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Spying on NATO from a Cold War East German Army radio monitoring base Part 2 (313)

Oct 13, 2023

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This is the second part of my chat with Thomas who worked in a secret East German radio monitoring base.

He describes how a BRIXMIS or another Allied Military Liason Mission vehicle had once got into the base and what the East German Army was told about MLM capabilities.

When the officers aren’t around he and his comrades listen to Western radio and watch Western TV.

Gorbachev is now in power and liberalisation has now started in the Soviet Union and the East German government worries about contamination. Thomas describes his participation in the Dresden protests and is totally shocked by police brutality against East German citizens.

We talk about the opening of the Wall and the decline in NVA discipline as East Germany starts to implode in the march to reunification. We also hear about the surprising contents of his Stasi file.

Extra episode information here https://coldwarconversations.com/episode313/

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0:00 Introduction

1:21 Thomas's Stasi file and military liaison mission experiences

11:30 Perception of NATO and potential for invasion

18:06 Exposure to Western media and culture

22:39 Unrest and start of the rebellion in East Germany

34:20 Closure of the Czech border

49:04 Shared experiences with American and Czech soldiers

55:38 Recollection of the day the Berlin Wall came down

1:02:55 First experience visiting the West and adapting to Western lifestyle

1:12:27 Transitioning back to civilian life and the reunification of Germany