Gerda Munsinger
Encyclopedia
Gerda Munsinger was an East German prostitute and alleged Soviet
spy (ultimately unproven) who was the centre of the Munsinger Affair
political scandal in Canada
.
Born in East Germany and married for a short period to American soldier Michael Munsinger, she emigrated to Canada in 1955. Gerda Munsinger lived in Montreal where she worked as a maid, a waitress and as a hostess at the "Chez Paree" nightclub. While in Canada, she became involved in relationships with a number of high government officials, most notably cabinet ministers George Hees
and Pierre Sévigny
.
She was deported to East Germany in 1961 as the matter was dealt with privately. Sévigny resigned quietly from the cabinet of John Diefenbaker in 1963.
The affair became public in 1966 when Minister of Justice
Lucien Cardin
mentioned it during a debate in Parliament
. The media
heard about it and broke the story.
At first, the government said Gerda Munsinger had died of leukemia
several years earlier, but a Canadian reporter with the Toronto Star
, Robert Reguly
, found her alive and well in Munich
, West Germany
. She confirmed her affairs with the Conservative cabinet ministers but denied being involved in espionage.
Despite the media frenzy that developed around her during the scandal, she eventually married for a third time. She spent the rest of her life in relative obscurity under the name Gerda Merkt, and died in 1998 in Munich.
The Munsinger affair inspired Canadian writer/director Brenda Longfellow to make the 1992 feature film "Gerda," as well as songs by several bands, including The Brothers-In-Law
and The Evaporators
.
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
spy (ultimately unproven) who was the centre of the Munsinger Affair
Munsinger Affair
The Munsinger Affair was Canada's first national political sex scandal. It focused on Gerda Munsinger, an alleged East German prostitute and Soviet spy living in Ottawa who had slept with a number of cabinet ministers in John Diefenbaker's government....
political scandal in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
.
Born in East Germany and married for a short period to American soldier Michael Munsinger, she emigrated to Canada in 1955. Gerda Munsinger lived in Montreal where she worked as a maid, a waitress and as a hostess at the "Chez Paree" nightclub. While in Canada, she became involved in relationships with a number of high government officials, most notably cabinet ministers George Hees
George Hees
George Harris Hees, PC, OC was a Canadian politician.Born in Toronto to a patrician family, Hees earned a playboy image during his youth , but then became a stalwart member of the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada...
and Pierre Sévigny
Pierre Sévigny
Joseph Pierre Albert Sévigny, PC, OC, CD, VM, ED was a Canadian soldier, author, politician, and academic. He is best known for his involvement in the Munsinger Affair....
.
She was deported to East Germany in 1961 as the matter was dealt with privately. Sévigny resigned quietly from the cabinet of John Diefenbaker in 1963.
The affair became public in 1966 when Minister of Justice
Minister of Justice (Canada)
The Minister of Justice is the Minister of the Crown in the Canadian Cabinet who is responsible for the Department of Justice and is also Attorney General of Canada .This cabinet position is usually reserved for someone with formal legal training...
Lucien Cardin
Lucien Cardin
Louis Joseph Lucien Cardin, was a Canadian lawyer, judge, and politician.- Biography :Born in Providence, Rhode Island, the son of Octave Cardin and Eldora Pagé, he studied at Loyola College and at the Université de Montréal. During World War II, he served in the Royal Canadian Navy and was...
mentioned it during a debate in Parliament
Parliament of Canada
The Parliament of Canada is the federal legislative branch of Canada, seated at Parliament Hill in the national capital, Ottawa. Formally, the body consists of the Canadian monarch—represented by her governor general—the Senate, and the House of Commons, each element having its own officers and...
. The media
News media
The news media are those elements of the mass media that focus on delivering news to the general public or a target public.These include print media , broadcast news , and more recently the Internet .-Etymology:A medium is a carrier of something...
heard about it and broke the story.
At first, the government said Gerda Munsinger had died of leukemia
Leukemia
Leukemia or leukaemia is a type of cancer of the blood or bone marrow characterized by an abnormal increase of immature white blood cells called "blasts". Leukemia is a broad term covering a spectrum of diseases...
several years earlier, but a Canadian reporter with the Toronto Star
Toronto Star
The Toronto Star is Canada's highest-circulation newspaper, based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Its print edition is distributed almost entirely within the province of Ontario...
, Robert Reguly
Robert Reguly
Robert Joseph Reguly was a three-time National Newspaper Award-winning journalist.Robert Reguly was born in Fort William, Ontario. He was one of Canada's top news reporters in the 1950s and 1960s...
, found her alive and well in Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
, West Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. She confirmed her affairs with the Conservative cabinet ministers but denied being involved in espionage.
Despite the media frenzy that developed around her during the scandal, she eventually married for a third time. She spent the rest of her life in relative obscurity under the name Gerda Merkt, and died in 1998 in Munich.
The Munsinger affair inspired Canadian writer/director Brenda Longfellow to make the 1992 feature film "Gerda," as well as songs by several bands, including The Brothers-In-Law
The Brothers-in-Law
The Brothers-in-Law was a Canadian satirical musical group that was active in the 1960s and early 1970s, recording a number of popular record albums and generating occasional controversy....
and The Evaporators
The Evaporators
The Evaporators is a Canadian punk rock band formed in 1986 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Nardwuar, its founding member, is known for interviewing politicians and celebrities.-History:...
.