRED
DATE OF
INFO.
DATE DISTR. 2 November 1954
Recrvtkment of Transport Police from the NO. OF PAGES
Reichsbahn
NO. OF ENCLS.
(LISTED BELOW)
SUPPLEMENT TO
REPORT NO.
THIS DOCUMENT CONTAINS INFORMATION AFFECTING THE NATIONAL DEFENSE
OF THE UNITRO STATES. WITHIN THE MEANING OF TITLE IS. SECTIONS 753
AND 704. OF THE M. S. CODE. AS ANINDID. ITS TRANSMISSION OR REVEL-
ATION OF ITS CONTENTS TO OR RECEIPT ST AN UNAUTHORIZED PERSON
IS PSONIDITED ON LAW THE RIPRONECTION OF THIS FORM IS PROHIEITEDy
THIS IS UNEVALUATED INFORMATION
3
25X1
A major recruitment campaign to enlist Reichsbahn employees and. peraann 1
of the East German Ministry for Rai'.','< i the Transport Police
began in august 1954, under the guidance and supervision of the Iinistry
of the Interior. The Transport Police are under the command of the KVP.
The Reichsbahn was given a quota of 8,000 men to be recruited by 15 September
1954 from among its rank and file personnel. The initiation of a separate
railway or transportation police organization was undertaken in 1952, when
several experienced railroad officials were delegated by the Ministry for
Railway affairs to serve in the Ministry of the Interior. These officials
are now seen in the Railway Ministry office from time to time in the uni-
form of the KVP, and they are reported to be responsible for the security
and physical safety of railway property and rights of way.
2. The drive to enlist 8,000 Reichsbahn employees was expected to create
havoc with the operating branches of the Reichsbahn, which was already
suffering from a severe shortage of personnel in employment categories
Numbers 4 through 7, which include all jobs for which an hourly wage within
the range of 1.26 to 1.70 DME per hour is paid. The main reason for the
shortage of labor in these wage ranges is the fact that similar employment
in other types of industry and government offices throughout East Germany
is compensated for at a considerably higher rate of pay. A typical situation
was that of a Reichsbahn office which had a T/0 calling for 40 persons, of
whom only 34 were actually employed and working, or a shortage of help
amounting to 15 percent. In spite of this situation, each Reichsbahn office,
regardless of the status of its T/0 fulfillment, was ordered to make two
male employees available by 15 September for the Transport Police program.
3. The Transport police recruitment program was treated with such seriousness
by responsible Iinistry of Railway 1ffairs officials that the status of
recruitment was being made the subject of detailed reports at each meeting
of the Kollegium fuer Eisenbahnwesen,which consists of leading officials
of the I,iinistr; who meet several times a month.
4. The Soviet Liaison "ffice in the Ministry for Railway Affairs, referred to
as IIIjOSO" was still in existence, although the Soviet officers who formerly
came to their offices in uniform had amp-eared__o for
the past ss 3 ar i~rs. AU of use oflt**" spollbe 1* 3. Swim",
0~
Approved For Release 2007/11/08: CIA-RDP80-0081 OA005200010007-9
 Approved For Release 2007/11/08: CIA-RDP80-0081OA005200010007-9
SLCR';T CONTROL/U.S. 3.t'FFI ALS ONLY 25X1
practically without any trace of accent, and could easily be mistaken for
German nationals by anyone not informed of their Soviet Army status. There
was no contact between this office and other German sections of the Ministry,
since billings for Soviet Army use of railway equipment had been suspended
a few months before. The members of this office appeared to have no direct
liaison function, but t ly through the office of Minister
of Railway Affairs Roma
was some indication, not clearly
defined, that these So some connection with that section
of the Ministry of the n erior which concerned itself with railroad
affairs and security. The Soviet officers of the WOSO office had rolling
stock available for their use, which they employed in making inspection
trips alonc' the main Reichsbahn lines to Frankfurt/Oder, Magdeburg, and a
few other long,-line roads, but they did not appear to be interested in
secondary rail lines.
In Ueckermuende, where there was a large institution for the treatment of
mental defectives, an order was issued requiring the evacuation of these
buildings by the patients and hospital staff, on the grounds that they were
required for use by mid-September by the KVF. This coincidence of dates
may have been connected with the recruitment program for the Transport Folice.
Another measure to increase the security of the Reichsbahn by infiltration
of SSD informants was initiated in the larger Reichsbahn offices and stations,
when barber-shops operated by the Reichsbahn were opened at these installa-
tions. The barbers were all SSD employees, who were to serve as informants,
reporting unguarded utterances made by Reichsbahn personnel during their
visits to the shops. It is believed that the main idea behind this move
was that a man in a barber's chair is an easy victim of careless conversation,
particularly v -, ie s.;v-rsa.tions are initiated by a talkative tonsorial
artist, whose mission it is to provoke the unsuspecting customer into a
discussion of his personal views on topics of the times. There has been
no indication of the success or failure of this move on the part of the SSD.
SECRET CO