Guillaume If I resigned now he'd never find out about me. Let me go, Arno!

Kretschmann We need you, Günter! We need you more than ever. Not just to tell us whether he's going to survive but to help him to. Who else can he depend upon, now that Ehmke's gone? Who else works the hours that you work? Never condemns him for his faults? Never takes offence at his indifference, or hurt at his slights? This is why we need you - because he needs you. Howl with him, Günter. Help him.

Wehner (with Nollau) Guillaume?

Nollau The name keeps jumping out of the files at us. Three separate espionage cases where Herr Guillaume seems to have known the defendants. So we looked up his birthday. The first of February. The date of the birthday greetings for G. I'm sorry to add to your troubles, which I know are legion.

Wehner That's the complete case against him?

Nollau So far.

Wehner An initial and a date? And one son too many?

Nollau We need more evidence. But getting more evidence means watching him. Leaving him in place and watching him.

Wehner Make the big man look a bit small if it's true. He trusts him completely. Lets him see everything.

Nollau Lets him see what? He is only union liaison? He won't be handling anything too sensitive?

Wehner If they catch you hounding someone in Number One's office and you're wrong . . .

Nollau They'll crucify me. Sorry, Herbert.

Wehner You're in a difficult position, my friend.

Nollau So how do we play this? What do we tell Willy?

Wehner Nothing. We can't have him unsettled any further just at the moment. In any case he usually prefers to hear about problems after they've been solved.

Nollau We can't just leave him in the dark! We'll have to tell him something.

Wehner If we can't manage to be discreet we're going to find all kinds of nasty creatures coming out of the woodwork. Matters that we all hoped everyone had forgotten about.

Nollau Oh, not that nonsense again! You don't really believe I committed a murder?

Wehner Of course not.

Nollau It was a pure fabrication! You know that!

Wehner / know that.

Nollau I was completely cleared!

Wehner Let's keep you that way.

Nollau I'll have to tell Genscher, at any rate. My own Minister!

Wehner He'll immediately run bleating to Willy.

Nollau I'm sorry, but if I don't get Genscher's authorisation I'll be . . .

Wehner Crucified.

Nollau Crucified.

Wehner Question of how you put it. No need to go shouting Tire' at the top of your voice. Something more like a passing remark on the warmth of the weather. Then you're in the clear - and nobody panics.

Nollau They just get burnt to death.

Wehner Drawbacks to every policy.

Nollau And he is only union liaison . . .

Wilke (with Brandt and Guillaume) Herr Wehner? Gone to East Berlin?