James R. Holbrook
Recently declassified information makes it possible for the first time to tell part of the story behind the Cold War intelligence operations of the U.S. Military Liaison Mission (USMLM) to the Commander of the Soviet Army in Communist East Germany. Intelligence collection often led to dangerous encounters with the Soviet and East German armies. On occasion, Allied officers and non-commissioned officers were seriously injured. Before it all ended with the collapse of the Iron Curtain, one French sergeant and one American officer had been killed.
Potsdam Mission traces the development of the author into a Soviet/Russian specialist and U.S. Army intelligence officer. The author then relates his own intelligence collection forays into East Germany by taking the reader on trips that include several harrowing experiences and four arrests/detentions by the Soviets
Finally, the author describes the challenges and rewards of interpreting at USMLM and comments on the important role played by the Mission in Cold War intelligence.
James Holbrook began his U.S. Army career as a private and retired as a lieutenant colonel. He served with the U.S. Military Liaison Mission in Potsdam, East Germany and West Berlin in 1976-1977.
Before the Mission assignment, Holbrook worked at all levels of intelligence—as an enlisted Russian linguist in West Berlin, commanding officer of an intelligence detachment in South Vietnam, and as an operational and strategic analyst in the Pentagon and Europe. He was awarded the Legion of Merit, two Bronze Stars, the Meritorious Service Medal, the Army Commendation Medal and several service and campaign ribbons.
The author holds BA and MA degrees from The American University and a PhD from Georgetown.
After a couple more hours of driving, we left the main road again to drive down a tank trail that ran a few hundred yards past the installation. Soon our car left the tank trail and we threaded the trees to approach closer to our target. I felt my muscles tense as the installation came into sight in the early dawn light. It was still about a hundred yards away, but I could see guard towers on the corners of the walls. I looked around and my eye caught a homemade sign nailed to a tree we had just passed, with the ominous message: "Hier wird geschossen!" Underneath the German were two words in Russian: "Zdes' strelyayut!" Both messages, translated into English, meant the same thing: 'You will be shot here!'
"Did you see that sign?" I whispered to both the men in the front seat. The major understood Russian and the driver understood German, so I knew they could read the messages if they saw them.
"Yeah, we see those signs all over the country," the major answered as he looked over at the driver. Both were now smiling. The major turned to me in the back seat.
"You have to get used to such attempts to scare us off. Besides, it's meant for Germans who might be strolling through the woods on a Sunday afternoon."
"You don't take the sign seriously then?"
"Yes and no. If we backed off every time we saw a warning sign, we'd never get anything done. Don't worry. We're going to get just close enough to check out the activity inside the installation and see if there's any new equipment there. As soon as we have enough light, we'll take some pictures."
"Fine," I said. "Just checking to see if you'd noticed."
An incident a little over a week earlier was still fresh in my mind. On 11 August, a Mission tour near Nedlitz stopped on a main road at a railroad crossing because the barrier was down. Several soldiers and an officer ran toward the vehicle in what appeared to be an attempt to detain the team. The USMLM tour quickly turned the car around and sped away from the barrier. As they did, the Soviets shouted and fired two shots at the vehicle. Fortunately, the vehicle was not hit. But I couldn't get the incident out of my mind. That tour had been in an open area and still got fired on. What could we expect, being this close to a Soviet installation?
