Johannes Irmscher’s Unofficial Activity for the State Security of the German Democratic Republic (translated by Polonca Zupančič)

Abstract

Johannes Irmscher (1920–2000), a pre-war member of the NSDAP, was reputed for decades as one of the most important East German specialists in classical philology, patristics, and Byzantine studies. From 1958 onwards he also collaborated with the Communist State Security (Stasi). Documents show how he denounced his colleagues; how he steered the interest of State Security to organisations and societies studying antiquities; and how he put the international reputation of classical studies, as well as his own reputation, at the disposal of the Ministry for State Security (MfS). The study is based on a research project for the Academy of Sciences of the GDR, and was approved by the Office of the State Representative for the Documents of the Ministry for State Security (BStU).