Beyond the Wall

This gripping account by an East German double agent of his recruitment, training and defection offers an inside look at the brutal, paranoid world of the ``Stasi,'' the Ministry of State Security. Stiller's text, translated and annotated by Sarah Lawrence College history professor Adams, describes how he recruited scientists from West German universities (his most effective lure: money) and eventually became case officer to more than 30 operatives. Developing an abhorrence for the Honecker regime (``so totally at odds with the fundamental rights of its citizens''), he began working secretly for the Bundesnachrictendienst, West Germany's intelligence serivce, while laying plans for his own defection. In a thrilling final section, Stiller describes his 1979 escape to West Berlin. A bestseller in Germany, this memoir vividly describes the realities and complexities of a spy-master's work, providing a virtual primer for the student and scholar of intelligence. (Oct.)