Disgraced US Air Force Officers Were Set Up, Uncovered Stasi Documents Reveal

Sad to say but Stasi was doing its job.

Thank you for the news share brother Tony.

Respectfully, if the article is accurate, the Stasi documents don’t exactly reveal that these officers were set up.

“What to do against Tonge," it states, above a list of tasks, such as collecting damaging material to use against him. It also instructs agents to work Tonge's contacts and use every opportunity to talk to him or his spouse for reconnaissance purposes.

The ultimate goal: "Block his active spy activity and secure spy material and technology."

“Action against him was planned and executed," the document states in German. "During a consultation with the Soviet friends concerning high value targets among USMLM members, it was disclosed that toward the end of 1979 (on Dec. 29, 1979, precisely), the friends had successfully carried out a targeted measure to discredit Tonge as well as his intended successor, Lt. Col. Burhans."

The document was signed by "Lt. Col. Klebow." No further information is included on the "action" taken in the files.”

The article made a point to mention that released files were 69 miles long. Yet no details of the big win against the Americans who had been giving them so much guff for so long? They wrote AARs just like we do.

Moving on, they weren’t even all that disgraced. They got fired. But kept their careers. One got promoted. Another was vindicated by a 2-star who purged the derog from his file. (Not to downplay their situations, but I can think of other far more disgraceful situation achieved by service members).

Is it possible they were set up? Of course. Is it possible they were drunk or had taken pills on their own? Of course. Is it possible the Stasi would keep incomplete records? Unlikely. And unless there’s more in that 69 miles of paperwork that they haven’t reported on, there simply isn’t enough information to determine if they were set up.

*as another poster has stated, “NEVER NEVER trust anyone linked to the Soviet/Russian government. Disinformation and the ability to project many faces of ‘friendship’ as a choreographed act should NEVER be forgotten.” that’s absolute truth.