Inflammatory Letters In January 1983 a co-worker left East Germany in an unheated train with one suitcase and two toddlers. She left her family and friends to join her husband who had been incarcerated for two years (sentenced to five years) for writing inflammatory letters to Aunt Gertrud in Giessen (West-Germany). He complained to her of not being able to go abroad and not being allowed to work in the profession he wanted. The authorities went after him because he wasn't a part of the worker nobility, but foremost because East-Germany was in desperate need of hard currency (D-Mark). East-Germany was selling political prisoners to West-Germany each for about 100.000 DM. This business model came with very low production costs attached. East-Germany also sold would be emigrants for the same price per head. My co-worker and her children turned from normal citizen to would be emigrants in the aftermath of the incident with the rebellious letters to aunt Gertrud. She was facing losing her job, get harassed all times, especially at a new bad job and had no hope of a decent education for her children. To sum it up: better leave the GDR if you want another happy day in your life and the life of your children. She left the GDR with her Children to join her husband in West-Germany and expected not to see her family again until they get 65 and could visit her. Her husband is now a machine tools salesman and travels through Europe. And if it were not for the money, he would just go around the world.