Genscher Then the next item on the news is the Chancellor in East Germany having some kind of love-in with the Communists.

Ehmke The Communists? What have the Communists got to do with the left?

Genscher The left's the left! In any case Herr Nollau tells me that East Berlin is giving active support to the terrorists.

Nollau We believe that the East German Ministry of State Security is offering them refuge and training facilities. We have evidence that it has been providing passage to the Fatah camps in Syria and South Yemen.

Guillaume - GÜnther Nollau. The head of West German Security . . . Do we support the terrorists?

Kretschmann — Another of our defectors, Herr Nollau. Inspired choice for the job. Wanted for murder when he did his bunk.

Nollau Nor, I may say, have the present negotiations with East Germany led to any abatement in the Ministry's campaign of espionage against us. We believe that East Berlin currently has something like a thousand agents active here.

Kretschmann - Keep very still, Günter!

Guillaume - They've forgotten about me. I'm the hatstand in the corner.

Nollau There are almost certainly several hundred agents operating in government offices as this very moment . . . I understood this to be a private meeting.

Ehmke Herr Guillaume. Works upstairs. One of us. Hates the left.

Brandt Anyway, we no doubt have similar arrangements over there. Why not? We all speak the same language. I see the whole of Germany, East and West, as one gigantic glass palace.

Genscher We must take security issues rather more seriously, Herr Chancellor. One more spy scandal and it could be the finish of this government.

Kretschmann (with Guillaume) It could, Günter, it could. Keep very, very still under all those hats and coat.

Guillaume In fact what finishes this government may well be Genscher.

Kretschmann Genscher?

Guillaume Liberal.

Kretschmann Perfecdy tame one.

Guillaume Some of the more reactionary members of the Liberal Party don't think so. They want to make him party leader. The first thing he'd do would be to abandon Willy and go into coalition with the Christian Democrats.

Wehner (with Nollau and Guillaume) The Foreign Ministry. That's what his pay-off would be. That's what he's got his eye on, and he knows Willy's never going to let him near it. Trips to Paris and New York. Interviewed every time he steps off a plane. If he appears on television often enough he thinks one or two of the more observant voters might start to notice his existence.

Guillaume - Wehner and Nollau.

Kretschmann - Always been as thick as thieves. Both from Dresden, of course.

Wehner So, what's the word inside the Liberal Party? Is Herr Genscher taking over or isn't he?

Nollau I've no idea. I'm not a Liberal.

Wehner He's your Minister.

Nollau You want me to spy on my own Minister?