Germany's social democratic icon Willy Brandt allegedly served as a U.S. agent

Willy Brandt (right) with John F. Kennedy in 1961.

Former German Chancellor Willy Brandt, an icon for Europe's social democracy, is believed to have been an informant for the U.S military intelligence Counter Intelligence Corps (CIC) for four years before he came to power in 1969-1974, according to Der Spiegel.

Brandt, who served as leader of the Social Democratic Party (SPD) from 1964 to 1987, provided intelligence to the CIC from 1948 to March 17, 1952, Der Spiegel has reported.

The magazine wrote that Brandt briefed the CIC about the activities of the FDJ, the youth wing of the German Democratic Republic (DDR) and the ruling Socialist Unity Party (SED).

German communists: “Without the Berlin Wall, there would have been war”

In an article published on “Unsere Zeit” portal, the newspaper of the German Communist Party (DKP), General Secretary Patrik Köbele referred to the conditions under which the Berlin Wall was built on August 13, 1961. 

After mentioning that the decision to build the Wall wasn’t an easy decision, Köbele points out: “The state border between the GDR and the “West” was also the border between NATO and the Warsaw Pact, ie the border the two strongest military alliances at the time. NATO always aimed at destroying socialist construction in the Warsaw Pact’s states by all means – arms race, diversion, sabotage and, if necessary, military aggression. It was prevented from doing so due to the security of the GDR state border”.