Although written with a strict adherence to Marxist-Leninist ideol-
ogy and the policy priorities of the regime, the ZAIG reports often
contained candid observations on the actual state of affairs, par-
ticularly when domestic grievances peaked in the late 1980s. Possibly
owing to their sheer bulk (897, for example, were produced in 1976)
and lack of analytical precision, they tended to be disregarded by their
recipients. Nevertheless, they were marked “top secret” and had to be
promptly returned. GDR leader Erich Honecker later conceded that he
paid “scant attention” to them, complaining that the MfS had not sup-
plied him and his colleagues with “very reliable” information.ZENTRALE KOORDINIERUNGSGRUPPE (ZKG). The main unit
of the Ministerium für Staatssicherheit (MfS) charged with com-
bating flight and emigration from the German Democratic Republic
(GDR), the Zentrale Koordinierungsgruppe (Central Coordinating
Group) was established in December 1976 along with subsections
in the 13 regional offices. MfS chief Erich Mielke saw this move
necessitated by the advent of détente, which meant increased contact
with the West and hence greater potential for enemy subversion. Es-
pecially alarming to him was the influx of visitors from the Federal
Republic of Germany, whom he believed the “imperialist secret ser-
vices” and other undercover groups were manipulating to destabilize
the country.
The initial efforts of the ZKG were concentrated on combating il-
legal flight from the GDR (Republikflucht) and the so-called “crimi-
nal traffickers in human beings.” By 1983, the focus had shifted to
those seeking permission to leave the country, presumably inspired
by external organizations such as Amnesty International and the
International Society for Human Rights in Frankfurt am Main. Al-
though the ZKG originally had merely a coordinating function and
numbered 20 employees in its headquarters and 86 in the regional
offices, a steady expansion of its responsibilities and personnel oc-
curred. In early 1987, when its final organizational structure was in
place (six departments along with a new unit devoted to other East-
ern bloc states, particularly Czechoslovakia), the ZKG counted 185
workers and 261 in regional offices. Not only was it headed by Ger-
hard Neiber, a veteran officer who served as one of the four deputy
516 • ZENTRALE KOORDINIERUNGSGRUPPE