During my first stay in Berlin as an IREX scholar, from mid-October to mid-December 1977, I had gotten to know a group of students from the Institute for German Studies at the Humboldt University. I would meet with them informally from time to time, and the file contains a report based on what one of these students told his professor, Anneliese Löffler (aka IM “Dölbl”), who was still my official minder. The report appears in its entirety below.
Main Department XXBerlin, 6/23/1978
I n f o r m a t i o n
Dr. Richard ZIPSER – USA Germanist
In a face-to-face meeting with unofficial collaborator “Dölbl,”
EDELMANN, Gregor,
a German studies student at the Humboldt University, stated that he together with another German studies student,
RESE, Tatjana,
had met on the night of 6/15 to 6/16/1978 with the USA citizen
Dr. ZIPSER, Richard.
Edelmann und Rese have been acquainted with Zipser since his last stay in the GDR toward the end of 1977.
According to Edelmann, Zipser had been under the influence of alcohol and expressed views on the situation among GDR writers.
While doing so Zipser stated his belief that the writer Rolf Schneider as well as Jurek Becker would soon be applying to leave the GDR for an extended period of time. Zipser apparently learned that in a conversation with Schneider.
In addition, Zipser related some impressions derived from his conversations with young GDR writers.
In his opinion, the functionaries in the GDR should not let themselves have any illusions about the young generation of GDR writers. The overwhelming majority, he claims, embraces positions that are aimed against the policies of the State, and the GDR is going to have “lots of trouble” with them.
Remembering East Germany 