Despite this, the affected specialists and their families were doing well compared to citizens of the Soviet Union and the Soviet Zone, apart from the suffering of deportation and isolation. The specialists earned more than their Soviet counterparts.

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After this period of intellectual quarantine had passed, the specialists returned to Germany between 1950 and 1958, the majority of them before 1954.[5] Before leaving, they were taught to keep their years in the Soviet Union secret. Some specialists received chairs in GDR universities (e.g., Werner Albring, Waldemar Wolff), became an East German party official like Erich Apel.

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I checked out the article on this guy:

wp:Erich Apel

He was tireless in his work of calculation, measuring and modelling.[6] He seems to have made a good impression, since in August 1940 he was relieved of all further obligations regarding military service. In November 1940 he was appointed to the position of plant engineer and assistant to the facility director.[1] He was totally uninterested in politics, never joining the party, and regarded by colleagues as a dedicated engineer, body and soul.[6]

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Even if Apel had nothing to do with setting up and running the vast deadly forced labour infrastructure, as the engineer responsible for the rockets he was naturally associated with it.

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In June 1954, already a junior government minister, Apel became a candidate for party membership. Membership was granted in March 1957.[1] Slightly more than one year later, in July 1958, he became a candidate for Central Committee membership.[9] In July 1960 Apel became one of approximately 112 members of the powerful Party Central Committee.[1][10]

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Some people think conversions are possible, I suppose.