This groundbreaking book explores the treatment of the millions of refugees and tens of thousands of spies that flooded Germany after World War II. Drawing on newly declassified espionage files, Keith R. Allen uncovers long-hidden interrogation systems that were developed by Germany’s western occupiers to protect internal security and gather intelligence about the Soviet Union. He shows how vetting in the name of public order brought foreign intelligence officials into practically every venue, from train stations to corporate boardrooms to private dwellings, in postwar West Germany. At the heart of efforts to extract insights were extensive, personalized efforts by law enforcement and security officials to manipulate desires and emotions involving dearest family members, closest friends, and trusted colleagues. Linking personal narratives of those interrogated to the international context of postwar politics, Allen reveals a compelling world inhabited by spies and refugees. Allen's study illuminates the places, personalities, and practices of refugee interrogation in one of Europe’s most successful postwar states. As calls for intense scrutiny of refugees have grown dramatically, Allen illustrates how decisions to shortchange the rights of migrants in periods of heightened ideological and military tension may contribute to long-term threats to personal liberties and the rule of law.

"This book, which links relevant institutions, practices, and biographies in one presentation, offers a reading that is as exciting as it is enlightening." - H-Soz-u-Kult

"The revelations provided by Edward Snowden regarding electronic surveillance, the growth of lone wolf terrorist attacks, and the recent influx of migrants into Europe from the Middle East have all prompted a reconsideration of how intelligence agencies gather information vital to national security. Allen reminds readers that these debates, especially in Central Europe, have a long history. In an impressively researched work based on archival materials from several countries, Allen argues that the vetting procedures for screening refugees in Germany after WW II ‘laid the foundation’ for those used for interrogation to this day. His book aptly demonstrates the competition that existed among various nations (most notably the US, the UK, and France) to collect sensitive information after 1945, as well as the ways that these actions routinely infringed on the sovereignty of West Germany. Divided into sections that focus on the places of interrogation, the personalities responsible for these encounters, and the practices used to acquire information, this study shines a penetrating light into a very dark and mysterious chapter of postwar history. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduates and above." - CHOICE

"Interrogation Nation presents a compelling analysis of the Western screening of refugees and asylum seekers in the Federal Republic of Germany during the Cold War and beyond. It will remain a standard reference work for the plethora of programs and places associated with such screening, not only for historians, but also for genealogists retracing the path of family members making their way from East to West through a divided Germany during the Cold War. It also represents an important contribution to the history of refugee screening, the activities of Western intelligence agencies, and the Bonn Republic’s relationship to the Western powers during the Cold War." - Berlin Center for Cold War Studies

"A fascinating read." - Militärgeschichtliche Zeitschrift