In 1966, the private relationship between East German socialite Gerda Munsinger and associate Defense Minister Pierre Sevigny was manipulated into a national scandal. While a scandal involves corruption or an ethical breach, oftentimes the media and politicians treat political sexual affairs as scandals even though corruption did not occur. This paper will illustrate that Munsinger and Sevigny’s relationship was manipulated into a scandal by self-interested groups. The relationship was turned into scandal because the background of Munsinger and Sevigny alongside the Cold War hysteria illustrated the potential that their relationship compromised national security. The political tension between Prime Minister Lester B. Pearson and opposition…show more content… After being separated from family during World War II, at age 18, Munsinger met a Soviet man who was connected with military intelligence in Berlin. Munsinger worked for the Soviet man stealing, transferring money, and allegedly working as a prostitute. She was apprehended by American West German border police in which she confessed her involvement with the Soviet. According to Bryan Palmer, the American border police “grandiosely” labelled Munsinger as a spy which deemed her a potential security risk according to the RCMP. Munsinger’s accusation illustrated to the Liberal Party and RCMP she had potential as a spy in Canada which allowed Liberals and the RCMP to manipulate the situation into a scandal. Munsinger’s relationship with Sevigny was viewed with concern because Sevigny held a high position in Canadian defense. As an Associate Defense Minister, Sevigny had access to classified information regarding Canadian military and defense. With Munsinger’s background, and her relationship with Sevigny, there was a belief that Sevigny could have been bribed by Munsinger who the RCMP believed to be a spy. Thus Munsinger’s background and Sevigny’s position of power created a potential security
