views and personal life. In the aftermath of the failed Uprising of
17 June 1953, the flow of material, according to Reinhard Gehlen,
actually doubled, reflecting Gramsch’s determination to cause maxi-
mum damage to the ruling communist regime. Aware, however, that
suspicions had been aroused, he was exfiltrated by the OG to the
Federal Republic of Germany in late November 1953.GREGORI, THEO (1929– ). The head of the Verwaltung Aufklärung
(VA) who was quietly removed from office, Theo Gregori was born
in Rochlitz (Saxony) on 31 July 1929. Trained as a carpenter, he
joined the Sozialistische Einheitspartei Deutschlands in 1947 and
was appointed to the Barracked People’s Police two years later. He
attended the Frunze Military Academy in Moscow in 1955 and began
to rise through the ranks of the Nationale Volksarmee (NVA).
Prior to the anticipated retirement of VA chief Arthur Franke,
Gregori was designated his successor and transferred from the NVA.
In addition to an orientation by Franke, his preparation included im-
mersion in all facets of intelligence work at the GRU (Soviet Military
Intelligence) academy in Moscow. With his appointment as chief of
the VA on 1 February 1975, Gregori became the first occupant of that
position whose career had been formed entirely in the German Demo-
cratic Republic (GDR). Defense Minister Heinz Hoffmann urged him
to complete the integration of the military attachés into the organiza-
tion and to reduce the influence of the Ministerium für Staatssicher-
heit (MfS). Gregori, however, proceeded cautiously and introduced no
basic changes in the organization during his first year.
Despite certain strengths—his intimate knowledge of the military
establishment and his fluent Russian—the laissez-faire approach he
adopted prompted increasing criticism by top VA officers. Moreover,
the military counterintelligence unit of the MfS launched an inves-
tigation of Gregori in 1977 (code name manipulator), including
surveillance of his home and office. Despite documented evidence
of his often neglectful conduct of affairs (nearly 100 penetrations
of the VA informant network by enemy organizations were alleged)
and his flagrant use of state property for private purposes, no action
was taken until five years later. On 22 September 1982, after GDR
head of state Erich Honecker decided to waive formal charges against
him, Gregori was ordered to resign for reasons of health. Also im-
148 • GREGORI, THEO