Lymington Times – 23 September 2000

New Forest East MP Julian Lewis was targeted by one of the recently uncovered East German intelligence agents during the Cold War, according to a leading espionage expert. Working in the Berlin archive of the Stasi – the former Communist East German intelligence agency – Dr Anthony Glees of Brunel University discovered the code names of no fewer than 28 British spies being run by the East German spy centre.

One of these was "Agent Kunze" who prepared a report dated March 7th, 1983 on the work of Dr Lewis, who was one of a small number of people actively working to undermine the CND's campaign for unilateral nuclear disarmament. The report itself is believed to have been destroyed as the Communist regime collapsed, but it is possible that a copy of it may be obtainable from the American Central Intelligence Agency. The CIA secured a large volume of Stasi documentation as part of "Operation Rosewood" – the secret purchase of highly classified Stasi archives several years ago.

It was Dr Glees who sensationally discovered the identity of a long-term Stasi agent at Hull University and also the fact that a leading CND activist, Professor Vic Allen, was also working for the East German Communists.

Commenting on the discoveries, Dr Lewis said:

"I am not surprised that the Stasi were worried about those of us who were working for the vital deployment of NATO cruise missiles in Britain in 1983, and for the retention of our own nuclear deterrent. However, I am increasingly alarmed at the determination of the Labour government to take no action whatever to expose the identity of these despicable hacks and traitors who were spying for our potential enemies at a crucial turning-point of the Cold War.

"Three-quarters of Labour MPs at that time were committed to one-sided nuclear disarmament, and several were fellow-travellers of the Soviet system, so it is not surprising that the Government wishes to hush the matter up. What is more worrying is that MI5 – our domestic security service – is colluding in this or was so incompetent that it failed to discover what was going on in the first place."

In the event, NATO's cruise missiles were successfully deployed from November 1983 and the Soviet Union was forced to get rid of its own SS20 missiles in return for the removal of cruise, under the terms of a multilateral deal with NATO four years later. Dr Lewis concluded:

"The deal that was struck following the defeat of the CND then played a crucial role in ending the Cold War and fully vindicated those who believe in peace through strength and deterrence."