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Hello. Hello and welcome to Spycast from the Secret Files of the International Spy Museum

in Washington, D.C.

I'm Peter Ernest, the Executive Director of the Museum. I served for some

36 years in the Central Intelligence Agency, largely as what is called an operations officer

or a case officer.

Every month will be bringing you interesting talks

with visitors, with authors, with others who

have something to do with the world of intelligence

and espionage. Welcome back to part two. World of Intelligence and Espionage.

Welcome back to part two of my interview with OSS veteran Peter Sichl.

After World War II, Peter joined the CIA, and in this interview we'll be discussing his experiences in the

agency particularly in Germany. You know you stayed on in Berlin and you were

there at the time of the blockade, the Berlin blockade in 1948-49.

What was Berlin like then?

What was it like to be there, be working?

It was very surreal. It was very surreal because though there was a blockade there was still complete freedom to visit the eastern part of the city. We for instance went to the opera in the Russian

sector. We were able to go anywhere within Berlin.

On the other hand, Berlin could not be supplied with food

in a regular way, though food did come in from the East Germany and it was an extraordinary

change of the attitude of the population to us.

There was at all times before the blockade

...