Kraus speculated that his defection delayed the erection of the Berlin
Wall. Already the object of rumors during his tenure at the APN, it
was not constructed until August 1961. See also ROSE.KRAUSE, ALFRED (1930–2001). The sixth head of Verwaltung
Aufklärung (VA), Alfred Krause was born in Dresden on 28 April
- He joined the Freie Deutsche Jugend (Free German Youth) in
1945 and the Sozialistische Einheitspartei Deutschlands (SED) the
following year. His connection to the armed services of the German
Democratic Republic (GDR) began in 1948 with his appointment to
the political section of the People’s Police in Dresden. On 15 October
1953, he also agreed to work for the Ministerium für Staatssicher-
heit (MfS) as an informer (code name fritz möbius)—a relationship
which, according to official records, lasted for more than 25 years.
His military career continued to be linked closely to the SED and
included training in the GDR and Soviet Union.
Following the abrupt dismissal of Theo Gregori on 22 September
1982, Defense Minister Heinz Hoffmann designated Krause his suc-
cessor as head of the VA. Lacking firsthand knowledge of running
agents and given no transition period, Krause embarked on an exten-
sive bureaucratic reform of the agency, primarily along more clearly
defined military lines of authority. Some VA officers referred to the
process as “Krause’s organizational marathon.” Reversing the policy
of his predecessor, he encouraged a closer working relationship with
the MfS (several of his relatives were members as well). Above all, his
aim was to acquire detailed information about “Western preparations
for war” and to develop a system of rapid response within his agency.
As public protests accelerated in late 1989, Krause’s autocratic
style of leadership came under heavy criticism, and he attempted
to make some necessary adjustments. When the crisis deepened the
following year, he ordered the destruction of all official records, es-
pecially those related to the VA’s network of undercover agents, but
achieved only partial success. He was discharged on 30 September
1990 and involved in several court cases afterward. Krause died in
Berlin on 19 November 2001.
KREBS, RICHARD (1904–1951). A key Comintern agent and later
defector and author, Richard Krebs was born near Mainz on 17
KREBS, RICHARD • 247