Warning, spies!

The Second World War was not yet over in Asia when former Wehrmacht General Reinhard Gehlen was already working for the US military. His mission remained unchanged. It was reconnaissance of the Red Army. From the summer of 1945 to 1946, the prisoner of war Gehlen was working with a small team in Washington. Upon his return, he founded the Gehlen Organization in Germany, predecessor of today's Federal Intelligence Service (BND). Until the founding of the BND on April 1, 1956, the full-time employees and spies of Gehlen were on the payroll of the US government - Cover image: Minox camera in a cigarette box (Marlboro) of the Gehlen Organization. The Bundeswehr Military History Museum in Dresden documents from March 18 to November 19, 2016 exactly this early period of espionage in post-war Germany with the special exhibition "Achtung Spione! - Intelligence Services in Germany from 1945-1956". For this purpose, the most closely guarded files from the Pullach archive and BND depots were opened.

Successful intelligence work requires that it goes unnoticed by the public. If it is noticed, the reason is usually a failure, a violation of rules, or even laws. In recent years, German intelligence services have often been in the headlines. Those who want to better understand the developments of recent years and the functioning of the BND today must look back at its founding phase.

Gehlen's younger East German counterpart Markus Wolf lived as a Soviet citizen in Moscow before returning to Germany in 1945 and later establishing the foreign intelligence service of the GDR. The powerful influence of Soviet "advisers" on the intelligence activities of the GDR can also be seen in his biography - in exile, the Soviet Union had become his second home. While the USA and the Soviet Union were struggling for political and economic dominance in the world, numerous agents and spies fought an invisible front in Germany for every information advantage.

Uncovering modern enemy weapons systems was a focus of espionage activity during the Cold War (above in the picture: a woman's shoe from the possession of the BND with an integrated hiding place). Espionage took place to a significant extent on German territory. Tanks and aircraft, including a Josef Stalin III tank, a US espionage balloon, and an Mk/B53 hydrogen bomb, the most powerful in the US nuclear arsenal, are part of the exhibition. Not only do the large objects tell exciting stories. The identification of the former Chairman of the State Council Willi Stoph, for example, is a small object - but it was a sensation that it was, apparently captured by spies, in the possession of Reinhard Gehlen.

The exhibition "Achtung Spione!" shows more than 600 objects – e.g.: a classic violin case with submachine gun – and documents, many of which are being displayed publicly for the first time. Never-before-seen documents and memorabilia from private estates complement the exhibition. Visitors gain insights into the lives and actions of the most famous personalities in German espionage history at the beginning of the Cold War.

A two-volume accompanying publication is published by Sandstein-Verlag. The essay collection brings together contributions from renowned scientists on the history of Org and BND. Interviews with Egon Bahr and Daniel Ellsberg, the "father" of whistleblowers, also focus on the present. The extensive publication is available at a discount in the museum shop. Specially designed tours, an audio guide, a diverse event program, and a film series complement the new exhibition in Dresden.

ALL INFORMATION about the SPECIAL EXHIBITION and the OPENING HOURS of the MHM Dresden: www.mhmbw.de

Current panel discussion on the exhibition

“ACHTUNG SPIONE! Intelligence Services in Germany from 1945 to 1956”

Participants: Intelligence expert Erich Schmidt-Eenboom, Dr. Bodo Hechelhammer (Chief Historian of the BND), Dr. Magnus Pahl (Curator of the special exhibition at MHM), and Prof. Dr. Rolf-Dieter Müller (Independent Historical Commission for Researching the History of the BND).

Moderation: Moderator: Stefan Nölke, Editor-in-Chief Radio/MDR FIGARO

• Tuesday, March 22, 2016, 7:00 pm
• Location: MHM Dresden
• Free admission

More SPECIAL EVENTS related to the exhibition.

All TOURS of the exhibition "ACHTUNG SPIONE".

The Bundeswehr Military History Museum on the Internet: www.mhmbw.de

Photos (except poster): MHM/David Brandt