19 September 1965 · Hidden in vehicles
A Teltow schoolgirl behind the dashboard of a Peugeot
A teenage girl from Teltow, whose parents had already fled, was hidden behind the dashboard of a Peugeot driven by two young Americans living in West Berlin. She was found at Checkpoint Charlie.
The girl, born in 1951, lived with her uncle in Teltow; her parents had left the GDR illegally some years earlier. On 19 September 1965 the uncle brought her to East Berlin and handed her over to her parents, who introduced her to a woman she did not know. The woman in turn put her in touch with two young Americans, born in Ohio in 1941 and Pennsylvania in 1942, who lived in Berlin-Schöneberg.
The Americans hid her in a space behind the dashboard of their Peugeot with West Berlin plates. At about 10 p.m. the car was checked at the Friedrichstraße/Zimmerstraße crossing, the hiding place was discovered, and all three were arrested.
Sources
- Jahrgang 1965: Festnahme US-amerikanischer Fluchthelfer (Langfassung) – Einzelinformation Nr. 828a/65, 20 September 1965Stasi-Unterlagen-Archiv (DDR im Blick)
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