Paul: Did you have a Stasi file on you? Did everybody have a file? Like talk a little bit about the Stasi. I mean neighbors spying on neighbors, I think American's have trouble wrapping their heads around that, but--

Volker: Every East German had a file. Remember I left in '46. There was still - the Russians were everywhere. They called the shots. East Germany did not officially start until '48 or '49 to become an independent state. No, there was no file on me

After the wall came down, when Germany was united - the Stasi had destroyed some of the files, but not all of them. The East Germans stormed the Stasi headquarters, okay? Nobody was killed, but they kicked out the Stasi people and they got the files. And after the reunification, you had the right to see your own file. Not your neighbors. They had a special government office. You had to identify yourself very carefully, and then you were allowed to see your file of what happened to you.

Here's the case of a father who had wondered why years ago his son was refused admission to the university. He was never allowed to study. In the file it said this “That on the autobahn--" Remember West Germans could mingle and mix with East Germans. We'd been on the autobahn. Admired a guy in a Trabant. This is an aside. I tried to be smart. And we looked under this hood, and said, "This is the engine." Said, "Oh no, this is the air cleaner." "This is the engine." It's with a little 2 stroke about this big. It was like a lawnmower.

Paul: A lawnmower engine.

Volker: I said, "Oh yes, of course." Anyway, the father was observed on the autobahn to have talked with a West German for quite some time. And cordially, and they shook hands. That was recorded by cameras. There were cameras everywhere. They recorded the license plate of the guy. Turned out to be a West German plate, and the license plate of the guy - the East German who talked to the West German. That was a black mark, that which meant his son could not go to university. One encounter on the autobahn with a West German.

And if you, if you want to know – I have another case. Remember Hans Slaughter, my one and only friend? He gave Brett beer to take along. His son became a policeman, an Eastern policeman. Hans Lata also had a brother who lived in West Berlin. Another was the policeman's uncle. If the policeman, if Hans Slaughter son was at home visiting - he didn't live there, he was visiting.

And the phone rung and says, "Hey here, here's Uncle Fritz." Hans Slaughter, the policeman was not allowed to say, "Hang on uncle, I'll get father." If and when he heard his uncle’s voice, he had to disconnect. When he stopped at home, he didn't live there. And he saw his uncles West Berlin car with West Berlin plates. He was not allowed to enter the premises.

Paul: For fear of any, any contact could be used against them.

Volker: Paranoid is the word. Even under Hitler, they weren't that paranoid. Nothing. No contact.