Eyewitness Account: Chris McLarren

Ex-Mitarbeiter US Fieldstation Berlin,
heute Guide auf dem Teufelsberg

In our history class, we had the chance to meet a contemporary witness named Chris McLarren, who shared insights about his past. He has lived in Berlin since 1973, and used to work as an English teacher before being recruited by the CIA.

He received his training in Washington, D.C., where he learned to analyze radio signals and underwent typical German-language training before being sent to Berlin by the U.S. Army.

He worked at Teufelsberg, a U.S. listening station used during the Cold War to gather information by analyzing radio traffic. He described his job as mostly office-based, involving analyzing transcripts to understand what the other side (mainly the Soviets and East Germans) was planning.

He worked eight-hour shifts, along with almost 700 other people. The most interesting moment he recalled was during the October War in Israel (1973), when weapons were being sent to Israel, and the global situation was very tense.

McLarren emphasized that secrecy was very important. Employees were only allowed to know the information necessary for their own work. He said his wife never asked questions about his job, and he never felt pressure about keeping secrets. He also shared that loyalty was the most important value in his line of work.

He mentioned an incident involving a double agent, who was sent to the Soviets with only limited information, to gain more intel in return. He also spoke about a massive spy case, where one Soviet spy smuggled over 13,000 pages of classified documents and was later sentenced to 40 years in prison (but served 23).

When asked about Edward Snowden, McLarren said that while secrets should generally remain secret, it’s different when information is used to cover up crimes.

He also reflected on a moment when a joke made by an American about bombing Russia nearly escalated into a serious international crisis, showing how tense the situation was during the Cold War.

Today, Chris McLarren gives tours of Teufelsberg on Sundays and continues to share his unique experiences from the Cold War era.

Grußkarte, mit einigen Zitaten der Schüler:innen, als Dank an Mr. Eyewitness McLarren

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Text: Layla und Steffanie
Startbild (Screenshot Youtube): Richard Rabensaat