The German Spies at Pearl Harbor? Those Were My Grandparents (with Christine Kuehn & Mark Schiponi)
From Prevail with Greg Olear by Greg Olear
November 30, 2025 · 1h 4m
About this episode
Christine Kuehn and Mark Schiponi discuss the discovery of Kuehn's family's secret as Nazi spies during World War II and the journey of writing their book.
What happens when you discover that the reason your father never speaks about his parents or his childhood growing up in Hawaii is because his mother, father, and older sister were Nazi spies? And not just any Nazi spies–the spies sent by Berlin to help the Japanese surveil Pearl Harbor? Christine Kuehn was living 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. The result is the new book, FAMILY OF SPIES. Following a career in journalism, public relations, and nonprofits, Christine now lives in Maryland with her husband, Mark Schiponi, who helped her research the book for 30 years. In this conversation, Greg Olear talks to the couple about how the book came to be, the long and unusual research process, and the emotional impact of learning the truth.
People in this episode
Host: Greg Olear
Guests: Christine Kuehn, Mark Schiponi
Topics covered
- Nazi spies
- Pearl Harbor
- family secrets
- journalism
- research process
Keywords
- Nazi spies
- Pearl Harbor
- family secrets
- Christine Kuehn
- Mark Schiponi
- FAMILY OF SPIES
- research
- journalism
Mentioned in this episode
Books & works: FAMILY OF SPIES
Places: Hawaii, Maryland
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