Today is Friday, February 21st, 2020.

On this day in 1942, German-born Bernardius Otto Kuhn was convicted of spying for the Japanese.

His espionage led to the devastating World War II attack on Pearl Harbor.

Welcome to today in True Crime, a parcast original. Due to the graphic nature of today's

crimes, listener discretion is advised. Extreme caution is advised for listeners under 13.

Today we're covering the World War II espionage of Bernard Kuhn, who worked closely with his stepdaughter to collect intelligence on American fleet movements in Pearl Harbor.

Let's go back to tribunal in Honolulu, Hawaii.

A jury of uniformed officers eyed him from the bench as the judge announced his sentence.

For spying on U.S. military operations, the judge announced his sentence.

For spying on US military operations and sharing that intel with the Japanese, Bernard Coon was

condemned to death by firing squad. Court was adjourned. Bernard maintained

his composure despite the crushing sentence, but the next day he got news that cracked his stony facade. His 22-year-old

stepdaughter, Ruth Kuhn, was also going to be tried on charges of espionage.

And if the truth came out, Bernard knew that she would be sentenced to death as well.

The journey to this moment began back in 1935 when Bernard Coon was a man on the rise in Germany. A respected veteran from World War

1, Bernard was also a medical doctor who hobnobbed with many high-ranking Nazis.

The doctor's own attributes, however, often paled next to those of his 15-year-old stepdaughter, Ruth.

She was bright, beautiful, and adventurous, traits that endeared her to many of

Bernard's acquaintances. To his dismay, they even attracted the notice of Minister of Propaganda, Joseph Goebles.

Bernard knew that Goebles was a married man, not to mention more than 20 years older than his stepdaughter, yet he felt

he could do nothing to deny such a powerful figure. Ruth, meanwhile, thought she'd bagged a major catch, and being a 15-year-old couldn't help but tell

everyone about her love affair with the powerful Nazi.

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