The real fate of the scouts differs significantly from those descriptions given in adventure novels. Markus Wolf not only led East Germany's foreign intelligence service, but also wrote many interesting books.
Starting conditions
The profession of a scout for young people is presented in a romantic light. Many of them, not getting into the appropriate structures, live with similar sensations. In fact, "espionage" consists of routine activities. Markus Wolf was for many years the head of the intelligence department in the Ministry of State Security of the German Democratic Republic (GDR). Colleagues from the opposite camp, so to speak, treated him with great respect, especially noting the professionalism and decency of this person.
The future head of the Main Intelligence Directorate was born on January 19, 1923 in the family of a doctor and a writer. Parents lived in the small German town of Hechingen. The father not only dealt with the treatment of patients, but also carried out work to promote communist ideas. The mother was engaged in housekeeping and raising children. After the Nazis came to power, in 1934, Wolfov, in a roundabout way, through neutral countries, moved to the Soviet Union. Here Marcus began attending a regular school, where the children of political emigrants from different countries studied.
Professional activity
When the war broke out, Marcus was sent to special courses to train agents to work behind enemy lines. However, for strategic reasons, it was decided to keep the trained personnel for use in post-war Germany. In 1943, Wolf began working for Deutsche Radio, whose editorial office was located in Moscow. At the same time he entered the Moscow Aviation Institute. But the student did not have to complete his education. In May 1945, a group of German communists led by Walter Ulbricht went to Germany to prepare the country for a peaceful life. Wolf was also part of this group.
Marcus worked on the radio. He wrote articles for newspapers. As a special observer, he attended the Nuremberg Trials, where Nazi criminals were tried. In 1949, after the formation of the GDR, Wolf was involved in the creation of foreign policy intelligence. From that moment on, his career as a "secret agent" began. Building an intelligence structure required not only delicate calculation and financial resources, but also endurance and the ability to wait. Ten years later, Wolf's agents were supplying information from a wide variety of sources.
Creativity and personal life
In 1986, Markus Wolf resigned from his post as head of the General Intelligence Directorate. Then he became interested in literary creativity. From under his pen came out books and fictional content, and documentary. Markus went through several difficult years after the collapse of the USSR and the unification of Germany. He managed to avoid a long prison sentence. He spent only 11 days in solitary confinement.
There is little information about the personal life of an outstanding intelligence officer. Marcus married Emmy Stenzer back in 1944. The husband and wife raised four children. The famous and mysterious scout died in November 2006.
