Herbert Häber

Herbert Häber
Häber (right) with Erich Honecker and Oskar Lafontaine in 1982
Secretary for International Politics and Economics of the Central Committee Secretariat
In office
24 May 1984  22 November 1985
General Secretary
Preceded byPaul Verner
Succeeded byHermann Axen
Head of the Department for International Politics and Economics of the Central Committee
In office
14 December 1973  28 October 1985
Secretary
Deputy
  • Karl Wildberger
  • Günter Pötschke
  • Gunter Rettner
Preceded byHeinz Geggel
Succeeded byGunter Rettner
Personal details
Born
Herbert Häber

(1930-11-15)15 November 1930
Zwickau, Free State of Saxony, Weimar Republic (now Germany)
Died10 April 2020(2020-04-10) (aged 89)
Berlin, Germany
Political partySocialist Unity Party
(1946–1989)
Alma mater
Occupation
  • Politician
  • Party Functionary
  • Journalist
Awards
Central institution membership

Other offices held
  • 1971–1973: Director, IPW
  • 1965–1971: Deputy State Secretary,
    State Secretariat for West German Affairs
  • 1965: Deputy Head,
    West Department of the Central Committee

Herbert Häber (15 November 1930 – 10 April 2020) was a German politician and high-ranking party functionary of the Socialist Unity Party (SED).

Häber was one of the most influential foreign policy experts in the GDR, serving as the longtime head of the West Department at the Central Committee of the SED. In this role, he held contacts with many West German politicians.

Häber supported SED leader Erich Honecker's policy of German-German dialogue and rapprochement, leading to his surprising ascension to the SED Politburo in May 1984. Häber was however removed and institutionalized in August 1985, as a scapegoat for the worsening relationship with the Soviet Union.