The Geijer Affair is the ultimate illustration of the Social Democratic "state within a state" mentality that rule Sweden during the post-war decades. It was a scandal that was not just about buying sex, but about national security, the risk of blackmail and an ice-cold cover-up directed by Olof Palme personally.
In the mid-1970s, the police busted Madame Doris Hopp's brothel in Stockholm. Among the customers were the absolute top echelons of society, including ministers and military men. Several of the prostituted women came from Poland and had frequent contacts with the Polish embassy (and thus the Eastern Bloc's intelligence services).
Lennart Geijer, Palme's own Minister of Justice, was singled out as a frequent customer. National Chief of Police Carl Persson realized that this was an enormous security risk; a Minister of Justice who could be blackmailed by the KGB, a nightmare for every country in those days. KGB then Mossad today. Funny how that works.
In August 1976, just weeks before the parliamentary elections, Carl Persson handed over a secret memorandum to Olof Palme documenting Geijer's connections to the brothel. Instead of acting, Palme locked the document in his safe. He said nothing to the voters or the Riksdag. When the Social Democrats lost the election, he handed over the secret PM to the new PM and Agrarian party leader Thorbjörn Fälldin, who continued to keep it hidden. Why? he too was one of the child abusers.
When journalist Peter Bratt at DN revealed the story in 1977, Palme launched a furious counterattack. He called the information "malicious rumors" and delivered the classic quote: "Snuff is snuff and nonsense is nonsense, albeit in police memos".
Palme was a master at using his authority to crush critics. By focusing on individual errors in detail in DN's article, he managed to get Sweden's largest morning newspaper to back down. DN was forced to publicly apologize to Geijer and Peter Bratt was reassigned.
Palme had straight up lied to the Swedish people and managed to make the media appear as the perpetrator instead of the investigating force.
The most disgusting thing about the Geijer affair was not just the lies, but the human victims. Among Doris Hopp's prostitutes were girls as young as 14.
To save Lennart Geijer's reputation and the Social Democrats' reputation, the power apparatus chose to ignore that the country's most powerful men had bought sex from children. The victims never received any redress, no compensation and no ministers had to testify.
The Geijer affair proves that the "moral superpower" Sweden was built on a foundation of lies. Palme prioritized the outward appearance of the "movement" over the security of the kingdom and the lives of vulnerable children. That he is now being hailed as a father of the country is perhaps the biggest joke of all, he was rather the uncrowned king of sexual predatory cover-ups.
What makes the Geijer affair so extremely dirty is not just the names themselves, but the fact that Olof Palme used the information as a blackmail tool and a body armor for the entire political establishment.
When Police Chief Carl Persson handed over his secret memo to Palme in August 1976, there were six names that were singled out as direct security risks due to their visits to Doris Hopp’s brothel.
The six names on Carl Persson’s secret memo:
Lennart Geijer (S) Minister of Justice and the main character. Despite overwhelming evidence in the police wiretap, he was protected by Palme until the very end.
Thorbjörn Fälldin (C): Leader of the Centre Party and then leader of the opposition. The fact that he was on the list was Palme's stroke of genius, it meant that the opposition did not dare to push too hard, since they themselves were in the thick of it. Fälldin later used his classic denial, "Since my name is on it, it proves that the list is fake."
Krister Wickman (S) Governor of the Central Bank and former Minister of Foreign Affairs. One of the heaviest pieces in the Social Democratic power apparatus.
Hjalmar Mehr (S) County Governor and former legendary mayor of Stockholm. The architect behind the demolition of old Stockholm was apparently also a frequent guest in Stockholms other red lighted districts.
Cecilia Nettelbrandt (FP) Deputy Speaker of the Riksdag. This shows that the cover-up needed to be cross-party to last.
Ragnar Lassinantti (S) County Governor of Norrbotten and one of the S movement's most respected profiles.
In addition to the six in the famous memo, there was a much longer list in the police investigation materials (often called the “list of 27” or even more).
It mentioned figures such as:
Olof Johansson (C): Later party leader for the Center Party. Pointed out by the prostituted women as a “dream client”.
Gunnar Sträng (S) Minister of Finance. His name appeared in the testimonies of the girls, but never reached the official scandal level because Palme effectively closed the door.
Tage Erlander (S) The former loved leader of the country was also mentioned in the girls’ stories, which was one of the reasons why the cover-up became so desperate, they could not let the icon Erlander is dragged through the mud.
Why did Palme protect them?
It was never about law, it was about the self-preservation of power. Then as now. By having the names span across party lines, a culture of silence was created. Everyone had something to lose. Palme claimed that he was covering up to “protect the kingdom”, but in reality he was protecting the image of the Social Democrats as the guardians of morality.
The most brutal thing is that the girls (some as young as 14) who were exploited were completely erased from the equation. Palme called the evidence “nonsense”, even though the police had tape recordings and testimonies. Did the victim get any justice? No. Not even a damages settlement was given due to the statute of limitations having set in.
The Geijer affair was proof that in “gender equal Sweden” some were more equal than others. If you were a top politician, you could buy sex from children at a brothel with Soviet spy contacts, and the prime minister would personally ensure that the journalists who exposed you had to apologize. That is the Sweden you do not hear about.
