Günter Guillaume
| Günter Guillaume | |
|---|---|
Guillaume (right) with West German chancellor Willy Brandt, 1972–1974
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| Born |
February 1, 1927 Berlin, German Reich |
| Died | April 10, 1995 (aged 68) Petershagen-Eggersdorf, Germany |
| Cause of death | Kidney cancer |
| Resting place |
Parkfriedhof Marzahn[] 52°32′55″N 13°32′29″E / 52.5485°N 13.5415°E |
| Residence | West Germany |
| Nationality | East Germany |
| Occupation | Intelligence agent; secretary of West German chancellor Willy Brandt |
| Years active | 1956–1974 |
| Organization | Stasi |
| Known for | Infiltration of West German government |
| Criminal charge | Treason |
| Criminal penalty | 13 years in prison |
| Criminal status | Pardoned 1 October 1981 |
| Spouse(s) | Christel Guillaume[] |
| Children | Pierre Boom[] |
Günter Guillaume (1 February 1927 – 10 April 1995), was an intelligence agent for East Germany's secret service, the Stasi, in West Germany. Guillaume became West German chancellor Willy Brandt's secretary and caused his downfall.
Guillaume was born in Berlin. He was conscripted as a Flakhelfer in 1944 and later joined the Nazi Party.
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 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, to eight years. In 1981, Guillaume was returned to East Germany 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 ("The Statement") in 1988. Two years before he married his second wife nurse Elke Bröhl. 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 for treason in 1993.
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