ZAISSER AND HERRNSTADT ARRESTED IN THE GDR

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP80-00809A000700160042-6
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: C
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: September 8, 2011
• Sequence Number: 42
• Publication Date: January 11, 1954
• Content Type: REPORT

Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/09/08: CIA-RDP80-00809A000700160042-6
DATE DIST. // Jan 1954
NO. OF PAGES 1
SUPPLEMENT TO
REPORT NO.
THIS IS UNEVALUATED INFORMATION
ZAISSER AND HERRNSTADT ARRESTED IN TfiE GDR
Aamburg, Hamburger Abendblatt, 28 Oct 53
It has now become known that 4711he1m Zaisser, former GDR Minister of
Security, and Rudolf Herrnstadt, former editor in chief of the Communist
Party organ Neiies Deutsch~And, were arrested last week end by the State
Security Service of the GDR.
It is reported that Soviet High Commissioner Semenov repeatedly inter-
ceded on behalf of these two men in Moscow, but failed. Likewise, Zaisser's
and Rerrnstadt's attempts to re-establish themselves in the good graces of
the Kremlin, following their dismissal after the arrest of Beriya, were
unsuccessful.
Rerrnstadt, at the time of his arrest, was chief of the Central Political
Archives at Merseburg. Zaisser was arrested in his apartment in East Berlin.
Lisbon, Diario da Manha, 2~ Oct 53
Berlin, 28 October (France Presse) -- The arrests of Wilhelm Zaisser
and Rudolf Hernstadt in the GDR are said to be the result of nn action under-
taken by the collaborators of Pavel Yudin, Assistant Soviet Righ Commissioner
of the GDR. In SED (Socialist [Tniiy Party of Germany) circles, it is believed
that the txo prisoners are to be principal prosecution witnesses in the trial
of Beriya.
CLASSIFICATION coxFInENTIAL
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY REPORT
INFORMATION FROM
FOREIGN DOCUMENTS OR RADIO BROADCASTS CD NO.
COUNTRY GDR
DATE OF
SUBJECT Political INFORMATION
HOW
PUBLISHED Daily newspapers
WHERE
PUBLISHED Ramburg, Lisbon
DATE
PUBLISHED 28, 2y Oct 1953
LANGUAGE
rvsae
Fei
Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/09/08: CIA-RDP80-00809A000700160042-6