Closet Reformers

Is there a Gorbachev acolyte lurking in the official wings? Wolfgang Berghofer, 46, is one such candidate; as the mayor of Dresden, he met with opposition leaders two weeks ago. Other potential reformers who might pressure Krenz for change:

HANS MODROW, 61

Dresden party chief. Well in tune with citizens' frustrations, he is regarded as the man most likely to bring about Soviet-style reforms. Last week he called for "deep change" and "comprehensive renewal in industry and science, society, art and culture."

MARKUS WOLF, 67

Retired after 31 years as chief of intelligence. A clever innovator, he knows where the bodies are buried and the moles are burrowed. Last spring, while promoting his book Troika, a story of East-West relations, he expressed admiration for Gorbachev.

WOLFGANG VOGEL, 67

Lawyer who has brokered thousands of prisoner exchanges. Though close to Honecker, he is by reputation a defender of freedom of travel who impresses Westerners with his acid criticisms of the East German system's rigidity. He has spoken out against the recent jailing of peaceful protesters.

HERMANN KANT, 63

President of the East German Union of Writers. A well-known Establishment author, he has called the refugee exodus a "defeat." He cautions against "pomp and ceremony and all this miserable smugness," and contends that the worst thing about East Germany is "the condition it is in today."