# GM refused to hire student arrested by East Germans on false charges of spying in 1961 **URL:** \ **Category:** General Discussion\ **Created:** [September 12, 2019, 2:45am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/gm-refused-to-hire-student-arrested-by-east-germans-on-false-charges-of-spying-in-1961/148588 "2019-09-12T02:45:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![RandomTroll](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/randomtroll/32/12184_2.png) [@RandomTroll](https://community.cartalk.com/u/RandomTroll)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2019, 2:45am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/gm-refused-to-hire-student-arrested-by-east-germans-on-false-charges-of-spying-in-1961/148588/1 "2019-09-12T02:45:48Z")
> 'Mr. Pryor wanted to work for the government, but his arrest on an espionage charge made him unwanted. At General Motors, where he had been a consultant before his arrest, an official said he would not consider him because of his prison record. > > “I said, `But it was the Commies!'" he recalled responding in a 2015 interview for the website of Swarthmore College, where he taught for many years. "They said, `Tough.'” > **[Frederic Pryor, Player in ‘Bridge of Spies’ Case, Dies at 86 (Published 2019)](https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/11/world/europe/frederic-pryor-player-in-bridge-of-spies-case-dies-at-86.html)** > > Arrested and jailed on an espionage charge in East Berlin in 1961, Mr. Pryor, an economics student, became part of a famous prisoner exchange. I remember the Powers-Abel swap, but not this guy. If you don’t know, you can right-click on the link, save the file, then read the copy, to avoid subscribing. ---
**Author:** ![MikeInNH](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a587f6/32.png) [@MikeInNH](https://community.cartalk.com/u/MikeInNH)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2019, 2:03pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/gm-refused-to-hire-student-arrested-by-east-germans-on-false-charges-of-spying-in-1961/148588/2 "2019-09-12T14:03:20Z")
You should watch the movie. ---
**Author:** ![Cavell](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/cavell/32/43396_2.png) [@Cavell](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Cavell)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2019, 2:20pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/gm-refused-to-hire-student-arrested-by-east-germans-on-false-charges-of-spying-in-1961/148588/3 "2019-09-12T14:20:22Z")
4 cops to escort him? ---
**Author:** ![RandomTroll](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/randomtroll/32/12184_2.png) [@RandomTroll](https://community.cartalk.com/u/RandomTroll)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2019, 3:01pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/gm-refused-to-hire-student-arrested-by-east-germans-on-false-charges-of-spying-in-1961/148588/4 "2019-09-12T15:01:14Z")
I don’t enjoy watching movies. I followed the news at the time. ---
**Author:** ![George\_San\_Jose1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e5b9ba/32.png) [@George\_San\_Jose1](https://community.cartalk.com/u/George_San_Jose1)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2019, 2:32am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/gm-refused-to-hire-student-arrested-by-east-germans-on-false-charges-of-spying-in-1961/148588/5 "2019-09-13T02:32:27Z")
GM’s employment policies look like they need some modifications. ---
**Author:** ![Docnick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ecae2f/32.png) [@Docnick](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Docnick)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2019, 8:07pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/gm-refused-to-hire-student-arrested-by-east-germans-on-false-charges-of-spying-in-1961/148588/6 "2019-09-13T20:07:06Z")
The book "Strangers on a Bridge " is better than the movie. It gives more background and actual facts. ---
**Author:** ![Mustangman](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/mustangman/32/44130_2.png) [@Mustangman](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Mustangman)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2019, 8:42pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/gm-refused-to-hire-student-arrested-by-east-germans-on-false-charges-of-spying-in-1961/148588/7 "2019-09-13T20:42:55Z")
GM didn’t “employ” him, they hired him as a consultant. He was an economist. He was dumb enough to enter communist East Germany and careless enough to gain the notice of the Stasi. I have very little sympathy for American citizens imprisoned while doing things other countries may find illegal while IN those countries. The rights you have in the USA to do not carry over to other countries. You spray paint other’s cars, you get caned. You steal a banner from an oppressive dictatorship, you might die in one of their jails. You cross their border without permission with a camera, don’t be surprised if you are breaking rocks for 20 years. I wouldn’t have hired him either. Not because he was imprisoned, because he clearly wasn’t all that bright. I’ve read “Strangers on a Bridge.”