European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - March 17, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Saturday March 17, 1990 the stars and stripes a a a Page 3stasi�?Ts a octopus grip on East Germany spread Only terror throughout country by Edrea vis staff writer Berlin a to East germans terror was summed up in one hated acronym Stasi. That dreaded word stood for the state Security police an organization that the communist party used As a the shield and sword of government. In reality the Stasi resembled an a octopus whose tentacles stretched out All Over the country a said Han Nelore Kohler a spokeswoman for the East Berlin citizens committee for the abolishment of the state Security police. Before the Berlin Wall fell nov. 9, the Stasi had 85,000 employees and 109,000 Stollies throughout the country As part of its octopus like network Kohler said. A there Are More than 60 Miles of files kept in East Berlin a on paper and electronically a Kohler said. The former East Berlin Stasi Headquarters occupied an enormous City Block on the Normansen Strasse a a name that sent Shivers through East German citizens. A they not Only had their own private prison Here but 10 interrogation cells where they tortured prisoners a Kohler said. The Stasi unlike the Securi Tate in Romania worked in Subtle ways Kohler said. A they were masters in psycho error a she said. A they knew How to give people the feeling that they were everywhere. A there was a haircut and combination of clothes that became associated with them. And they wanted you to know at times that they were present. Other times they were  because of the pent up hatred a mob stormed Theo from Stasi office in Berlin on Jan. 15. A originally the new forum party had called for a demonstration in front of the Stasi. The word spread like wildfire and things got out of hand. When they broke into the building we worked very hard to keep blood from flowing and were accused of being agents  Stasi employees heard of the demonstration and fled leaving a Skeleton Crew hiding in the Complex. A the demonstrators found one Man and it took All our efforts to remove the noose they had put around his neck Quot Kohler said. In the aftermath of the East German revolution citizen committees arc Busy cutting off the octopus tentacles around the country. A we have fired 30,000 of the original 33,000 staff at the Berlin Headquarters Kohler said. Quot the department Heads Are either awaiting trial at Home or in prison. Their former assistants Are helping us close Down the place. They arc being controlled by 80 members of the citizens committees. Another 500 people Are working at destroying copies of the  the current caretaker government has broken up the Stasi into several segments and placed them under the control of other ministries. The citizens committees Are keeping their eyes on these activities Kohler said. Kohler said the future government will have to decide what to do with the remnants of the Stasi. A we need rehabilitation for the victims and the Stasi personnel a she said. A we can to let the Stasi go underground which is already happening. A new state is in danger if this development  the focus on the future Hasni to wiped away the horrors of the past. Recently someone sprayed the following words across the Stasi Headquarters in Berlin a How Many lives have you destroyed a Kohler said she did no to know. A in the sense of outright murder the number was probably very Low a she said. A but there s such a thing As psychological murder and in that Case they killed  brings flair to Leipzig fair by Joseph Owen staff writer Leipzig East Germany a As Peter Stenzer popped open a can of Beer he inadvertently tilted it so his companion got a fateful of Foamy Spray. A excuse me a the Leipzig Crane operator blurted obviously unschooled in can opening etiquette. It was easy to forgive the error. Until this week Stenzer had never had the Chance to buy a can of Beer in his native East Germany. The semiannual Leipzig Trade fair has attracted As usual exhibitors and visitors from All Over the world. But to the Delight of Stenzer and other East germans the City a downtown area has become a sort of second fair where throngs of Street vendors Are Selling Ordinary Brand name Western products like Beer soft drinks and cigarettes. Most of the vendors represent big West German companies and Many of them Are using contests live music and other gimmicks to promote their products. And there is Little evidence that passers by find the capitalist invasion objectionable. Even Middle aged pedestrians crowded a Pepsi cola stand on Grimma Ische Strasse to watch big screen videotapes of commercials featuring pop singers Michael Jackson Madonna and David Bowie. There were never so Many people in the City during the fair a Stenzer said surveying the crowd on the Briihl a Street in the shopping District. Many people said they expect such goods to come Standard after East Germany a lessofwht3r elect on sunday regarded they like it. Fri Etc rat Linss so much More color is my no interesting a said sales clerk nf7n�e-i1101 Erom Industrial City Zwickau. A a it a More  nit7�uc fish shed off a fat piece of ni77o v a spoke she said there is no pizza m Zwickau yet. Rhino Asne 9 Many people Cary e plastic shopping bags with West Ern company logos. Some carried them As a sort of proud advertisement that they had been in the West recently. Others said the Large bags were More practical than the East German cloth bags. High school student Marcel Thiele said Western business Hasni to set up shop in Olhausen the Small Village where he lives in East Germany a Halle District. But some of the Independent store operators in his Region have two pedestrians pass Between election posters and a Monument to soviet founder Vladimir Lenin in East Berlin on Friday. East germans will cast ballots sunday. Started stocking their shelves with Western products and he believes the rest of the consumer society wont take More than a few years to filter Down to the Village level. A before we always kept an Eye out for Western freight trucks a Thiele said. A now its quite Normal for them to drive by  it has also become Normal for Leipzig residents to see fresh fruit and vegetables from Western Europe for Sale on the Street. Petra Timm a Secretary said the variety has increased since such produce began to appear several weeks ago. Until last year she said the Only routinely available produce was apples cabbage onions Leeks and hard dry cuban oranges. The fair also has prompted the Leipzig districts Onsum Gesellschaft. A government controlled retail Agency to open a temporary outlet for Western electronic goods on the intercity Nikolai Kirchhof Square. People Stream through the shop looking Over compact disc stereo equipment and color television sets that would have Cost Many of them several months wages. J6rg Pfifferkorn a Onsum manager said the availability of such goods has caused similar East German products to drop in Price. A stereo set that Cost 1,500 East German Marks about $300 Only six months ago now Sells for 600 Marks. Pfifferkorn said the audio video store will close saturday the last Day of the fair but Onsum is contracting with Phora a company based in Mannheim West Germany to Supply the same electronic products for the regular Onsum stores. He said fellow East germans who buy his goods usually can afford them Only if they Moonlight. A the difference Between wages and prices is still unrealistic. We carry them As luxury items a Pfifferkorn said. But he added that he expects the wage Gap to shrink gradually. A the Market Economy is certain to be brought in