Ehmke Party Conference next week in SaarbrÜcken. I'm setting up a temporary office for the Chancellor. You'll be running it. All right?

Guillaume Of course. Anything. Always happy.

Ehmke Going to be short-staffed, I'm afraid - you'll have to look after liaison with the security services. Sorry about that.

Guillaume No - I've always had a secret interest in security. - You see? Just tossing another hat on the poor old hatstand.

Kretschmann - Unbelievable. Only it's making me even more nervous.

Ehmke Consolation prize, though, Günter. Egon Bahr's going to be negotiating in Moscow. You can have the use of his official car and chauffeur.

Kretschmann (with Guillaume) Something's going to go wrong somewhere.

Guillaume Don't worry! Willy's got the first treaty signed.

Kretschmann Sill Poland to go before he gets to us.

Guillaume The Soviet one was the hard one. And it's the one that unlocks the door to all the others.

Kretschmann It's not ratified yet. His majority's down to four. And if we lost Willy for any reason. A tram . . . a bus . . . a thunderbolt . . . A scandal of some sort . . . His private life, for instance. All these women he has . . .

Guillaume Secretaries, journalists. Nothing serious these days. I've given you the list.

Kretschmann If it got out, though . . .

Guillaume Everyone knows!

Kretschmann But doesn't say.

Guillaume We're not going to mention it. Are we?

Kretschmann Not us. We're trying to keep him on his feet. If ever Willy dfo/lose his shine, though, Wehner would have him out like a bad tooth. Haifa chance, that's all he and Helmut need . . .

Brandt (with Schmidt, Wilke, Ehmke, Guillaume and Bauhaus) Uli!

Bauhaus Chief?

Brandt Bottles, glasses!

Kretschmann - Drinking. He hasn't started drinking again?

Guillaume - Not spirits this time. Only wine. They all do. By the bucket. Just wine, though, always wine. And always red, for some reason.

Kretschmann - The last traces of their socialism.

Guillaume - End of the working day they all get together with glasses in their hands. Relax. Forget their differences. Even Helmut. Even Wehner. And for an hour or two all our problems are behind us. A little circle of upturned faces, and after all that listening Willy talks at last.