Günter Guillaume

Career

In 1956, he and his wife Christel, also a Stasi agent, 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 that Guillaume was spying for the East German government. The resulting scandal, the Guillaume Affair, led to Brandt's resigning the chancellorship. On 15 December 1975, Guillaume was sentenced to 13 years in prison for treason; his wife Christel, to eight years.

In 1990, Guillaume married his second wife, nurse Elke Bröhl. Guillaume and East German spymaster Markus Wolf said that Willy Brandt's downfall was not intended, and that the affair was among the Stasi's biggest mistakes. After Die Wende and German reunification, the reunified Germany granted Guillaume immunity from any further prosecutions. Guillaume was called as a witness for the prosecution in Markus Wolf's trial for treason in 1993. In his testimony, he claimed he "could barely remember details of events stretching back over forty years" and in response to most questions put by the prosecution and the presiding judge, Guillaume only referred them to his autobiography.

Death

Guillaume died of a heart attack and a stroke on 10 April 1995 in Petershagen/Eggersdorf, near Berlin. Guillaume's first wife died on 20 March 2004.

In culture

The Brandt-Guillaume story is told in the play Democracy by Michael Frayn. It follows Brandt's political career as West Germany's first left-leaning chancellor in 40 years, and his fall because of his assistant. It portrays Guillaume as in conflict by spying on Brandt while growing to admire him.

Notes and references