New documents released by WikiLeaks showed that the United States did not just tap German Chancellor Angela Merkel's phone but also eavesdropped on several ministers, the German daily Sueddeutsche Zeitung reported.
German-US relations were badly strained after fugitive US intelligence contractor Edward Snowden in 2013 revealed widespread US foreign surveillance, although a probe into the alleged tapping of Merkel's mobile phone was dropped last month over a lack of evidence.
But according to Wednesday's revelations, the US National Security Agency (NSA) did not limit its snooping activities to Merkel, and showed particular interest in the activities of the ministries of finance, economy and agriculture, the newspaper wrote.
It said whistleblowing website WikiLeaks had shown it a list of 69 phone numbers that were reportedly targeted, belonging to ministers and senior officials. The list appears to date back to between 2010 and 2012.
Current Economy Minister and Vice-Chancellor Sigmar Gabriel was among those spied on by the NSA, the report said, although it noted he was in the opposition at the time.
The list also featured the number of former finance minister Oskar Lafontaine, who left the job in 1999. But the number is "still active", according to Sueddeutsche Zeitung, and now rings through to the secretariat of current Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble.