Günter Guillaume
Encyclopedia
Günter Guillaume was an intelligence
agent of East Germany's secret service, the Stasi
.
Guillame was born in Berlin
. During the Hitler era, he was a member of the Nazi party NSDAP. In 1956, he and his wife Christel emigrated to West Germany
on Stasi orders to penetrate and spy on West Germany's political system. Rising through the hierarchy of the Social Democratic Party of Germany
, he became a close aide to West German chancellor Willy Brandt
.
In 1974, West German authorities discovered Guillaume's spying for the Communist East German government. The resulting scandal, the Guillaume Affair
, led to Brandt's resigning the chancellorship. Guillaume was sentenced to a thirteen-year prison term for espionage
, and his wife to an eight-year term. Guillaume was released to East Germany in 1981 in exchange for Western spies caught by the Eastern Bloc
.
In East Germany, Guillaume was received and celebrated as a hero
, worked as a spy trainer, and published his autobiography Die Aussage in 1988. Guillaume and East German spymaster Markus Wolf
have said that Willy Brandt's downfall was not intended, and that the affair is among the Stasi's biggest mistakes. After Die Wende
and German reunification
, the reunified Germany granted Guillaume immunity from any further prosecutions. He was a supportive witness in Wolf's trial of treason in 1993.
The Brandt-Guillaume story is told in the play Democracy
by Michael Frayn
. It follows Brandt's astonishing political career as West Germany's first left-of-center chancellor in forty years, and his fall because of his assistant.
Guillaume's wife died in 2004.
Intelligence (information gathering)
Intelligence assessment is the development of forecasts of behaviour or recommended courses of action to the leadership of an organization, based on a wide range of available information sources both overt and covert. Assessments are developed in response to requirements declared by the leadership...
agent of East Germany's secret service, the Stasi
Stasi
The Ministry for State Security The Ministry for State Security The Ministry for State Security (German: Ministerium für Staatssicherheit (MfS), commonly known as the Stasi (abbreviation , literally State Security), was the official state security service of East Germany. The MfS was headquartered...
.
Guillame was born in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
. During the Hitler era, he was a member of the Nazi party NSDAP. In 1956, he and his wife Christel emigrated to West Germany
West Germany
West Germany is the common English, but not official, name for the Federal Republic of Germany or FRG in the period between its creation in May 1949 to German reunification on 3 October 1990....
on Stasi orders to penetrate and spy on West Germany's political system. Rising through the hierarchy of the Social Democratic Party of Germany
Social Democratic Party of Germany
The Social Democratic Party of Germany is a social-democratic political party in Germany...
, he became a close aide to West German chancellor Willy Brandt
Willy Brandt
Willy Brandt, born Herbert Ernst Karl Frahm , was a German politician, Mayor of West Berlin 1957–1966, Chancellor of West Germany 1969–1974, and leader of the Social Democratic Party of Germany 1964–1987....
.
In 1974, West German authorities discovered Guillaume's spying for the Communist East German government. The resulting scandal, the Guillaume Affair
Guillaume Affair
The Guillaume Affair was an espionage scandal in the Cold War history of Germany. The scandal revolved around the exposure of an East German spy within the West German government and had far-reaching political repercussions in Germany, the most prominent being the resignation of West German...
, led to Brandt's resigning the chancellorship. Guillaume was sentenced to a thirteen-year prison term for espionage
Espionage
Espionage or spying involves an individual obtaining information that is considered secret or confidential without the permission of the holder of the information. Espionage is inherently clandestine, lest the legitimate holder of the information change plans or take other countermeasures once it...
, and his wife to an eight-year term. Guillaume was released to East Germany in 1981 in exchange for Western spies caught by the Eastern Bloc
Eastern bloc
The term Eastern Bloc or Communist Bloc refers to the former communist states of Eastern and Central Europe, generally the Soviet Union and the countries of the Warsaw Pact...
.
In East Germany, Guillaume was received and celebrated as a hero
Hero
A hero , in Greek mythology and folklore, was originally a demigod, their cult being one of the most distinctive features of ancient Greek religion...
, worked as a spy trainer, and published his autobiography Die Aussage in 1988. Guillaume and East German spymaster Markus Wolf
Markus Wolf
Markus Johannes "Mischa" Wolf was head of the General Intelligence Administration , the foreign intelligence division of East Germany's Ministry for State Security . He was the MfS's number two for 34 years, which spanned most of the Cold War...
have said that Willy Brandt's downfall was not intended, and that the affair is among the Stasi's biggest mistakes. After Die Wende
Die Wende
marks the complete process of the change from socialism and planned economy to market economy and capitalism in East Germany around the years 1989 and 1990. It encompasses several processes and events which later have become synonymous with the overall process...
and German reunification
German reunification
German reunification was the process in 1990 in which the German Democratic Republic joined the Federal Republic of Germany , and when Berlin reunited into a single city, as provided by its then Grundgesetz constitution Article 23. The start of this process is commonly referred by Germans as die...
, the reunified Germany granted Guillaume immunity from any further prosecutions. He was a supportive witness in Wolf's trial of treason in 1993.
The Brandt-Guillaume story is told in the play Democracy
Democracy (play)
Democracy is a play by Michael Frayn which premiered at the Royal National Theatre on September 9, 2003, directed by Michael Blakemore, starring Roger Allam as Willy Brandt and Conleth Hill as Günter Guillaume...
by Michael Frayn
Michael Frayn
Michael J. Frayn is an English playwright and novelist. He is best known as the author of the farce Noises Off and the dramas Copenhagen and Democracy...
. It follows Brandt's astonishing political career as West Germany's first left-of-center chancellor in forty years, and his fall because of his assistant.
Guillaume's wife died in 2004.