Records of the Ministry of State Security (Stasi)

Series

The original documents are kept in the Gauck Office (Der Bundesbeauftragte für die Unterlagen des Staatssicherheitsdienstes der ehemaligen Deutschen Demokratischen Republik, BStU) where László Varga researched for two months on a grant from the Konrad Adenauer Foundation in 2000.

With no possibility to research at home, Varga was granted access to the documents of the East German state security service, commonly known as Stasi, in 1993. In every case he came up against a problem at home, such as limited research or lack of documents, he went to the Gauck Office (BStU, Bundesbeauftragter für die Stasi-Unterlagen) in Berlin to find answers. During the two months of his research, staff of the Office learnt Varga’s research focus and kept sending him relevant documents for years. A substantial part of the files document the cooperation between Stasi, KGB (the Soviet State Security Committee) and the Hungarian state security service. Another part shows the failure of reforming and keeping the Stasi alive in 1959-90. In Hungary, the relationship of the state security service with its counterparts in the other communist countries is one of the areas the least open for research, thus these documents are of utmost importance. On the other hand, during the regime change, the Hungarian service followed the same scenario as the Eastern German organization, but was much more successful.

This series is the most important collection of Stasi records in Hungary, which give an insight into the operation of BStU, too.

Not Expected

Arranged thematically, and chronologically.

Not Restricted

Processed by László Varga, March 2, 2015.