European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - September 10, 1995, Darmstadt, Hesse                                The search for deserters by to Victor Grossman and Arthur Boyd arc but / tw0 some40.american deserters / known to have lived East Germany in v the 1960s. Experts claim there were probably 10 living there when the country ceased to exist in 1990. 1 he discovery of the deserters and their exact location and living circumstances in East Germany was the byproduct of a different search. Alter the Gulf War in .1991, president Bush asked the defense  find All the missing in action and prisoners of War. The russian government promised to help by opening its secret archives to the americans. The defense department ran the search in Vietnam but hired the Washington based defense forecast inc. Df1 headed by historian Paul Cole for the Job in the Baltic states a Estonia Latvia and Lith Una a and Ukraine and Germany. For Germany Cole hired German business consultant Helmut Richthammer. Cole said a we assumed that any pos or mias if they were brought to East Germany might be administered by the same people who took care of american  v. Richthammer said a in 1954, there were 74 Defee tors 31 moved Back West fronvbaut7.cn and the rest were Given political Asylum. A deserters were kept in three places one Lor foreign civilians one for foreign soldiers and one for  the International Solidarity club in Bautzen he said closed Down in the late 1960s because it was too Well known in the East and  the new Center closer to Berlin exactly to the same place where terrorists from West Germany and other countries were later  Richthammer said his team found reports on the do Sorters written in Potsdam m 1954 for the russians. A this was the first document that gave us names to work with. We also had a list of names ranks and service numbers of soldiers missing Sinee Wii a All those soldiers who had Contact with Europe army intelligence kept tabs on the defectors As much As they could but their information was often outdated and spotty. The . Military missions in the East also tried to keep tabs on the deserters. A in addition we had several military files and the Stasi East German secret police files and finally we found we had 60 names of defectors. A the rest was easy a we just had to find out if they were still alive where they were actually living and try to Contact them.�?�. When they found deserters they helped find others they knew. Richthammer said the american military tried to Contact All americans at the time of their leaving to see it they were in East Germany of their tree will. If the Soldier said yes they left him alone. Defectors Richthammer said had to attend political meetings at their place of work. And they tried to integrate them into the life of their neighbourhoods but. They weren to allowed to become party members. A from All we be discovered the officials and Stasi were always worried that one of these americans was a top spy and they kept rather close tabs on them through the late 1960s,�?� Richthammer said. Richthammer said nearly All the soldiers told the East germans they intended to return Home eventually. Richthammer said the tone of the Stasi reports on Al most All the deserters shows a distinct dislike for them. A they found the americans arrogant uneducated and ignorant a he said. A and the americans were always claiming things were better in the United states than in East  but Richthammer said the Stasi had these men Over  a if they did no to do As they were told they were threatened with extradition Back to West Berlin and the american authorities. A they were trapped. They had to make the Best of it.�?�. De Reavis. A amps Carlos Bongioanni Bautzen Germany cast of Berlin was the Home for Many . Deserters who fled during the cold War. Or i a amp s. Is amps Carlos Bongioanni Helmut Richthammer indicates cities where . Military deserters Are living in Eastern  a the friends m Anfrid Noack and his wife live in the Green Belt on the outskirts of the a Bautzen Germany known As the a town of the missing americans a Noack got  the american deserters and their problems firsthand As the a a cultural directory of the International Solidarity club a that Halfway House for deserters in route to acclimating to East German life. Noack said his Mother and father were born in Bautzen but they worked for the Streetcar company in Dresden. A i was wounded on the russian front and got a Home to Dresden in time for the British bombing a Noack said. A i Learned to hate War and vowed to do everything to prevent it happening  part of that vow was to work for International Solidarity so the Job with deserters in Bautzen seemed a Small but important Job. Noack worked at the club from 1953-58. He said there were deserters from 12 nations there including the United states France Spain Morocco Italy England and Algeria. Noack always referred to the deserters As a the friends and never As a a deserters or  -. A ,. A amps Carlos Bongioanni Manfred Noack explains How he aided . Military deserters who lived in East Germany. A it Wasny to always easy. Not All the a friends were Angels a Noack said. A they had to make great adjustment to their lives.�?�. The a club a As the deserters refer to it is known today in Bautzen by its pc world War ii name the Villa Wigand. A the friends were allowed to circulate freely in Bautzen but we wanted them to spend most of their free time in the club a he said. A we had several . Volleyball table Tennis dances films bands and a  they Learned German were Given clothes and Money for food Etc. It Wasny to a lot of Money but enough to cat and go to a cafe. \ a. A a. Singles he said got a furnished room married couples a Small apartment. Five or six americans married while they were there. Noack said proudly about his friends a Willie Avent Learned his Trade Here and the German Ian Guage. The friends became Cabinet makers Metal workers and Crane operators. A there was Charlie Lucas. He was around 30 years old. Boxed Here in Bautzen and was very much loved by the  7 Noack Shock a photograph of Lucas in the town of Toybin where  of the friends spent a ski weekend. A it was a great sensation for the locals especially the kids that Tollow cd him everywhere a a Black Man on skis.�?�. 1 Here were no signs of hate against coloured pc Pic or foreigners in these Days a Noack said. De Reavis