Truth Declassified: Comparative Archival Analysis and New Interpretations of Abwehr Espionage against the United States of America

Abstract

In 1938 U.S. counter espionage agencies learned of Abwehr espionage in America. Since that discovery, historical narratives of the history of Abwehr espionage in the United States can be summarized within three distinct themes. First, once espionage began, it was fairly limited in scope, centered around the New York City metropolitan area, and was executed by poorly trained or untrained individuals. Second, these efforts occurred prior to the U.S. entry into the war, were continually exposed by U.S. counter espionage agencies, and as a result of that exposure, fundamentally ceased to exist near the end of 1941. Third, the espionage that did exist within the U.S. had no impact on the conduct or outcome of the Second World War. Declassified sources available since the early 2000s in American, British, and German archives, or uncovered through the Freedom of Information Act, reveal a different scope and impact to that espionage. This paper seeks to use the declassified archival information for comparative analysis of the historical narratives to determine the actual extent of Abwehr espionage in the U.S. and its relative impact on the Second World War. Comparative analysis that pits this historical misunderstanding against declassified archival primary sources only available within the last two decades reveals an Abwehr that was far more present and capable within the United States, and the results of its espionage activity had tangible impacts prior to and during the U.S. participation in the war.