First Class Comrades: The Stasi in the Cold War, 1945-1961

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Description

No country in history has been more deeply penetrated by spies than divided Germany after the Second World War. Among them were the 'first class comrades' of the Stasi - the East German Ministry for State Security. The early Cold War saw the Stasi establish itself as one of the world's most notorious spy and secret police agencies.

Drawing on previously unexamined files from the Stasi archives, First Class Comrades tells the Stasi story from a fresh perspective: how it helped to create a new European state, how its foreign intelligence service became one of the most successful ever, and how its spy-catchers tackled vigorous attempts by the West to infiltrate East Germany - attempts that influenced the decision to build the Berlin Wall.

Full of new insights and little-known facts about the Stasi and Cold War espionage, and featuring newly discovered details of the Stasi's operational methods, First Class Comrades shines a light on this lesser-known period of Stasi history, and why its stories and lessons still matter today.

Reviews

Masterful... Whenever we think we know all about the Cold War, we find there's more to discover. Boulter's comprehensive and insightful account of the Stasi in the early rough-and-tumble years of that confrontation is unprecedented -- Alan Judd, author of Queen & Country
Boulter's thorough research provides an excellent reference for understanding how the Stasi began and how it fulfilled its responsibilities -- Kevin Riehle, author of The Russian FSB
A fascinating deep dive into the murky waters of Cold War espionage and the early days of East Germany's notorious secret police -- Nick Rennison, author of 1974: Scenes from a Year of Crisis
An impressive work... Boulter really widens the perspective on the Stasi, embedding its activities in the broader context of the Cold War in Europe -- Dieter Bacher, Ludwig Boltzmann Institute and the University of Graz

Author Bio

Born in London, J. Boulter has spent many years living and working in continental Europe. Boulters articles on espionage history and literature have been published in the Journal for Intelligence, Propaganda and Security Studies, theAmerican Intelligence Journal, andCrime Timemagazine, among others.