Report: West Germany regularly used spies

BERLIN, Sept. 30 (UPI) -- West Germany once employed 10,000 East Germans as spies who would pass classified information across the Berlin Wall, a new study has found.

The study conducted by German historians Armin Wagner and Matthias Uhl found that while East Germany was known for its use of spies, their West German counterparts may have had them beat when it came to unearthing vital intelligence, Der Spiegel said Sunday.

Those working for West Germany deep inside the then-Communist country were employed in a variety of positions, the study found, with some even obtaining high-ranking positions.

The study also found that West Germany's intelligence agency, the Bundesnachrichtendienst, may have learned of plans for the Berlin Wall before it was built.

Wagner said that the prevalent use of spies by both sides should be seen as a sign of how similar both East and West Germany were at the time, Der Spiegel reported.

"West and East Germany have to be considered together," Wagner said. "Despite the division between the two states, the spying on both sides shows how closely connected the people really were."