against Adolf Hitler and was immediately arrested in the Berlin
Bendlerblock. Skillfully playing the role of a naive, apolitical theo-
logian, he managed to escape execution but was sentenced to seven
years in prison.
After the war, Gerstenmaier rose to prominence in the Christlich-
Demokratische Union and was elected president of the Bundestag
in 1954. Considering him a major target, the HVA embarked on
an intensive disinformation campaign in the early 1960s under the
impetus of Hans-Joachim Seidowsky. Besides attempting to exac-
erbate the political differences between Gerstenmaier and Chancellor
Konrad Adenauer, these reports employed forged documents that de-
picted Gerstenmaier as a former Nazi agent who had betrayed at least
17 members of the Kreisau Circle to the Sicherheitsdienst (Security
Service). This effort failed to achieve the desired results and was
abandoned in 1967. Gerstenmaier also came under criticism for his
claims for government compensation benefits related to his thwarted
academic career during the Third Reich. Although legally justified,
the amount seemed excessive to many. He resigned from office in
January 1969. His death occurred on 13 March 1986 near Remagen
(Rhineland-Palatinate).GERUCHSKONSERVEN. The collection of body odors of sus-
pected dissidents by the Ministerium für Staatssicherheit (MfS),
Geruchskonserven consisted of pieces of cloth stored in sterile
glass containers, sealed and labeled by local MfS workers. These
samples—obtained either directly from the person or from ar-
ticles of worn clothing—were submitted to specially trained dogs—
Differenzierungshunde—for positive identification in the event of a
legal infraction, such as an unauthorized demonstration or placard.
Evidence obtained through this procedure was officially sanctioned
by the German Democratic Republic.
GESELLSCHAFTLICHE MITARBEITER FÜR SICHERHEIT
(GMS). A unique category of part-time agents working for the Min-
isterium für Staatssicherheit (MfS), the Gesellschaftliche Mitarbe-
iter für Sicherheit (Societal Collaborators for Security) was created
following a 1967 proclamation by Walter Ulbricht, the leader of the
German Democratic Republic (GDR), calling for greater efforts toGESELLSCHAFTLICHE MITARBEITER FÜR SICHERHEIT • 135