On November 28, 2010 Wikileaks leaked dispatches of US embassies (diplomatic cables).
The sum of the documents is also called cablegate.
On December 2, 2010 the FDP politician Metzner was relieved of his position as office manager in Germany.
The documents published by Wikileaks revealed that Metzner had informed the US embassy about the coalition negotiations after the 2009 general election in Germany.
Metzner was head of the office of the FDP Federal Chairman Guido Westerwelle and responsible for the international contacts of the FDP. In this activity he also had conversations with the US Embassy. During the coalition negotiations after the general election of September 27, 2009 Metzner was a member of the cabinet. After the 2009 general election the CDU/CSU and FDP formed a coalition. He has provided the US Embassy with documents and confidential information about the coalition negotiations.
In the beginning it was not clear who supplied the US embassy with information. The then Federal Chairman of the FDP Guido Westerwelle had vehemently doubted that someone from his party had supplied internal informations to thirds parties. The search took five days in the FDP party headquarters and in-house interviews of employees to complete. Only then did the FDP admitted to be the one to provided information to the US Embassy during the coalition negotiations. [2] [3] [5]
Since 2004 Metzner had provided information on the strategic and programmatic plans of the FDP and prospects for success in upcoming elections to the US Embassy at the request of US Embassy staff. For example it came that to a dispute over the whereabouts of American nuclear weapons in Germany between Westerwelle and the then CDU Finance Minister Wolfgang Schäuble. During coalition negotiations in 2009 he brought lists of working groups, schedules and handwritten notes on the coalition negotiations to the meetings with the US diplomat. [3] [1] [6]
Metzner rejected the accusation of treason. The Federal Prosecutor's Office (Bundesanwaltschaft) in Karlsruhe listened to Metzner after five complaints for treason and betrayal and espionage on January 18, 2011. On February 9, 2011 the Federal Prosecutor General announced that there had been no fact-based initial suspicion that would justify the initiation of a preliminary investigation into Metzner. [7]
Interesting is the quality with which the German press had reported about Metzner. The affair was generally reported benevolently. Metzner did not pass on information to the declared enemy they wrote but to a confessed ally. The German press thus couples the quality of activities to the assessment of states as friendly or hostile. This is strange because it usually works the other way around. The classification of states as friendly or hostile depends on the quality of their activities. [4]
[1] US-Depeschen auf Wikileaks - Westerwelles Maulwurf trägt Fliege 2010-12-02
https://www.stern.de/politik/deutschland/us-depeschen-auf-wikileaks-westerwelles-maulwurf-traegt-fliege-3873538.html
[2] Wikileaks-Enthüllungen - Westerwelles Büroleiter war Informant 2010-12-02
https://archive.li/20120731092345/http://www.faz.net/s/Rub594835B672714A1DB1A121534F010EE1/Doc~E8993CD1878D24B1DA55162378CEDAAFF~ATpl~Ecommon~Sspezial.html
[3] Wikileaks und die FDP - Maulwurf mit Fliege 2010-12-03
https://www.sueddeutsche.de/politik/wikileaks-und-die-fdp-maulwurf-mit-fliege-1.1031491
[4] Helmut Metzner, der freundliche Spion der FDP 2010-12-03
https://www.welt.de/politik/deutschland/article11375065/Helmut-Metzner-der-freundliche-Spion-der-FDP.html
[5] Maulwurf Metzner ist enttarnt - Die FDP war nicht genug 2010-12-03
https://www.n-tv.de/politik/Die-FDP-war-nicht-genug-article2070311.html
[6] US-Informant - FDP trennt sich von Maulwurf Metzner 2010-12-08
http://www.spiegel.de/politik/deutschland/us-informant-fdp-trennt-sich-von-maulwurf-metzner-a-733604.html
[7] Spitzelaffäre - FDP-Maulwurf hatte Zugang zu Geheimakten 2010-12-12
http://www.spiegel.de/politik/deutschland/spitzelaffaere-fdp-maulwurf-hatte-zugang-zu-geheimakten-a-734169.html
[8] Cablegate
https://wikileaks.org/plusd/?qproject[]=cg&q=#result
[9] WESTERWELLE'S SURGE CLINCHES BLACK-YELLOW IN GERMANY; MERKEL GAINS SECOND TERM 2009-09-28
https://wikileaks.org/plusd/cables/09BERLIN1197_a.html
[10] MERKEL AND WESTERWELLE PLAN COALITION TALKS WHILE SOCIAL DEMOCRATS REEL FROM ELECTORAL DISASTER 2009-09-30
https://wikileaks.org/plusd/cables/09BERLIN1206_a.html
[11] CHANCELLOR MERKEL'S NEW COALITION: WHAT IT MEANS FOR GERMANY'S ECONOMIC AGENDA 2009-09-05
https://wikileaks.org/plusd/cables/09BERLIN1240_a.html
[12] WESTERWELLE FIRM ON REMOVAL OF NUCLEAR WEAPONS FROM GERMANY IN COALITION NEGOTIATIONS 2009-09-09
https://wikileaks.org/plusd/cables/09BERLIN1271_a.html
[13] GERMANY COULD HAVE NEW COALITION GOVERNMENT WITHIN TWO WEEKS 2009-10-16
https://wikileaks.org/plusd/cables/09BERLIN1296_a.html
[14] GERMANY'S COALITION AGREEMENT STRESSES PRIORITY OF TRANSATLANTIC RELATIONS 2009-10-26
https://wikileaks.org/plusd/cables/09BERLIN1337_a.html
[15] GERMANY'S NEW COALITION AGREEMENT: THE DOMESTIC AGENDA 2009-10-26
https://wikileaks.org/plusd/cables/09BERLIN1340_a.html
Metzner was head of the office of the FDP Federal Chairman Guido Westerwelle and responsible for the international contacts of the FDP. In this activity he also had conversations with the US Embassy. During the coalition negotiations after the general election of September 27, 2009 Metzner was a member of the cabinet. After the 2009 general election the CDU/CSU and FDP formed a coalition. He has provided the US Embassy with documents and confidential information about the coalition negotiations.
In the beginning it was not clear who supplied the US embassy with information. The then Federal Chairman of the FDP Guido Westerwelle had vehemently doubted that someone from his party had supplied internal informations to thirds parties. The search took five days in the FDP party headquarters and in-house interviews of employees to complete. Only then did the FDP admitted to be the one to provided information to the US Embassy during the coalition negotiations. [2] [3] [5]
Since 2004 Metzner had provided information on the strategic and programmatic plans of the FDP and prospects for success in upcoming elections to the US Embassy at the request of US Embassy staff. For example it came that to a dispute over the whereabouts of American nuclear weapons in Germany between Westerwelle and the then CDU Finance Minister Wolfgang Schäuble. During coalition negotiations in 2009 he brought lists of working groups, schedules and handwritten notes on the coalition negotiations to the meetings with the US diplomat. [3] [1] [6]
Metzner rejected the accusation of treason. The Federal Prosecutor's Office (Bundesanwaltschaft) in Karlsruhe listened to Metzner after five complaints for treason and betrayal and espionage on January 18, 2011. On February 9, 2011 the Federal Prosecutor General announced that there had been no fact-based initial suspicion that would justify the initiation of a preliminary investigation into Metzner. [7]
Interesting is the quality with which the German press had reported about Metzner. The affair was generally reported benevolently. Metzner did not pass on information to the declared enemy they wrote but to a confessed ally. The German press thus couples the quality of activities to the assessment of states as friendly or hostile. This is strange because it usually works the other way around. The classification of states as friendly or hostile depends on the quality of their activities. [4]
[1] US-Depeschen auf Wikileaks - Westerwelles Maulwurf trägt Fliege 2010-12-02
https://www.stern.de/politik/deutschland/us-depeschen-auf-wikileaks-westerwelles-maulwurf-traegt-fliege-3873538.html
[2] Wikileaks-Enthüllungen - Westerwelles Büroleiter war Informant 2010-12-02
https://archive.li/20120731092345/http://www.faz.net/s/Rub594835B672714A1DB1A121534F010EE1/Doc~E8993CD1878D24B1DA55162378CEDAAFF~ATpl~Ecommon~Sspezial.html
[3] Wikileaks und die FDP - Maulwurf mit Fliege 2010-12-03
https://www.sueddeutsche.de/politik/wikileaks-und-die-fdp-maulwurf-mit-fliege-1.1031491
[4] Helmut Metzner, der freundliche Spion der FDP 2010-12-03
https://www.welt.de/politik/deutschland/article11375065/Helmut-Metzner-der-freundliche-Spion-der-FDP.html
[5] Maulwurf Metzner ist enttarnt - Die FDP war nicht genug 2010-12-03
https://www.n-tv.de/politik/Die-FDP-war-nicht-genug-article2070311.html
[6] US-Informant - FDP trennt sich von Maulwurf Metzner 2010-12-08
http://www.spiegel.de/politik/deutschland/us-informant-fdp-trennt-sich-von-maulwurf-metzner-a-733604.html
[7] Spitzelaffäre - FDP-Maulwurf hatte Zugang zu Geheimakten 2010-12-12
http://www.spiegel.de/politik/deutschland/spitzelaffaere-fdp-maulwurf-hatte-zugang-zu-geheimakten-a-734169.html
[8] Cablegate
https://wikileaks.org/plusd/?qproject[]=cg&q=#result
[9] WESTERWELLE'S SURGE CLINCHES BLACK-YELLOW IN GERMANY; MERKEL GAINS SECOND TERM 2009-09-28
https://wikileaks.org/plusd/cables/09BERLIN1197_a.html
[10] MERKEL AND WESTERWELLE PLAN COALITION TALKS WHILE SOCIAL DEMOCRATS REEL FROM ELECTORAL DISASTER 2009-09-30
https://wikileaks.org/plusd/cables/09BERLIN1206_a.html
[11] CHANCELLOR MERKEL'S NEW COALITION: WHAT IT MEANS FOR GERMANY'S ECONOMIC AGENDA 2009-09-05
https://wikileaks.org/plusd/cables/09BERLIN1240_a.html
[12] WESTERWELLE FIRM ON REMOVAL OF NUCLEAR WEAPONS FROM GERMANY IN COALITION NEGOTIATIONS 2009-09-09
https://wikileaks.org/plusd/cables/09BERLIN1271_a.html
[13] GERMANY COULD HAVE NEW COALITION GOVERNMENT WITHIN TWO WEEKS 2009-10-16
https://wikileaks.org/plusd/cables/09BERLIN1296_a.html
[14] GERMANY'S COALITION AGREEMENT STRESSES PRIORITY OF TRANSATLANTIC RELATIONS 2009-10-26
https://wikileaks.org/plusd/cables/09BERLIN1337_a.html
[15] GERMANY'S NEW COALITION AGREEMENT: THE DOMESTIC AGENDA 2009-10-26
https://wikileaks.org/plusd/cables/09BERLIN1340_a.html
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