June 1978 · False papers and disguises · Invalidenstraße and the Humboldthafen
Two East Germans escape in a Belgian diplomat's car
In June 1978 two East Germans who had befriended a Belgian diplomat in East Berlin knocked him out, altered his identity papers and drove his diplomatic car into West Berlin.
This is a reported escape. It appears in a reputable publication, but its key details could not be checked against a second source. See the note below.
In June 1978 two East Germans escaped to West Berlin in a car with diplomatic plates. They had befriended a Belgian diplomat posted in East Berlin, rendered him unconscious by means the US Mission described as unclear, altered his identity papers and used his car to get across the border.
Where they crossed was disputed. The West Berlin police told the Americans that the escape took place at the Sandkrug bridge, the Invalidenstraße crossing in the British sector, while the press reported Checkpoint Charlie.
The escape drew press attention in the same weeks as two border guards' escapes at the Fichtewiese exclave and a shoot-out involving a Soviet soldier in East Berlin, about a kilometre north of Checkpoint Charlie, at a time when the East German media were running a steady campaign against 'exfiltration' and Erich Honecker had said escape assistance had reached 'threatening proportions'.
Sources
- Flurry of escapees draws attention (telegram 1978USBERL01518, 26 June 1978)US National Archives, Access to Archival Databases (Central Foreign Policy Files, RG 59)
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