The CIA project CADROWN (formerly TPEMBER Apparat, CADRASTIC) (1952-55) was a sub-project of an already existing CIA operation in Germany called CADROIT. CADROIT, formerly called TPEMBER, oversaw the activities of a front operation that acted as a grassroots organization of jurists in Germany called the Investigative Committee of Free Jurists (Untersuchungsausschuss freiheitlicher Juristen, UfJ).
CADROWN "was approved in 1952 as Amendment 3 to project TPEMBER to establish a paramilitary resistance apparatus in East Germany for escape and evasion (E&E) and other stay-behind resistance activities in case of war with the USSR." It was "subsidized and guided" by the Investigative Committee of Free Jurists (Untersuchungsausschuss freiheitlicher Juristen, UfJ).1 TPEMBER (1949-55) supported a campaign to actively look for proof of illegal actions, breaches of justice, and acts of inhumanity committed and tolerated by authorities in East Germany. The campaign was effected by an organization called League of Free Jurists in East Germany. Both, the Eastern and the Western German organizations were ostensibly grassroots associations of humanitarian lawyers, but instead served as propaganda vehicles against the GDR. The organization had a budget of 220.000 DM in 1950.2
Persons involved
As of February 1943 there were around 520 "assets" involved in the operation in the GDR Zone alone.3 The stay-behind organization there was organized in 28 cadre groups geographically distributed along three sections. Those groups and their sub-sections were "assigned to specific hot war functions such as Escape & Evasion (E&E), sabotage, etc."4 Approximately 50 - 70 per cent of the more important CADROWN personnel came from or were recommended by CADROIT.5 CADROWN, the only paramilitary asset of the German Mission, was severely shaken by a total of twenty-one arrests, including seventeen between 21 July and 1 September 1953. These arrests resulted in the complete elimination of the CADROWN radio effort up to that date.5
Persons associated with the "apparat"
Source: "Signature Record and Comment Sheet," FOIA document, August 20, 1952, https://web.archive.org/web/20160410233529/http://www.foia.cia.gov/sites/default/files/document_conversions/1705143/CADROWN_0016.pdf.
- Alfred Behr
- Rudolf Neumann
- Arndt Bokelberg
- Curt Geiger
- Adolf Hüter
- Erich Urban
- Fritz Rodig
- Gerhard Lindig
- Heinz Ulrich
Source: "Classified Message," FOIA document, January 22, 1953, https://web.archive.org/web/20160410233529/http://www.foia.cia.gov/sites/default/files/document_conversions/1705143/CADROWN_0035.pdf.
- V 363-ALFRED JAESCHKE
- V 20-PAUL HEYER
- V 2644 FRAU HILDEGARD KLENNER
- V 384-HEINZ KLUG
- V 580-GUSTAV GOERLITS
- V 588-MARTIN LENZ
- V 191-FRANZISKA ANDERS
- V 296-GUNTHER SCHULZ
- V 228-HELMUT PIESKE
- V 250-ERICH GROBA
Recruitment lists
- http://www.foia.cia.gov/sites/default/files/document_conversions/1705143...
- http://www.foia.cia.gov/sites/default/files/document_conversions/1705143...
- http://www.foia.cia.gov/sites/default/files/document_conversions/1705143... (empty)
- http://www.foia.cia.gov/sites/default/files/document_conversions/1705143... (empty)
- http://www.foia.cia.gov/sites/default/files/document_conversions/1705143... (empty)
- http://www.foia.cia.gov/sites/default/files/document_conversions/1705143...
- http://www.foia.cia.gov/sites/default/files/document_conversions/1705143...
- http://www.foia.cia.gov/sites/default/files/document_conversions/1705143...
- http://www.foia.cia.gov/sites/default/files/document_conversions/1705143...
- http://www.foia.cia.gov/sites/default/files/document_conversions/1705143...
- http://www.foia.cia.gov/sites/default/files/document_conversions/1705143...
- http://www.foia.cia.gov/sites/default/files/document_conversions/1705143...
Name-checked lists
- http://www.foia.cia.gov/sites/default/files/document_conversions/1705143...
- http://www.foia.cia.gov/sites/default/files/document_conversions/1705143...
- http://www.foia.cia.gov/sites/default/files/document_conversions/1705143...
- http://www.foia.cia.gov/sites/default/files/document_conversions/1705143...
- http://www.foia.cia.gov/sites/default/files/document_conversions/1705143...
- http://www.foia.cia.gov/sites/default/files/document_conversions/1705143...
- http://www.foia.cia.gov/sites/default/files/document_conversions/1705143...
- http://www.foia.cia.gov/sites/default/files/document_conversions/1705143...
- http://www.foia.cia.gov/sites/default/files/document_conversions/1705143...
Distribution Map
Bibliography
- FOIA Search Results for "CADROWN" (118 Documents)
- 1Research Aid: Cryptonyms and Terms in Declassified CIA Files Nazi War Crimes and Japanese Imperial Government Records Disclosure Acts (Second Release), https://web.archive.org/web/20160410233529/http://www.archives.gov/iwg/declassified-records/rg-263-cia-records/second-release-lexicon.pdf.
- 2"Declassified CIA File - TPEMBER: Project Finanical Data," CIA, November 9, 1950, https://web.archive.org/web/20160410233529/http://www.foia.cia.gov/sites/default/files/document_conversions/1705143/CADROWN_0002.pdf.
- 3"Project Status Report," FOIA document, February 1953, https://web.archive.org/web/20160410233529/http://www.foia.cia.gov/sites/default/files/document_conversions/1705143/CADROWN_0038.pdf.
- 4"Project Status Report," FOIA document, December 1952, https://web.archive.org/web/20160410233529/http://www.foia.cia.gov/sites/default/files/document_conversions/1705143/CADROWN_0025.pdf.
- 5 a b "Investigation of CADROWN," FOIA document, September 22, 1953, https://web.archive.org/web/20160410233529/http://www.foia.cia.gov/sites/default/files/document_conversions/1705143/CADROWN_0071.pdf.