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Bonn Presidential Secretary Admits She Was a Spy

Associated Press

A secretary in West German President Richard von Weizsaecker’s office has admitted that she was a spy and said an East German agent gave her money, a prosecutor’s spokesman said Wednesday.

Margarete Hoeke was arrested in Bonn on Aug. 24 on suspicion of spying for East Germany. Earlier in August, a top counterspy defected to East Germany and the government said three people who vanished may have also been spies for East Germany.

Alexander Prechtel, a spokesman for the chief federal prosecutor, said Hoeke’s admissions came during questioning by police.

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Prechtel said Hoeke told police she went to Copenhagen early last month and received 4,100 West German marks ($1,470) from a man identified by West German officials as an East German agent.

“She has made statements about her work as a spy,” Prechtel told reporters. “But whether she’s telling us everything, we still don’t know yet.”

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