ABC Podcasts
Australian Broadcasting Corporation
The Professor and the spy
The Professor and the spy
The Professor and the spy
Tuesday 21st June 2022
Discover Konrad's journey through espionage and friendship in East Germany, revealing unexpected truths about survival and history.
26 minutes
Engaging
Informative
Inspiring
Honest
Eye-opening
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Get the buttons here!The Historian Who Was Watched: A Tale of Espionage and Friendship
Episode Overview
- Konrad's work on Jewish resistance led him to frequent East Germany.
- His collaborator Helmut Eschweger was secretly informing on him.
- The Stasi's surveillance extended even to Australia.
- Konrad reflects on the moral complexities of Helmut's actions.
- The episode explores themes of trust, betrayal, and resilience.
"While I was researching in East Germany, East Germany was researching me too."
What happens when a historian becomes the subject of his own research? Konrad, a retired professor and chief historian at the Sydney Jewish Museum, takes us on a journey back to the 1970s and 80s, when he frequently crossed the Berlin Wall into East Germany. His mission? To collaborate with East German historian Helmut Eschweger on a groundbreaking book about Jewish resistance during the Holocaust.
But unbeknownst to Konrad, while he was studying history, history was keeping an eye on him. In this gripping episode of 'Days Like These,' reporter Joey Watson unravels the fascinating tale of Konrad's life, which is filled with espionage, unexpected friendships, and the shadows of the Stasi, East Germany's notorious spy agency. The episode paints a vivid picture of life behind the Iron Curtain, where every move required a permit and every conversation could be monitored.
The real twist comes decades later when Konrad discovers that his close friend and collaborator, Helmut, was actually informing on him to the Stasi. Yet, rather than feeling betrayed, Konrad reflects on the complexities of survival under oppressive regimes. Was Helmut simply doing what he needed to survive in a world where every choice carried immense weight? Konrad's story is not just about espionage but also about resilience and understanding.
It challenges us to think about the lengths people go to preserve their dignity and history in times of turmoil. So, how would you feel if your closest ally turned out to be your observer? Dive into this episode to find out.