Misc. Items of Interest
Originator: USA
Document date: 12/09/1957
Document type: Paper

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11/05/98

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AGENCY

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NUMBER

RECORDS SERIES

AGENCY FILE NUMBER

JFK ASSASSINATION SYSTEM

IDENTIFICATION FORM

AGENCY INFORMATION

: INSCOM/CSF

:194-10012-10009

: DOD-AFFILIATED PERSONNEL AND INCIDENT INVESTIGATIONS

ZF000003W - PAGES

18-21

DOCUMENT INFORMATION

ORIGINATOR:

USA

FROM

TO

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TITLE : MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS OF INTEREST IN BAUTZEN (ROZ)

DATE: 12/09/57

PAGES : 3

SUBJECTS : SLOVODA, VLADIMIR

"SACHSISCHE ZEITUNG"

SED (SOCIALIST UNITY PARTY OF GERMANY)

KPD (COMMUNIST PARTY OF GERMANY)

DOCUMENT TYPE : PAPER, TEXTUAL DOCUMENT

CLASSIFICATION: CONFIDENTIAL

RESTRICTIONS : 1B, 2

CURRENT STATUS : POSTPONED IN FULL

DATE OF LAST REVIEW : 03/20/95

OPENING CRITERIA :

COMMENTS : THE REVIEW BOARD VOTED THAT THIS DOCUMENT IS NOT

BELIEVED RELEVANT TO THE ASSASSINATIN OF PRESIDENT

Released under the John F. Kennedy

Assassination Records Collection Act of

1992 (44 USC 2107 Note]. Case#:NW

64954 Date: 09-22-2022

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NW 64954 Docld:34517466 Page 1

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Annexure III to

BRIP/0/11/354

dated @ Dec 57.

MISCEALANEOUS

ITEMS

OF INTEREST IN BAUTZEN (ROZ).

Source

claimed to be unable to give any information concerning

FRENCH defectors in BAUTZEN and the DDR.

She stated that they are

unpopular with, and distrusted by, the other defectors in BAUTZEN.

could give no new information concerning the GERMAN

staff of the Club-house.

She thought it possible that Wolfgang

NOACK and not SCHATTEL is the real power at

the club-house.

Source did not think that the defector colony in BAUTZEN will

be disbanded by the DDR

authorities.

Her reasons were

that if this

were done there would be no place where defectors could be schooled

nor would

it be so easy to observe their activities and to place

restrictions on their movements.

Source claimed to have no knowledge of any agent or

organisations in BAUTZEN.

She also claimed to have no knowledge

concerning the organisation of the FDJ,

stating that she had

been politically active

and had only visited

company of her husband and purely for social entertainment.

5.

On. 1 Oct 57 the BAUTZEN edition of

the 'Sachsische Zeitung'

published the following article on the back page.

"By bus to BERLIN.

We have been informed by the Traffic Office

that, in accordance with the wishes of many citizens,

a long-

distance

service BAUTZEN to BERLIN

and return is being

introduced wef 8 Oct 57.

This has become possible as

Traffic Office have received a confortablely-fitted. "IKARUS'

from the friendly. Peoples' Republio of HUNGARY.

This service

will run twice a week, on Tuesdays and Fridays.

departure 0500 hours

from Platz der Roten Armee, arriving in

BERLIN, Alexanderplatz at 0900 hours.

The return journey

is from Alexanderplatz at 1800 hours,

arriving in BAUTZEN at-

2200 hours.

The price of a return ticket is only 32.60 DM."

As Mrs ROBERTS had visited BERLIN by this bus service (para 7

of this report refers) she was questioned about the checks which are

made on the passengers.

A prospective passenger must first 50

Office, if

a seat available this is booked

paid for.

be necessary to wait for some time if no

immediately available.

The name of the passenger and identity card

number is entered on a list.

There is no check of passengers on the

bus before it leaves BAUTZEN or BERLIN.

There is an identity card

check of all passengers by the VOLKSPOLIZEI when the bus reaches the

outskirts of BERLIN on both the inward and outward journies.

6.

No further information was available.

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## Page 3

CONE IDENTIAE

Offioer Commanding

BRITISH INTELLIGENCE POOL BERLIN

British Forces Post Offide

45.

'A' Jetachment

BRITISH INTELLIGENCE POOL BERLIN

British Forces Post Office

45.

BERLIN

'Al Det

93. 4384:

93

4206.

BRIP/0/11/447.

3o Nor 57.

Subject

BRITISH defector - 22772119 Pte DOWNIE, J.

I BW (RHR) , AWOL Wef 20 Oot 56.

Ref BRIP/0/11/441 dated 25 Oct 57

........

'A'.

Attached at Annexures I and II are typed reproductions of

two letters written by subject and Margot GOTTSCHALK (girl-friend of

DOWNIE) to Erich GOTTSCHALK (living at BERLIN-SPANDAU, Schönwalder-

Allee, 63), the brother of the girl.

The envelope was postmarked

' BAUTZEN

27 Nov 57'.

Two photostat copies of the letters are

•-leo attached for distribution as you may deem necessary;

that, owing to paper shortage, no further photostats

could be obtained.

It is pointed out that

the photostats were

pagsed to us by BIS and were initially obtained by intercepts

of mail sent to WEST BERLIN fron the ROZ and in view of this should

be treated with the greatest possible discretion.

Annexure I, the letter dated 24 Nov 57, would appear to

show that a certain amount of unrest and ill-feeling exists between

the two groups in BAUTZEN and BERLIN respectively.

This ill-

feeling would appear to have been engendered by derogatory letters

sent to subject and his girl-friend by the BERLIN branch of the

family and that the flames have been fanned by the fact that DOWNIE

has not been receiving many letters from BERLIN. and the

few that

have been received were unflattering about his way of life in

BAUTZEN.

It may be that the visits

of this detachment to Frau

LEHMANN have contributed in some small measure to the family

conflict, para 3 of ref 'A' refers.

3

Annexure I also supports our belief, based on previous

reports, that Frau LEHMANN has quite some contaot with other members

of the renegade colony in BAUTZEN:

She would certainly appear to

have glose contact with MURPHY®

The latter has been identified

as the US Army defeotor - RA14479240 Clifford MURPHY, AWOL wer

14 Nov 1953.)

"The postscript to the letter written by Margot

GOTTSCHALK appears to be an appeal to her bröther Erich not to

cast her aside, but to

stand by her during this unpleasantness.

Annexure I was enclosed in the same envelope as

Annexure II.

••/to sheet 2 (para 6.)

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2 -

Annexure II, dated 25 Nov 57, shows that the family dispute

has now burst into a conflagration.

It would appear that the

MURPHY family have written to the

BERLIN LEHMANN/ GOTTSCHALK group

and have very adversely critisised the DOWNIE menage in BAUTZEN.

As a result of the MURPHY letter the family have written, in

terms of strong condemnation,

to DOWNIE.

Para 3 above is also

supported by this second letter.

DOWNIE's reply is a strong

derogation of the BERLIN menage.

in general and Erich LEHMANN

in particular.

As a sign of his disgust and anger, no doubt,

DOWNIE refrained from putting a stamp

on the envelope, thus

ensuring that Erich GOTTSCHALK must pay for the pleasure of

reading DOWNIE's insults to him.

In the postscript to this lotter written by Margot GOTTSCHALK;

c / she too

oritipises her family and says "Goodbye for ever", although

the door slightly open for a reconcilliation with her

brother Erich,

who has been reported

to be the one member of the

family to whom she feels most closely tied.

In the closing lines of his second letter, IOWNIE asks that

the letters written by persons in BAUTZEN be sent to him, so that

ho may confront then with these letters.

As a threat to induce

the family to comply with his request, DOWNIE writes that he will

arrange for an approach to be made to

the political party of which

Frau LEHMANN is a member.

It may be that the party! referred tó

is the KPD (Communist Party of GERMANY), but, on the other hand, It

does tend to confirm previous reports that Frau LEHMANN is a member

of the SED (Socialist Unity Party of GERMANY); para 2 of ref 'A'

It is pointed out that the typed reproductions of the letters

which are attached to this report are as per the originals and the

spelling, punctuation etc is

DOWNIE's and NOT ours.

It would appear that the DOWNIE/GOTTSCHALK marriage has not

yet taken place after all and that DOWNIE did not attempt to return

to BERLIN during the latter part of Oct 57, as had previously been

repurted by various overt souroes available to us, para 4 of ref 'A'

Further to paras 8 to 10 of ref

'A', our enquiries have

established that the person referred to was NOT DOWNIE,

"but a former

BRITISH soldier, now demobilised, who had returned to BERLIN for a

visit as a civilian.

From the tone of the two letters, it would appear that DOWNIE

and COTTSCHALK are living happily together, which is

contrary to

previous reports we

have received

concerning the marital-like state

of these two persons.

However, it is,

these letters may have been

appreciated-that

written with the intention of

presenting a

'united front ' to the

family in BERLIN.

efforts in BERLIN

aggravate DOWNIE's relationship with the

LEHMANN GOTTSCHALK family would appear to have born friit, para 2

coove atsurelero,it-joat-presentinoggihle to assess with

accuracy whether we will be

successful in driving DOWNE out of

BAUTZEN and back to the WEST.

is, naturally, appreciated

that our attempts

to influence DOWNIE may have a directly opposite effect

than that which

intend and will induce him to remain in the DDR,

although this

is thought unlikely as he would be more free of the

LEHMANN/GOTTSCHALK interference, and from Margot GOTTSCHALK, in the

Uk than in the DDR and he may well come round to this view in due

20

../ to sheet 3 (para 12.)

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- 3-

12.

In the postscript to Annexure I, written by Margot

GOTTSCHALK, she writes that she and DOWNIE are moving to a new

accomodation, although does not specify where this is.

have

been living at their present address (BAUTZEN, Ziegelstrasse, 7)

for quite

and enquiries will be made in order to establish

their new address, to which they should move at the beginning of

Dec 57:

We will continue to maintain casual contact with the

LEHMANN/GOTTSHCALK family in WEST BERLIN, on the lines mentioned

No additional details are at present available, but enquiries

are continuing and

a further report will be submitted as soon as new

information is received by us.

Sgt,

NCO 1/c 'A' Detachment,

BRITISH

INTELLIGENCE POOL BERLIN.

Intelligence Corps.

(Sgt J. B. BARKLAM.)

__(..•(to shoat 4, Annexure I.)

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