‘Stasi oppression was subtle; people were persuaded that a throwaway remark in a bar could ruin any chances of career advancement. Children were taught that any adolescent rebellion could deny them a university place. Co-operation, on the other hand, was the route to a better life. So you had the twin methods of bribery and blackmail.

‘The Stasi controllers targeted people they thought had a predisposition to collaborate then motivated them into believing they were doing something worthwhile. When you live in a culture where you have been conditioned to believe you have no power, it’s very seductive to be offered the chance to do something active. And, of course, because they believed they were doing the right thing, it’s very difficult to confront or punish them afterwards. The aftermath of the fall of communism has poisoned many people’s lives, because the opening up of their files has forced them to acknowledge how much they were betrayed by wives, husbands, children, parents, friends and teachers.

‘So you see, there was seldom any need for the state to abuse psychiatry. The population was cowed into submission already.’

Tony looked sceptical. ‘But there was still dissidence. People were imprisoned and tortured. I’ve read that some activists were incarcerated in psychiatric units for short periods of time to prevent them taking part in planned actions against the state. It’s disingenuous to say that there was no abuse of the medical system, surely?’

Wolf nodded. ‘Oh, you’re right. There were cases, but they were relatively rare. And most of them have been documented since. Some thirty psychiatrists have been discredited because they allowed themselves to be used for this purpose, but they were a small minority. And their names are known. If your criminal had an axe to grind from the Stasi years, he wouldn’t have to look too hard to find people to blame. Really, in the great scheme of things, their crimes were insignificant. You see, the Stasi had a unique way of dealing with dissidents. They sold them to the West.’

‘What?’

‘That’s right. Every year, the Federal Republic bought the freedom of East German citizens who were imprisoned for expressing views or taking action against the state. I’m not just talking about high-profile people like writers and artists. I’m talking about people from all levels of life. So there was no real need to exploit the possibilities of subverting the psychiatric profession.’

This wasn’t what Tony had expected to hear from a West German historian. ‘You’re certainly undermining my prejudices here,’ he said wryly.