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Die Stasi-Geheimnisse; Methoden und Technik der DDR-Spionage
More fascinating than fiction, Seduced by Secrets takes the reader inside the real world of one of the most effective and feared spy agencies in history. The book reveals, for the first time, the secret technical methods and sources of the Stasi (East German Ministry for State Security) as it stole secrets from abroad and developed gadgets at home, employing universal, highly guarded techniques often used by other spy and security agencies. Seduced by Secrets draws on secret files from the Stasi archives, including CIA-acquired material, interviews and friendships, court documents, and unusual visits to spy sites, including "breaking into" a prison, to demonstrate that the Stasi overestimated the power of secrets to solve problems and created an insular spy culture more intent on securing its power than protecting national security. It recreates the Stasi's secret world of technology through biographies of agents, defectors, and officers and by visualizing James Bond-like techniques and gadgets. In this highly original book, Kristie Macrakis adds a new dimension to our understanding of the East German Ministry for State Security by bringing the topic into the realm of espionage history and exiting the political domain.
463 pages, Hardcover
First published March 1, 2008
9 people are currently reading
156 people want to read
About the author
Kristie Macrakis
10 books4 followersKristie Macrakis is Professor of History in the School of History and Sociology at Georgia Tech. She is the author of many books, including Seduced by Secrets and Prisoners, Lovers, and Spies.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
December 30, 2023
A thorough treatment of the Stasi operation. Well-researched coverage of strategy, tactics, and technology. Would have rated 4-stars except for the sympathetic coverage of “The Kid” - particularly his arrest after Mauerfall. The arrest was no kidnapping; the Kid was rightfully arrested, tried, and convicted for treason. And that’s all I have to say about that.
December 31, 2017
Great Research in Search of a Co-Author
During the cold war the Soviet GRU and the East German Stasi had a large, persistent and effective technical collection effort targeting the west. Even after the cold war was over almost no stories or books explained what happened and why.
The good news, if you are interested in the history of technical espionage in the Cold War this book has information found nowhere else. Very few authors have done the solid research found here and tackled the technical collection aspects of the Stasi.
The bad news, as some other reviewers have said, "it reads like a dissertation, or, the "presentation is on the scholarly side," and even "it was a little bit dry." That's putting it politely - the author can't write and can not carry a story or narrative. As others have observed, the words leaden, rambling, disjointed, and repetitive are apt descriptions. The story veers between mind-numbing minutia, to breezy descriptions of entire critical technical sectors.
One of the dilemmas historians and researchers have, is how do make your material accessible for a broader audience than your peers. If this book had been marketed as a scholarly research paper I would have rated it much differently (3-stars) than one with a glossy cover and a mass-market title.
My suggestion to the author; you are a great researcher and historian. You have this field to yourself. Please find a co-author for your next book.
During the cold war the Soviet GRU and the East German Stasi had a large, persistent and effective technical collection effort targeting the west. Even after the cold war was over almost no stories or books explained what happened and why.
The good news, if you are interested in the history of technical espionage in the Cold War this book has information found nowhere else. Very few authors have done the solid research found here and tackled the technical collection aspects of the Stasi.
The bad news, as some other reviewers have said, "it reads like a dissertation, or, the "presentation is on the scholarly side," and even "it was a little bit dry." That's putting it politely - the author can't write and can not carry a story or narrative. As others have observed, the words leaden, rambling, disjointed, and repetitive are apt descriptions. The story veers between mind-numbing minutia, to breezy descriptions of entire critical technical sectors.
One of the dilemmas historians and researchers have, is how do make your material accessible for a broader audience than your peers. If this book had been marketed as a scholarly research paper I would have rated it much differently (3-stars) than one with a glossy cover and a mass-market title.
My suggestion to the author; you are a great researcher and historian. You have this field to yourself. Please find a co-author for your next book.
March 24, 2024
A look inside the "working side" of spying. The idea of using a scarf to write invisible letters was a concept I would never have imaged. Thinking outside the box was as common to the MfS as walking is to me it would seem. I found this book enjoyable as well as educational. I recommend this to any who wish to learn more of the "background" of spying during the Cold War.
May 20, 2019
Admittedly only read a few chapters for a class, but what I did read was incredibly interesting and informative. If anyone has never heard about the Stasi, I would recommend this book as a starting place to discover this part of WWII and the aftermath's history. So now go and read!
May 2, 2022
The Stasi were masters of technical espionage. Often infiltrating West German industry to steal cutting-edge computer technology and pass it along to the Soviet Union. The most vivid scene was described as a room full of jars of scents that were used for identification purposes by the Stasi.
August 19, 2015
An in depth and sometimes inside look at the East German Ministry for State Security, otherwise known as the Stasi. The Stasi is usually known for it's repression of the people during the communist rule from the late 40s until the early 90s, but this book is more focused on their highly effective foreign espionage activities. Divided into two parts, "High-tech" and "Spy-tech," the first deals with the human intelligence side of spying on the West. The Stasi believed that the best way to energize the economy, and thus "prove" the superiority of communism, was by stealing secrets from the technologically superior West. Unfortunately, even though they were able to acquire and reverse engineer much, they were generally unable to put it into production, and continued to fall further behind. Many spies are highlighted, some who were tremendously productive and others who defected (both ways).
The second half discusses more of the gadgets and mechanics of spying, such as using dead drops and secret writing for communication, and electronic spying methods which were often not as sophisticated as methods in the West. The East Germans were especially adept at listening in on West German secrets and were able to use cameras to great advantage, but they were absolute pioneers in using "smell science" (similar to fingerprints) to find people. They also experimented with using radioactivity to track both criminals and diplomats, which is especially interesting considering the recent poisoning death of a former KGB agent in Britain using a radioactive substance. Most people will probably find this second section more interesting than the first. Also discussed was some of the cooperation with other communist states, particularly Cuba, but also Vietnam and Honduras.
I probably found the book more entertaining than some other reviewers here, but I agree with some of their contentions. The writing is a bit dry and awkward at times, perhaps because the author is a historian or maybe she is not a native English-speaker. Especially near the beginning, I had the sense that some passages or phrases were repeated. And overall it probably could have used a bit more editing to make it flow a little better, but I still enjoyed it. She occasionally slips into first person writing while describing her meetings with high-ranking individuals from the communist era, but rather than detracting from the narrative I thought it added an interesting twist. The information uncovered was fascinating, and I think those interested in espionage or Cold War history will really enjoy this book. The main theme throughout the first section, that in spite of the emphasis of stealing industrial secrets they were never able to make it profitable, was an interesting insight. Also the revelation that the Stasi was a much more formidable spy agency that is generally believed (the author ranks them in the top 3, ahead of both the KGB and the CIA).
But another aspect I found interesting was the assertion that after the Berlin Wall fell, it was a bit of a surprise to discover the level of industrial espionage that had occurred. Macrakis points out that this is very similar to the kind of espionage that China is engaging in with the United States right now. The main difference might be that while East Germany and the Soviet Union were unable to put that technology to use due to various technology embargoes and Reagan's insistence on enforcing them, China may be finding ways around those obstacles. Overall, Macrakis has uncovered a lot of interesting information that isn't well known.
The second half discusses more of the gadgets and mechanics of spying, such as using dead drops and secret writing for communication, and electronic spying methods which were often not as sophisticated as methods in the West. The East Germans were especially adept at listening in on West German secrets and were able to use cameras to great advantage, but they were absolute pioneers in using "smell science" (similar to fingerprints) to find people. They also experimented with using radioactivity to track both criminals and diplomats, which is especially interesting considering the recent poisoning death of a former KGB agent in Britain using a radioactive substance. Most people will probably find this second section more interesting than the first. Also discussed was some of the cooperation with other communist states, particularly Cuba, but also Vietnam and Honduras.
I probably found the book more entertaining than some other reviewers here, but I agree with some of their contentions. The writing is a bit dry and awkward at times, perhaps because the author is a historian or maybe she is not a native English-speaker. Especially near the beginning, I had the sense that some passages or phrases were repeated. And overall it probably could have used a bit more editing to make it flow a little better, but I still enjoyed it. She occasionally slips into first person writing while describing her meetings with high-ranking individuals from the communist era, but rather than detracting from the narrative I thought it added an interesting twist. The information uncovered was fascinating, and I think those interested in espionage or Cold War history will really enjoy this book. The main theme throughout the first section, that in spite of the emphasis of stealing industrial secrets they were never able to make it profitable, was an interesting insight. Also the revelation that the Stasi was a much more formidable spy agency that is generally believed (the author ranks them in the top 3, ahead of both the KGB and the CIA).
But another aspect I found interesting was the assertion that after the Berlin Wall fell, it was a bit of a surprise to discover the level of industrial espionage that had occurred. Macrakis points out that this is very similar to the kind of espionage that China is engaging in with the United States right now. The main difference might be that while East Germany and the Soviet Union were unable to put that technology to use due to various technology embargoes and Reagan's insistence on enforcing them, China may be finding ways around those obstacles. Overall, Macrakis has uncovered a lot of interesting information that isn't well known.
January 3, 2013
"In addition to revealing who the spies were, where they worked, and why they did what they did, the Rosenholz material unmasks an incredibly bloated human web of recruiters, instructors, couriers, and residents. The spiderweb was designed to support an agent, but was not cost-effective while it ensnared the secrets of the West. The Stasi simply overestimated the power of stolen technological secrets to solve its economic problems, and the enormous spy infrastructure investment produced a very small return."
"Scientific-technical intelligence gathering for the MfS usually meant recruiting agents who had access to important Western companies like IBM. Occasionally foreigners volunteered to contribute to the MfS's scientific developments. An unusual offer came in the mid-sixties from an American computer specialist, Henry Sherwood, who wanted to help East Germany's data processing industry. Born in Berlin under the name Heinz Weizenbaum, he fled the Nazis in 1936 and arrived in America, where he changed his name while in the U.S. Army. His brother was the famous MIT computer professor Joseph Weizenbaum. Sherwood was invited to direct the Diebold European research program in 1966 and invited the East German Data Processing and Business Machines Company to take part in the program.
Suspicious that Sherwood might be an agent for a capitalist company, the Stasi set four informants on him at the Diebold Conference and between 1966 and 1969 launched 'Action World Stature' to try to use the material from the various conferences. Unfortunately, the Stasi staff members did not know English and could not effectively use the material. When Sherwood visited Erfurt, he brought IBM manuals and other material with him, which the Stasi photographed. When there was an opportunity for a German to go to America to acquire more knowledge about data processing, the Stasi vetoed the trip because they were worried that the scientist might be recruited and never come back.
And that was the main contradiction the Stasi presents us with: on the one hand, they vigorously supported state programs by acquiring the needed embargoed or secret technology. On the other hand, security concerns made them work against their own interests by restricting the needed international travel of scientists and by imposing other harmful security measures."
"Scientific-technical intelligence gathering for the MfS usually meant recruiting agents who had access to important Western companies like IBM. Occasionally foreigners volunteered to contribute to the MfS's scientific developments. An unusual offer came in the mid-sixties from an American computer specialist, Henry Sherwood, who wanted to help East Germany's data processing industry. Born in Berlin under the name Heinz Weizenbaum, he fled the Nazis in 1936 and arrived in America, where he changed his name while in the U.S. Army. His brother was the famous MIT computer professor Joseph Weizenbaum. Sherwood was invited to direct the Diebold European research program in 1966 and invited the East German Data Processing and Business Machines Company to take part in the program.
Suspicious that Sherwood might be an agent for a capitalist company, the Stasi set four informants on him at the Diebold Conference and between 1966 and 1969 launched 'Action World Stature' to try to use the material from the various conferences. Unfortunately, the Stasi staff members did not know English and could not effectively use the material. When Sherwood visited Erfurt, he brought IBM manuals and other material with him, which the Stasi photographed. When there was an opportunity for a German to go to America to acquire more knowledge about data processing, the Stasi vetoed the trip because they were worried that the scientist might be recruited and never come back.
And that was the main contradiction the Stasi presents us with: on the one hand, they vigorously supported state programs by acquiring the needed embargoed or secret technology. On the other hand, security concerns made them work against their own interests by restricting the needed international travel of scientists and by imposing other harmful security measures."
July 30, 2014
I can't remember when I read this book (and I'm setting the date to a year ago so it doesn't screw up this year's goal accounting), but it seems I didn't review it. I remember it being chock full of information, fascinating information, but not being particularly brilliantly structured.
January 21, 2017
Very well researched and interesting. But can be a bit tedious sometimes.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews