Spies Tried To Bribe Homosexual—claim (Press, 20 January 1984)

On 20 January 1984, a West German newspaper reported a controversial allegation involving General Guenther Kiessling, who was recently forced into early retirement from his military position. The Cologne-based "Express" claimed that military intelligence agents attempted to bribe a homosexual to compromise Kiessling's reputation. The report cited an unnamed individual from a homosexual bar who testified under oath that two men displaying military intelligence identification offered him 10,000 marks to falsely state that he knew Kiessling, as well as an additional 20,000 marks to claim they had engaged in sexual relations. This revelation added complexity to an ongoing political scandal surrounding Kiessling, a 58-year-old bachelor. West Germany’s Defence Minister, Mr Manfred Woerner, asserted that Kiessling's dismissal was primarily due to his reported frequenting of homosexual bars, which raised concerns about his security clearance. He also noted that there were issues between Kiessling and N.A.T.O.’s Supreme Commander, General Bernard Rogers, contributing to the decision to retire him. Kiessling has publicly denied any homosexual associations. In an in-camera meeting with the parliamentary defence committee, Woerner detailed his rationale for the general's dismissal, highlighting a troubled relationship with Rogers that undermined confidence in Kiessling’s capabilities within N.A.T.O. Defence Ministry representatives, however, rejected suggestions that policy disagreements between the two generals influenced Kiessling's forced retirement. Woerner confirmed that the decision to retire Kiessling had the approval of the Armed Forces chief-of-staff and other senior military officials. Some members of the parliamentary opposition expressed concern regarding Woerner's management of the situation, especially in light of Kiessling's vehement denials of any homosexual involvement. Kiessling himself expressed a desire to present his case in front of the defence committee to clarify his position. The unfolding scandal has not only implications for Kiessling but also raises significant questions regarding military conduct and the treatment of homosexuality within the West German armed forces.

The text on this page is created, in the most part, using Generative AI and so may contain errors or omissions. It is supplied to you without guarantee or warranty of correctness. If you find an error or would like to make a content suggestion please get in contact

The text on this page is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 New Zealand