A Spy in the Closet

While the arrest of a spy is common enough in West Germany, the case that cropped up last week was particularly damaging for Chancellor Willy Brandt. One of Brandt's three personal assistants in the Chancellor's office, Guenter Guillaume, 47, was arrested on charges of spying for East Germany.

Guillaume apparently rose to his prominent position in the West German political hierarchy in much the same fashion as other East German spies. Guillaume emigrated to the West as a refugee from Communism in 1956, and joined the Social Democratic Party. He worked his way up to a job with the party apparatus in Bonn and in 1970 was appointed to Brandt's staff. Government spokesmen emphasize that his job was political and did not include secret matters. But the fact is that he was constantly at the Chancellor's elbow and attended many important meetings.

According to Federal Prosecutor Siegfried Buback, Guillaume has already admitted being an officer in the East German People's Army and an agent for East Berlin's Ministry for State Security. He had apparently been watched since last summer by police. Brandt has told the Bundestag that he knew of the suspicions regarding his assistant "a long time ago," but had kept him on his staff at the recommendation of West German security men.

Brandt's enemies, especially his Christian Democratic rivals, have already pounced on Guillaume's exposure to attack the Chancellor, calling Guillaume "the most important and best-placed agent" yet uncovered. At the very least, the incident underlined Bonn's status as the espionage capital of the Western world. German and Allied intelligence sources estimate that there are some 15,000 Communist spies in West Germany. Over the years, West German counter-intelligence has uncovered hundreds of spies, including members of the Bundestag, senior government officials, and even key agents in West Germany's own intelligence service.

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