The article confounds snitching and counter-espionage. It was a time of war, and should that war turn hot, most of East Germany would be reduced to radioactive

The article confounds snitching and counter-espionage. It was a time of war, and should that war turn hot, most of East Germany would be reduced to radioactive rubble, with most people dead or dying. If somebody went over to West Berlin never to return, they were defecting to the enemy. It is no wonder that the measures were drastic.