La chute du mur vue de RFA: entretien avec Hans-Georg Wieck

In: Politique internationale: pi, Heft 125, S. 189-200

Abstract

Hans-Georg Wieck never thought that one day he would become West Germany's Head of Intelligence. This brilliant diplomat -- who was West Germany's ambassador to Moscow during the Cold War before serving with NATO -- was appointed by Helmut Kohl as head of the security service (BND) in 1985. The chancellor had realized that at this turning point he needed an expert strategist who had experience with both the Soviets & the Americans. Wieck remained at the BND for five years, & was therefore a privileged observer of the goings-on behind an increasingly fragile iron curtain. In this interview with Jean-Paul Picaper, Hans-Georg Wieck recalls his activities during those troubling times & reveals the intense competition between the BND & its East German counterpart, the HVA, the foreign intelligence section of the notorious Stasi. Adapted from the source document.