of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), Defense Min-
ister Manfred Wörner confronted the general with the accusation
that he was homosexual and therefore a security risk because of the
blackmail potential. Although Kiessling denied the charge, a second
MAD report issued by Berendt in early December provided addi-
tional evidence. When Kiessling’s forced retirement became known,
the German press began its own investigation, and the weakness of
the witnesses’ testimony became glaringly apparent. After a heated
debate in the Bundestag, Chancellor Helmut Kohl brought the affair
to an end by ordering the dismissal of Berendt and the reinstatement
of Kiessling by Wörner on 1 February 1984. Kiessling retired from
active duty shortly afterward. Wörner, despite loud calls for his re-
moval, became general secretary of NATO in 1988.KINKEL, KLAUS (1936– ). The first civilian head of the Bundesnach-
richtendienst (BND), Klaus Kinkel was born in Metzingen (Baden-
Württemberg) on 17 December 1936. Receiving a doctorate in law
from the University of Cologne, he joined the Interior Ministry in
1970 and later became a protégé of Hans-Dietrich Genscher. On 1
January 1979, when the direction of the BND came under Kinkel’s
authority, an attempt was made to infuse it with new energy while
avoiding any drastic personnel changes. Nevertheless, by the end
of his tenure in December 1982, his increased stress on human in-
telligence had not stemmed the number of agents unmasked in the
German Democratic Republic, and his refusal to support the assess-
ment of the BND analytical division regarding the Soviet invasion
of Afghanistan had created much resentment in the ranks. In his
subsequent political career, Kinkel served as justice minister, foreign
minister, vice chancellor, secretary of the Freie Demokratische Par-
tei, and a member of the Bundestag before his retirement in 2002. See
also BAUMANN-ZAKRZOWSKI, WINFRIED.
KIPPENBERGER, HANS (1898–1937). A key communist func-
tionary executed by Joseph Stalin, Hans Kippenberger was born in
Leipzig on 15 January 1898, the son of a clergyman. After serving
in World War I, he joined the Kommunistische Partei Deutschlands
(KPD) and helped direct the 1923 uprising in Hamburg. Its failure
prompted his exfiltration to Moscow and several years of intensive
KIPPENBERGER, HANS • 231