John O. Koehler papers, 1934-2008

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Summary

Creators:
Koehler, John O.
Abstract:
Correspondence, news dispatches and news stories, photocopies of East German secret police documents, photocopies of United States government documents, post-reunification German governmental reports, clippings, other printed matter, photographs, sound recordings, and video tapes, relating to political conditions in Germany, the East German secret police, the attempted assassination of Pope John Paul II, and Soviet espionage within the Catholic Church. In part, used as research material for the books by J. O. Koehler, Stasi: The Untold Story of the East German Secret Police (Boulder, Colo., 1999), and Spies in the Vatican: The Soviet Union's War against the Catholic Church (2009).
Extent:
74 manuscript boxes, 1 oversize box, 3 card file boxes (31.1 Linear Feet)
Language:
In German and English
Preferred citation:

[Identification of item], John O. Koehler papers, [Box no., Folder no. or title], Hoover Institution Library & Archives

Background

Scope and content:

The collection documents John Koehler's career as a journalist, intelligence officer, and writer; it consists of correspondence, news stories, photocopies of East German and United States government documents, post-reunification German governmental reports, clippings, printed matter, photographs, sound recordings, and videotapes. Includes papers related to the Associated Press, the U.S. Army, political conditions in Germany, espionage, and especially the East German secret police. The bulk of the papers were collected by Koehler while researching and writing his book, entitled Stasi: The Untold Story of the East German Secret Police.

The Professional Files series includes news stories written by Koehler for the Associated Press (AP) and other news organizations, many of them dating from his time as chief correspondent in Berlin, and it also includes speeches and lectures given about journalism. Additionally, the Professional Files contain a small amount of material relating to the U.S. Army, Koehler's consulting company, and his work as President Reagan's communications director. The Correspondence series records Koehler's duties at the AP, particularly after he began working in the AP administrative offices in the United States. The Photographs series is mainly composed of AP photographs from Koehler's time as a reporter, depicting escapes from East Germany as well as photographs of Koehler himself.

The Stasi Research Materials series comprises the bulk of the collection. In the course of writing Stasi: the Untold Story of the East German Secret Police, Koehler collected information from a wide variety of sources. Thus, the series includes photocopied records from the East German Ministry of State Security (MfS), interviews with former MfS officers and victims, post-reunification German government reports, photocopied documents from various United States government agencies, and an extensive subject file of clippings and published material. The series reflects Koehler's interest in MfS abuses of power and extensively documents international espionage, terrorism, and repression of the East German population during the Cold War.

Biographical / historical:
Date Event
June 11, 1930
Born, Dresden, Germany
1950-1951
Freelance newsman for McGraw Hill Publications, Overseas Weekly, and Associated Press in Germany.
1951-1952
Sub-editor and reporter for Frankfurt bureau of Reuters.
1952
Reporter for The Canadian Press, Vancouver, WA.
1952-1953
Reporter for United Press Association and British United Press, covering Vancouver, Winnipeg, and Seattle.
1953-1954
Covered, wrote and edited local news for the Anacortes American (Washington).
1954-1957
Served in the United States Army and United States Army Reserve, entering the Army as a corporal and holding the rank of captain when discharged. Assignments included intelligence collection, counter intelligence, criminal investigation, and public affairs.
1957
Concurrent with Army service, reporter and editor for United Press Association in Phoenix, AZ.
1957-1985
AP Correspondent for 28 years, served as head of bureau in Bonn (1959-1962), chief correspondent in Berlin (1962-1965), and bureau chief for New Jersey (1965-1967). Also serves as deputy director and general manager for Personnel, and assistant general manager and managing director for the World Services Division at Associated Press headquarters in New York.
March 1987
Assistant to the President and Director of Communications under Ronald Reagan.
1999
Stasi: the Untold Story of the East German Secret Police is published by Westview Press.
July 2009
Spies in the Vatican: the Soviet Union's War Against the Catholic Church is published by Perseus Books Group.
Acquisition information:
Acquired by the Hoover Institution Library Archives in 2001
Arrangement:

The collection is organized into four series: Professional Files, 1946-1989; Correspondence, 1960-1997; Photographs, 1960-1979; and Stasi Research Materials, 1931-2002. The Stasi Research Material series is further divided into five subseries: German Democratic Republic State Security Ministry files, 1931-1993 [bulk 1952-1989]; Federal Republic of Germany reports, 1990-1998; United States government documents, 1943-1997; Interviews and broadcasts, 1991-1997; Subject Files, 1931-2002.

Physical location:
Hoover Institution Library & Archives
Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Access and use

Restrictions:

The collection is open for research; materials must be requested in advance via our reservation system. If there are audiovisual or digital media material in the collection, they must be reformatted before providing access.

Terms of access:

For copyright status, please contact the Hoover Institution Library & Archives

Preferred citation:

[Identification of item], John O. Koehler papers, [Box no., Folder no. or title], Hoover Institution Library & Archives

Location of this collection:
Hoover Institution Library & Archives, Stanford University
Stanford, CA 94305-6003, US
Contact:
(650) 723-3563
hooverarchives@stanford.edu
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