At least 57 Swedish citizens were spies in their own country for the East German intelligence service Stasi during the Cold War.
This is evident from the new book Not only spies by professor and researcher Birgitta Almgren, which was published in Sweden on Thursday. Almgren was allowed to look in the archives of the Swedish national security police Säpo.
Although she was not allowed to publish the names of the spies, Almgren describes the work of the individuals in question in detail. Among them are at least twelve teachers, ten engineers, nine entrepreneurs, nine journalists, six key figures in political and social organisations, four confidential advisers such as priests and doctors and two cultural officials.
Stasi’s own archives appartently show that the then East German intelligence service in Sweden was interested in industry, technology, trade, training, military installations and politics. | © 2011 Marcel Burger for ANP News Agency (original in Dutch, 15 September 2011, previously unpublished)