bar on Wittenbergplatz and returned to the German Democratic Re-
public (GDR), presumably as the victim of a kidnapping. Not only
were important OG networks compromised as a result of his activity,
but Höher served as a witness for the prosecution in several GDR
trials, including that of Werner Haase. As a further propaganda
ploy, a brochure entitled Agent 2996 enthüllt (Agent 2996 Exposes)
appeared in 1958. Höher remained in Leipzig until his death the fol-
lowing year.HÖKE, MARGARETE (1935– ). A secretary in the office of the pres-
ident of the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) who was seduced
by one of the East German Romeo spies, Margarete Höke worked
in the mobilization and security departments. In 1968, she attracted
the attention of Hans-Jürgen Henze, an illegaler (code name hagen;
pseudonym Franz Becker) with ties to the KGB, and an amorous
relationship gradually developed. She complied with his request to
obtain material from her office to help supplement his feigned dis-
sertation on the role of the president in the FRG.
Several years later, hoping to appeal to Höke’s right-wing po-
litical outlook, Henze claimed to be a member of a patriotic orga-
nization based in Brazil that needed inside information about the
Bonn government. A written contract was concluded, stipulating
a monthly payment of 500 DM for confidential material obtained
from her office. Through Höke (code name doris), the KGB
acquired the mobilization plans of the Chancellor’s Office and
the West German ministries, secret weekly reports of the foreign
ministry to the president, and accounts of his meetings with for-
eign diplomats. In 1976, although Henze returned to the German
Democratic Republic, he continued to meet with Höke in Bonn and
Zurich, where her deliveries were made. Suspended because of a
security scare in 1979, Höke was reactivated the following year
under the code name vera. Her information now included confi-
dential details about the deployment of Pershing II missiles in the
FRG as well as the government’s wartime command and control
system. Arrested in 1985, Höke readily confessed and received a
sentence of eight years and a fine of 33,000 DM (presumably the
sum total of her KGB payments). She gained early release from
prison on 21 December 1989.
HÖKE, MARGARETE • 199