German Democratic Republic (GDR): Requests from the German Democratic Republic (GDR) for Information on the UK and on the Whereabouts of British Citizens for Family Contact Reasons. Includes Request from Volkmar Beer in the GDR for Mrs Thatcher's Help to Swim the English Channel from Dover to Calais after Being Refused Exit Permission in the GDR and Present of Patent Papers and Technical Descriptions Sent by Peter Guhlmann for Wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer

A file of correspondence concerning relations between East Germany and the United Kingdom, focussing on requests for information on the U.K. and its citizens. The documents discuss East German requests for assistance in tracing British citizens with links to East Germany; requests from East German journalists in the U.K. for materials for newspaper articles; and requests for British newspaper supplements. Other documents in the file include a request for assistance from an East German citizen who wishes to swim the English Channel; a request for information on the British Army; and a suggestion that the queen visit East Germany on the occasion of the five-hundredth anniversary of the birth of the theologian Martin Luther. The file also covers discussions on what to do with patents presented by an East German national as a wedding gift to the Prince and Princess of Wales.