Christine Kuehn in conversation with Claire Haley

A propulsive, never-before-told story of one family’s shocking involvement as Nazi and Japanese spies during WWII and the pivotal role they played in the bombing of Pearl Harbor.

It began with a call from a screenwriter, asking about a story. Your family. WWII. Nazis spies. Christine Kuehn was shocked and confused. When she asked her 70-year-old father, Eberhard, what this could possibly be about, he stalled, deflected, demurred, and then he wept. He knew this day would come.

The Kuehns, a once prominent Berlin family, saw the rise of the Nazis as a way out of the hard times that had befallen them. When the daughter of the family, Eberhard’s sister and Christine’s Aunt Ruth, met Nazi leader Joseph Goebbels at a party, the two hit it off, and they had an affair. But Ruth had a secret – she was half Jewish, and Goebbels found out. Rather than having Ruth killed, Goebbels instead sent the entire Kuehn family to Hawaii, to work as spies half a world away. There, Christine’s grandparents and her Aunt Ruth established an intricate spy operation from their home, just a few miles down the road from Pearl Harbor, shielding their son Eberhard from the truth. They passed secrets to the Japanese leading to the devastating attack on Pearl Harbor, and only after that did Eberhard first learn of the family’s spying. After Christine’s grandfather was arrested and tried for his involvement in planning the attack on Pearl Harbor, her father left. Eberhard turned his back on the entire family, joined the US Army, and fought the Japanese in Okinawa.

Christine Kuehn was cocooned in the sanctity of a quiet suburban life when a mysterious letter in 1994 pierced that bubble, sending her on a thirty-year quest to discover the truth behind a horrendous family secret kept hidden for half a century. Following a career in journalism, public relations, and nonprofits, Christine now lives in Maryland with her husband, close to their three grown children.

Claire Haley is Vice President of Special Projects for Atlanta History Center, and a lifelong avid reader. In her role at Atlanta History Center, she leads multiple mission-based program series, including the author talk series and Living Room Learning, as well as representing the institution in local and national partnerships. Claire graduated from the honors program at the University of Georgia with a B.A. in History and a B.A. in International Affairs.