On May 13, 1981, nine days after his return from the United States, IMB “Pedro Hagen” met with his Stasi-handler for seven hours and reported orally on his trip to the US. The handwritten report on their meeting, prepared by Stasi officer Hoffmann, appears in its entirety below and is followed by the detailed report Fries gave on what he experienced in the US. Note the level of satisfaction Hoffmann expresses about the way Fries carried out his assignment abroad and the loyalty he exhibited in various ways during their meeting.
Service Unit Dept. XX/7Date: 05/19/81
Approvals
[signed]
Diepold
Report on Meeting
Category/Code Name IMS “Pedro Hagen”, Reg.-No. V/MOG/72
Date/TimeMeeting Place
05/13/81“Rense”
11:00-18:00
Staff MemberParticipation by Supervisor
HoffmannHeydal
Next MeetingOn
after agreement by telephoneafter 5/24/81
Reports oral 8
Conditions/circumstances favoring the enemy1
Preparation for meeting:
Planned meeting for reporting on the USA trip the IM undertook;
Comrade Heydal, Deputy Director of Department XX, will participate in the meeting; the IM will be led to the conspirative place “Rense.”
Evaluation of meeting:
The meeting proceeded without incidents; the IM arrived on time, was prepared to deliver the report, and—contrary to his other reservations—had no objections with regard to the meeting being conducted in the IMK [Inoffizieller Mitarbeiter Kammer, a chamber the Stasi used for debriefing informants]. He gave a comprehensive report and began by relating his impressions; he proceeded concretely, naming names and drawing attention to connections. His overall behavior during the meeting was characterized by having faith in his collaborators. He emphasized several times that this was only intended to be an initial debriefing, because the set of issues is very complex.
In his political attitude the IM appeared steadfast and hardened by the wealth of experiences in the USA. He expressed his loyalty vis-à-vis the GDR and related, for example, that he obtained the official report on the 10th Party Congress of the SED from the GDR embassy, which put him in a position to provide up-to-date commentary and explain the policies of the GDR.
He initiated activities in the USA that enabled him to proceed as instructed and demonstrated perseverance, e.g., in the efforts he made to contact Dr. Zipser.
It may be presumed that the IM acted prudently and adhered to the assignment.
Using the cover address he maintained postal contact with the collaborator during the trip. He selected postcards in such a way that they facilitated an operative evaluation of the trip.
The report is considered to be valuable operatively, for defense as well as for reconnaissance purposes.
New assignment and guidelines
It is adjudged that the trip made a significant contribution towards the strengthening of the mutual bond of trust and the IM justified fully the trust that was placed in him.
The IM explained that he personally burned the EG-container that was given to him and it is completely destroyed.
In subsequent meetings an effort needs to be made to substantiate the basic information that has already been gathered.
Remembering East Germany 