East Germany Security

The glum spies obediently open their briefcases and pockets for the citizens now standing guard outside security police headquarters, and a table outside the gate holds petitions demanding that the compound be turned into a nursing home. Freshly painted insults cover the thick wall that once concealed microphones and cameras. East Germans accustomed to scurrying by with heads bowed now brazenly snap pictures out front and glare at the police still brave enough to report for work.

In a verdict with broad legal and social implications for Germany, a court convicted two former East German border guards of manslaughter on Monday but acquitted two others of the same charge in the fatal shooting of a youth who tried to flee across the Berlin Wall only months before the Communist regime collapsed. The surprising and controversial judgment, which followed a 4 1/2-month trial, is the first of its kind to deal with the totalitarian aspects of the East German state.

East German Prime Minister Hans Modrow, his feelings hurt and his plea for financial aid rejected, left Bonn on Wednesday promising that his lame-duck government will press for economic reform before the national elections scheduled for next month. Modrow, who had conferred Tuesday with Chancellor Helmut Kohl and other West German officials, met with West German businessmen and industrialists Wednesday before returning to East Berlin.

East Germany's opposition leader, Ibrahim Boehme, abruptly resigned Monday, becoming the second key politician forced out amid allegations of having spied for the reviled secret police. Steps towards a coalition government meanwhile faltered, and controversy over a currency union between the two Germanys threatened to hamper reunification.

East German Prime Minister Hans Modrow on Thursday defended his plan for a new internal security force and tried to quell growing dissent by indicating that the opposition could have a part in his government. Thousands of people formed a human chain around Parliament after Modrow's speech to lawmakers, and a non-Communist partner in the coalition government repeated threats to quit the Cabinet. An independent trade union movement threatened to call a nationwide strike Jan.

East Germany's Communist government sought to satisfy a major demand of the country's mass opposition movement Thursday by abolishing the state agency in charge of the huge and hated secret police apparatus. Spokesmen for the Office of National Security told Western journalists that the institution was being shut down and its responsibilities distributed among other ministries.

East Germany's opposition leader, Ibrahim Boehme, abruptly resigned Monday, becoming the second key politician forced out amid allegations of having spied for the reviled secret police. Steps towards a coalition government meanwhile faltered, and controversy over a currency union between the two Germanys threatened to hamper reunification.

It is with sadness and dismay that I ponder the recent grooming codes imposed on the men with facial hair by the Queen Mary and its parent company Walt Disney. For many men, including myself, the question of whether or not to have facial hair is not necessarily a personal choice. Unfortunately, I have a medical condition, as do many black men, and the condition is called pseudofolliculitis barbae.

Three East Germans escaped over the Berlin Wall to the West during the weekend without being shot at by East German border guards, West Berlin police said. The incidents pointed up East Germany's new, but unannounced, policy of not shooting to kill in pursuing escapees. As a result, the number of defections has dramatically increased this year, according to a West Berlin group that monitors the defections.

Thousands of East Germans scrambled to buy a real-life Cold War thriller Friday as the newly published secrets of the disbanded secret police became that nation's best-selling book. Hundreds of people stood in line for hours to buy the little yellow volume, eager to know how they had been spied on and lied to in decades of hard-line Communist rule. The decision to publish was made by the interim government.

East Germany's week-old democracy is being battered by allegations that dozens of newly elected members of Parliament, including the top candidate for prime minister, Lothar de Maiziere, collaborated with the notorious secret police. While some see the murky charges as the dangerous start of an East German "witch hunt," others view them as a disappointing reminder that sins from the country's Stalinist past cannot be easily forgotten, or forgiven.

Thousands of East Germans scrambled to buy a real-life Cold War thriller Friday as the newly published secrets of the disbanded secret police became that nation's best-selling book. Hundreds of people stood in line for hours to buy the little yellow volume, eager to know how they had been spied on and lied to in decades of hard-line Communist rule. The decision to publish was made by the interim government.

East German Prime Minister Hans Modrow, his feelings hurt and his plea for financial aid rejected, left Bonn on Wednesday promising that his lame-duck government will press for economic reform before the national elections scheduled for next month. Modrow, who had conferred Tuesday with Chancellor Helmut Kohl and other West German officials, met with West German businessmen and industrialists Wednesday before returning to East Berlin.

It is with sadness and dismay that I ponder the recent grooming codes imposed on the men with facial hair by the Queen Mary and its parent company Walt Disney. For many men, including myself, the question of whether or not to have facial hair is not necessarily a personal choice. Unfortunately, I have a medical condition, as do many black men, and the condition is called pseudofolliculitis barbae.

East German Prime Minister Hans Modrow on Thursday defended his plan for a new internal security force and tried to quell growing dissent by indicating that the opposition could have a part in his government. Thousands of people formed a human chain around Parliament after Modrow's speech to lawmakers, and a non-Communist partner in the coalition government repeated threats to quit the Cabinet. An independent trade union movement threatened to call a nationwide strike Jan.

The glum spies obediently open their briefcases and pockets for the citizens now standing guard outside security police headquarters, and a table outside the gate holds petitions demanding that the compound be turned into a nursing home. Freshly painted insults cover the thick wall that once concealed microphones and cameras. East Germans accustomed to scurrying by with heads bowed now brazenly snap pictures out front and glare at the police still brave enough to report for work.

East Germany's week-old democracy is being battered by allegations that dozens of newly elected members of Parliament, including the top candidate for prime minister, Lothar de Maiziere, collaborated with the notorious secret police. While some see the murky charges as the dangerous start of an East German "witch hunt," others view them as a disappointing reminder that sins from the country's Stalinist past cannot be easily forgotten, or forgiven.

In a verdict with broad legal and social implications for Germany, a court convicted two former East German border guards of manslaughter on Monday but acquitted two others of the same charge in the fatal shooting of a youth who tried to flee across the Berlin Wall only months before the Communist regime collapsed. The surprising and controversial judgment, which followed a 4 1/2-month trial, is the first of its kind to deal with the totalitarian aspects of the East German state.

East Germany's Communist government sought to satisfy a major demand of the country's mass opposition movement Thursday by abolishing the state agency in charge of the huge and hated secret police apparatus. Spokesmen for the Office of National Security told Western journalists that the institution was being shut down and its responsibilities distributed among other ministries.

Three East Germans escaped over the Berlin Wall to the West during the weekend without being shot at by East German border guards, West Berlin police said. The incidents pointed up East Germany's new, but unannounced, policy of not shooting to kill in pursuing escapees. As a result, the number of defections has dramatically increased this year, according to a West Berlin group that monitors the defections.