Responding to the invitation of the party Politburo, in 1949 Gotsche relocated to Berlin. In October 1949 the Soviet occupation zone was relaunched as the German Democratic Republic (East Germany), a separated Soviet sponsored German state with its political and social institutions modeled on those of the Soviet Union itself. At this point the political philosophies and goals of the East German leadership were closely aligned with those of the Soviet leadership; and the most powerful member of the East German leadership was the Party General Secretary, Walter Ulbricht. During the next couple of decades Otto Gotsche, described on various occasions as "Ulbricht's Paladin", was a loyal supporter of the leader, with whom he worked closely, and on whose behalf undertook a succession of increasingly important tasks and roles. Between 1950 and 1960 he was employed as Ulbricht's official spokesman, also heading up, from 1949, the secretariat to the first deputy president of the Council of Ministers.