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by C. Eric Estberg (Author)
First-person account of dozens of intriguing experiences in Cold War Berlin, written by an Army - and later civilian - linguist assigned to Army Field Station Berlin, located on West Berlin's rubble mountain known as Teufelsberg. Read what life was like for an "electronic spy" assigned over 100 miles behind the Iron Curtain. You'll find fascinating and unique insider information on exactly what went on in that massive window-less building which was a mysterious landmark to friend and foe alike. But life was not all work - Estberg recounts dozens of amusing, interesting, and sometimes wild experiences, all of which were part of the life of an intelligence professional in this high-stress environment. These include after-hours antics in his military barracks, which 40 years earlier had housed Hitler's personal SS bodyguard unit. The book includes loads of personal photographs from the author's years in Berlin, helping the reader picture what a singular place this walled city was during the height of the Cold War. Intelligence professionals assigned in Berlin weren't just training or preparing for a shooting war; they were actually living a war - the Cold War - every day they headed up to "The Hill," donned their headphones, and monitored the activities of tens of thousands of Soviet and East German troops stationed only miles away. While still in his 20's, the author was at the forefront of intelligence monitoring during the most dangerous period of the Cold War, helping analyze the huge flow of data which well could have meant the difference between a Cold War shrouded in secrets and a cataclysmic World War 3. This is the most detailed, accurate, and personal account of an intelligence professional's life in that remarkable, frightening place known as West Berlin, the "Island of Freedom."
