THE NEW GERMANY 451had informed Gorbachëv’s chief of staff, Valeri Boldin, who had in -
explicably failed to pass on the message. It would have been indelicate
for Kovalëv to state this baldly. Instead he confined himself to com-
menting that no one liked to advertise a forthcoming divorce.^62 The
West German authorities meanwhile started legal proceedings against
East Germany’s former leaders. The Politburo at Falin’s suggestion had
sought to protect Honecker by giving sanctuary to him and his wife in
a Soviet military hospital.^63 But Kohl followed this with moves to bring
ex-Prime Minister Modrow to court. Modrow had been one of the
communist reformers who ousted Honecker. Gorbachëv thought of
him as a kindred spirit and told Kohl of his disquiet.^64 Kohl took no
notice. At the moment of its reunification, Germany had ceased to be
the Kremlin’s supplicant and become its lender of last resort.