Michael Jackson and Katerina Witt as Celebrity Spies?News this weekend from Germany reveals another aspect of Michael Jackson’s mystique. According to a report from Das Spiegel, Jackson and other western performers were spied on by East German secret police Stasi. According to the news Jackson’s 1988 concert in Berlin was cause for more than a stir from fans there, as the then communist regime was apparently dealing with an already restive East German youth movement. Files from the former East German secret police also suggest that Ice Skating double Gold Medalist Katerina Witt and other stars may have been used in “diverting” attention from Jackson’s and other concerts during this time.
Katarina hosted a concert featuring Brian Adams during this time, which actually did draw some attention away from what were feared to be “influential” performances from the west. Ironically, Katarina gave an exhibition in late 88 in the midst of her Calgary Gold Medal quest featuring none other than Michael’s song Bad. Was this performance the Stasi thumbing its nose at the west and Jackson, declaring who was really bad? The Stasi evidently put forth considerable effort to watch Michael before his concert on 19 June, 1988. The documents obtained also revealed the Stasi’s fear of unrest from young people who apparently intended to listen to the concert from over the Berlin Wall or from in front of the Brandenburg Gate.
Michael’s West Berlin performances of Bad below, reveal a little of the power these celebrities exuded.
At the time of this “Bad espionage” crisis, the LA Times and other newspapers billed the Jackson – Witt performances as something of a match of ideals, calling Michael’s and Katerina’s relative concerts an “East-West battle of the bands”, which according to the numbers of people at each, Katarina and Brian Adams likely won, given there were nearly 3 times as many fans attending Witt’s extravaganza.
Interestingly, in the Winter Olympics of 88 East German athletes won more Gold Medals than the Americans. Talk about a war of the wills! Perhaps the CIA (if they were using stars for democracy) fought a losing battle in this “fact or fiction” cold war.
Below, Katarina’s version of “Bad” before a packed house at the 88 Calgary Olympics
In all seriousness, it is fairly evident that governments play all the cards in the deck when playing “hard ball” for power. However, though Katarina could play Mata Hari pretty well for the East, Michael never did really come off as the James Bond type for me. The real impact Michael had however, cannot be underestimated. This is just another peripheral example of the appeal and power of such personalities.
Michael in Berlin 1988
