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Presenter: Gary Gans

My immigrant relative decided it was better in 1921, to claim to be unwed and pregnant then admit the truth that she married and an alien while visiting Palestine. She should have been automatically denaturalized according to the U.S. law at the time! This methodological approach will show the step-by-step approach that revealed documents that the family was convinced were long buried. Over 30 years later, the Feds caught her lie. Through disciplined research and good luck, I uncovered the court records from the 1950's, showing this 4 foot tall Yiddish speaking, old woman in a housecoat, almost brought down the US government! This Cold War tale involved the governments of the then U.S.S.R., Israel, and the U.S. I will also address the ethics of family secrets. Is it OK to reveal what was previously hidden knowledge? Did I violate my own family privacy by going public?