Jeffrey Carney facts for kids

Jeffrey Martin Carney was a former intelligence specialist in the United States Air Force. He was found guilty of spying for East Germany's secret police, known as the Stasi. Carney, who had the code names "Kid" or "Uwe," became unhappy with the U.S. Air Force and some U.S. policies. He started giving U.S. military documents to the Stasi while working in West Berlin. After being moved back to Goodfellow Air Force Base in 1984, Carney decided to ask for a permanent home in East Germany. His location was unknown until 1990, and he was listed as a deserter. He was finally caught by special agents from the United States Air Force Office of Special Investigations (AFOSI) on April 22, 1991, in Berlin.

Early Life and Military Service

Jeffrey Martin Carney joined the U.S. Air Force in December 1980. From April 1982 to April 1984, he worked at Tempelhof Central Airport in Berlin. His job was to be a linguist and intelligence specialist. He was stationed at the Marienfelde Field Site, where he used his language skills to gather important information.

Why He Became a Spy

Carney became unhappy with the Air Force and its intelligence operations. He tried to quit several times because he disagreed with what he was doing. His experiences during a large NATO military exercise called Able Archer 83 made him even more determined. He wanted to help prevent a nuclear conflict between countries. Feeling alone and stressed, he was persuaded by East German intelligence agents to become a spy.

How He Spied for East Germany

While working at the Marienfelde Field Site in Berlin, Carney began copying secret documents. He then gave these documents to the Stasi by crossing into East Germany many times. In 1984, he was moved to Goodfellow Air Force Base in Texas. He thought this base would not have information useful to the Stasi, but he was wrong.

Carney continued to provide documents to the Stasi. He met his handlers, who were the people he worked with, in Mexico City and Rio de Janeiro in 1985. Feeling cut off from his contacts in East Berlin, he sought protection at the East German embassy in Mexico City. From there, he traveled to Havana with help from the Cuban government. Weeks later, he returned to East Berlin through Prague. In East Berlin, he kept working for the Stasi. He would listen to and translate non-secure phone calls from U.S. military commanders. He also listened to East German phone lines connected to the U.S. embassy in East Berlin.

Rewards for His Actions

During his time as a spy, Carney gave the Stasi and other Eastern Bloc intelligence services more than one hundred top-secret U.S. military documents. For his work, he received awards from East Germany. These included a bronze service medal and a gold medal for "Brotherhood in Arms." His secret Stasi files showed how valuable his work was. He even received praise from high-ranking generals from the KGB and the Group of Soviet Forces in Germany.

His Capture and Conviction

A major breakthrough in Carney's case happened after the Berlin Wall fell in November 1989. Many Stasi records became available to investigators. In April 1991, Carney was found with the help of former Stasi intelligence officers who became informants. On April 22, 1991, AFOSI agents caught Carney on a public street in Berlin. He was taken to Tempelhof Airport and questioned for nearly 28 hours. After this, he refused to answer more questions.

The AFOSI decided to secretly move Carney out of Germany. He was flown to the United States on a military aircraft the next day. His arrest and return were handled at the highest levels of the U.S. government. Carney pleaded guilty to charges related to spying and leaving his military post. In December 1991, he was sentenced to 38 years in prison. He served his sentence at Quantico, Virginia, and later at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. Carney was released in 2002, after serving about 11 years.

Life After Prison

After being released from prison, Carney tried to return to Germany. He claimed to be a German citizen. However, East Germany had never officially made him a citizen. Because of this, German authorities would not give him a passport. He is reported to be living in Ohio. In 2013, a book about his life as a spy was published. The book is titled Against All Enemies: An American's Cold War Journey.