Entreaty By General (Press, 17 January 1984)
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Summary: Entreaty By General (Press, 17 January 1984)
General Guenter Kiessling, who was dismissed from a prominent NATO position, has publicly called on West German Chancellor Dr Helmut Kohl to intervene on his behalf regarding the allegations surrounding his sexuality. The general's appeal was made during an interview published in the West German magazine "Quick" on 16 January 1984. His dismissal was prompted by suspicions that he might be homosexual, which raised concerns about his security clearance. The controversy escalated following a statement from the Cologne police, who reported that they had traced a man resembling General Kiessling known to frequent homosexual bars in Cologne. This development followed accusations that military intelligence officers had mistakenly identified another individual as Kiessling, which led to a search for this man. The police managed to identify the individual as a former soldier and had questioned him. However, they noted that the details of the conversation had been forwarded to the Defence Ministry without further commentary. At 58 years of age, General Kiessling had previously held the position of Deputy Supreme Commander of Allied Forces in Europe, only to be forced into retirement last month under security grounds amid the controversies surrounding his personal life. The leader of the Opposition Social Democratic Party, Hans-Jochen Vogel, expressed concerns that the circumstances surrounding Kiessling's dismissal were based on poorly verified information, suggesting room for doubt regarding the legitimacy of the claims made against him. This incident has stirred up significant discussions about the treatment of individuals in military positions regarding their sexuality and the implications of such allegations.
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