** 'It is the definitive account, a compelling exploration of a mind-bending ideological experiment, its secret servants and the lives they defined' Sunday Times **

After the Second World War, divided Germany was saturated with spies. Among them were the 'first class comrades' of the Stasi - the East German Ministry for State Security. The early Cold War saw the Stasi establish itself as one of the world's most notorious spy and secret police agencies.

Drawing on rarely seen files from the Stasi archives, First Class Comrades tells the Stasi story from a fresh perspective: how it helped to create a new European state, how its foreign intelligence service became one of the most successful ever, and how its spy-catchers tackled vigorous attempts by the West to infiltrate East Germany - attempts that influenced the decision to build the Berlin Wall.

Full of new insights on Cold War espionage, and featuring newly discovered details of the Stasi's operational methods, First Class Comrades shines a light on this lesser-known period of Stasi history, and why its stories and lessons still matter today.

'First Class Comrades represents a master stroke of synthesis… Boulter's approach – a blend of operational history, biography, and vignettes – makes readable work of material that could have bogged down… The bibliography alone commends this book to anyone interested in understanding Second World intelligence. But it would be a mistake to skip to the end of First Class Comrades without thoroughly savoring the text… the volume's most conspicuous charm – as a cover-to-cover read, as a resource, or as a classroom assignment – is its focus on the other Germany's formative period in and on its own terms' Carolyn Halladay, International Journal of Intelligence and Counterintelligence

'Essential for all whose libraries contain an espionage section' Strong Words

'This is an intricately researched and truly comprehensive survey from the end of WWII and the Stasi's origins to the Berlin Wall... An important addition to the canon of Cold War European history and espionage' Crime Time

'Masterful... Whenever we think we know all about the Cold War, we find there's more to discover. Boulter's comprehensive and insightful account of the Stasi in the early rough-and-tumble years of that confrontation is unprecedented' Alan Judd, author of Queen & Country

'Boulter's thorough research provides an excellent reference for understanding how the Stasi began and how it fulfilled its responsibilities' Kevin Riehle, author of The Russian FSB

'An excellent read... Issues raised, such as the ethics of infiltrating political groups, are live ones...It is clear from Boulter's excellent work that, if anything, we were all under-briefed on how bad things were in Cold War Germany. It has certainly raised questions which this humble reviewer has had to scramble to the computer to research' Simon Smith, Police History Society

'A fascinating deep dive into the murky waters of Cold War espionage and the early days of East Germany's notorious secret police' Nick Rennison, author of Riots and Rebels

'An impressive work... Boulter really widens the perspective on the Stasi' Dieter Bacher, Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Research on Consequences of War

Perfect for readers interested in twentieth century European politics, military history, true crime and espionage narratives. For fans of Beyond the Wall by Katja Hoyer and readers of Ben Macintyre, Christopher Andrew, Alan Judd and Nigel West.



By J. Boulter



This is an intricately researched and truly comprehensive survey from the end of WWII and the Stasi's origins to the Berlin Wall... An important addition to the canon of Cold War European history and espionage



Masterful... Whenever we think we know all about the Cold War, we find there's more to discover. Boulter's comprehensive and insightful account of the Stasi in the early rough-and-tumble years of that confrontation is unprecedented



Boulter's thorough research provides an excellent reference for understanding how the Stasi began and how it fulfilled its responsibilities