One night, Erich Honnecker was in the bedchamber having some pillow talk with
his mistress. He was in a magnanimous mood and offered her a present of her
choice. She thought about his offer for a moment and then replied, “Oh, Erich,
if there is one thing I would like you to do for me, it is this: open the
borders just for one day.” Honnecker said, “Of course, my dear,” but was a bit
puzzled by her request. He asked, “But why would you have me do such a thing?”
The mistress replied, “I want to be alone with you.”