Teddy Temish
Encyclopedia
Theodore “Teddy” Temish was a former American soldier accused of spying for the Soviet Union
in 1990. He underwent an investigation after hiking three miles from one observation tower in Alaska
to another, while sick and injured, following a power failure at the post where he was stationed. Documents were found among his belongings which appeared to contain correspondence between himself and a Soviet liaison. However, upon further investigation, it was discovered that the communications were actually a forgery, created by Temish himself, as part of an elaborate fantasy life that he had fabricated. The charges of espionage against him were eventually dropped, but he was discharged from the Army and later committed suicide. He has been described as a Walter Mitty
-like figure.
in 1967. He was of Ukrainian and Greek descent. His father’s surname was originally Temishenko. His mother was from the city of Thessaloniki
, Greece. His family was of the Eastern Orthodox faith. Temish attended Corcoran High School
, where he played football and was a member of the choir. He spoke Greek and Ukrainian fluently, and enjoyed skiing and hunting. He went by the name “Teddy,“ and was known as a quiet and reserved student who never made trouble and earned satisfactory grades. Upon graduation from high school, he enlisted in the United States Army
in 1986 and was stationed with the 6th Infantry Division near Fairbanks, Alaska
. He served as a radio operator and maintainer, attaining the rank of corporal.
for treatment. His illness was identified as food poisoning.
Meanwhile, while the power failure at the observation tower was being investigated, soldiers looking through the desk that Temish had been stationed at found several folders of documents which he had left there. Among the documents was a handwritten list of radio call signs and frequencies, as well as a notebook filled with rudimentary hand-drawn maps of various parts of Fort Wainwright, and of the service roads leading to observation towers. There were several notepads containing coded messages. There were also empty envelopes marked with a series of squares and triangles, which was presumed to be a code. Upon the discovery of these documents Temish was immediately questioned by a superior officer, and he “confessed” to having been acting as an agent for the Soviet Union, transferring Army intelligence information to a liaison for that country. On 10 November 1990, he was formally charged with espionage.
However, after closer scrutiny, the documents that were discovered in Temish’s desk were found to have been completely fabricated - the “codes” within them merely a meaningless series of symbols. One note pad was found that had been completely filled in with black ink, containing no information whatsoever. Another had a series of circles, increasing and decreasing in size, drawn on every page. Army intelligence officers determined that there was nothing written in any of the documents that constituted genuine espionage, and that Temish had most likely created his identity as a “spy” out of whole cloth. He was referred to a panel of Army psychiatrists, who determined Temish to be expressing symptoms of histrionic personality disorder
and pathological delusion
. They concluded that he had been “living in a dream” and that he had built up a “towering, fraudulent persona” as a secret agent to cope with what he saw as an uninteresting and pointless life, in the manner of Walter Mitty
- a famous fictional character by James Thurber
who imagines himself in various exciting scenarios to combat the boredom of his actual life. During the examination, Temish made a second “confession,“ this time admitting to fabricating all of the documents. An official statement noted:
The espionage charges against Temish were dismissed on 20 December 1990, but he was given a medical discharge from the United States Army. He moved back to Syracuse
and worked for an electrical contractor for several years. He never spoke to the press about the espionage incident, and declined all interviews that were offered to him. He lived at home with his parents and kept a low profile. On 7 April 1995, he committed suicide by hanging.
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
in 1990. He underwent an investigation after hiking three miles from one observation tower in Alaska
Alaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
to another, while sick and injured, following a power failure at the post where he was stationed. Documents were found among his belongings which appeared to contain correspondence between himself and a Soviet liaison. However, upon further investigation, it was discovered that the communications were actually a forgery, created by Temish himself, as part of an elaborate fantasy life that he had fabricated. The charges of espionage against him were eventually dropped, but he was discharged from the Army and later committed suicide. He has been described as a Walter Mitty
Walter Mitty
Walter Mitty is a fictional character in James Thurber's short story "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty", first published in the New Yorker on March 18, 1939, and in book form in My World and Welcome to It in 1942...
-like figure.
Early life
Theodore Temish was born in Syracuse, New YorkSyracuse, New York
Syracuse is a city in and the county seat of Onondaga County, New York, United States, the largest U.S. city with the name "Syracuse", and the fifth most populous city in the state. At the 2010 census, the city population was 145,170, and its metropolitan area had a population of 742,603...
in 1967. He was of Ukrainian and Greek descent. His father’s surname was originally Temishenko. His mother was from the city of Thessaloniki
Thessaloniki
Thessaloniki , historically also known as Thessalonica, Salonika or Salonica, is the second-largest city in Greece and the capital of the region of Central Macedonia as well as the capital of the Decentralized Administration of Macedonia and Thrace...
, Greece. His family was of the Eastern Orthodox faith. Temish attended Corcoran High School
Corcoran High School
Corcoran High School is a public high school located in Syracuse, New York, having approximately 1800 students. In 2005, it became a member of the International Baccalaureate Diploma Program. It is one of the top 1000 ranked schools in the country as of 2009, but has been in the top 600...
, where he played football and was a member of the choir. He spoke Greek and Ukrainian fluently, and enjoyed skiing and hunting. He went by the name “Teddy,“ and was known as a quiet and reserved student who never made trouble and earned satisfactory grades. Upon graduation from high school, he enlisted in the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
in 1986 and was stationed with the 6th Infantry Division near Fairbanks, Alaska
Fairbanks, Alaska
Fairbanks is a home rule city in and the borough seat of the Fairbanks North Star Borough in the U.S. state of Alaska.Fairbanks is the largest city in the Interior region of Alaska, and second largest in the state behind Anchorage...
. He served as a radio operator and maintainer, attaining the rank of corporal.
Espionage Incident
On 3 November 1990, Temish was stationed at a remote observation tower about 60 miles north of Fairbanks. He had been instructed to operate the radio there for one week, filling in for the regular operator. The tower contained a small sleeping quarters and Temish was to stay there alone. On November 5, there was a power failure in the observation tower, of unknown origins. It left the communications system of the tower inoperable. On this same day, Temish became violently ill, suffering from a high fever, dizziness, nausea, and intense head pain. According to Temish himself, he had tried to activate the tower’s backup generator, but was unable to, and was left without a means of communication, and suffering from an unknown illness. It was at this point that he decided to hike to another observation tower three miles east, to seek medical assistance. He dressed himself fully and gathered some medical supplies in a bag, and was descending the stairs leading down from the tower when he fell, breaking an ankle and fracturing his wrist. Despite his injuries, and the fact that he was in intense pain, Temish managed to reach the nearest observation tower and shortly thereafter was transported to a hospital at Fort WainwrightFort Wainwright
Fort Wainwright is a United States Army post adjacent to Fairbanks in the U.S. state of Alaska. It is part of the Fairbanks, Alaska Metropolitan Statistical Area.-History:...
for treatment. His illness was identified as food poisoning.
Meanwhile, while the power failure at the observation tower was being investigated, soldiers looking through the desk that Temish had been stationed at found several folders of documents which he had left there. Among the documents was a handwritten list of radio call signs and frequencies, as well as a notebook filled with rudimentary hand-drawn maps of various parts of Fort Wainwright, and of the service roads leading to observation towers. There were several notepads containing coded messages. There were also empty envelopes marked with a series of squares and triangles, which was presumed to be a code. Upon the discovery of these documents Temish was immediately questioned by a superior officer, and he “confessed” to having been acting as an agent for the Soviet Union, transferring Army intelligence information to a liaison for that country. On 10 November 1990, he was formally charged with espionage.
However, after closer scrutiny, the documents that were discovered in Temish’s desk were found to have been completely fabricated - the “codes” within them merely a meaningless series of symbols. One note pad was found that had been completely filled in with black ink, containing no information whatsoever. Another had a series of circles, increasing and decreasing in size, drawn on every page. Army intelligence officers determined that there was nothing written in any of the documents that constituted genuine espionage, and that Temish had most likely created his identity as a “spy” out of whole cloth. He was referred to a panel of Army psychiatrists, who determined Temish to be expressing symptoms of histrionic personality disorder
Histrionic personality disorder
Histrionic personality disorder is defined by the American Psychiatric Association as a personality disorder characterized by a pattern of excessive emotionality and attention-seeking, including an excessive need for approval and inappropriately seductive behavior, usually beginning in early...
and pathological delusion
Delusion
A delusion is a false belief held with absolute conviction despite superior evidence. Unlike hallucinations, delusions are always pathological...
. They concluded that he had been “living in a dream” and that he had built up a “towering, fraudulent persona” as a secret agent to cope with what he saw as an uninteresting and pointless life, in the manner of Walter Mitty
Walter Mitty
Walter Mitty is a fictional character in James Thurber's short story "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty", first published in the New Yorker on March 18, 1939, and in book form in My World and Welcome to It in 1942...
- a famous fictional character by James Thurber
James Thurber
James Grover Thurber was an American author, cartoonist and celebrated wit. Thurber was best known for his cartoons and short stories published in The New Yorker magazine.-Life:...
who imagines himself in various exciting scenarios to combat the boredom of his actual life. During the examination, Temish made a second “confession,“ this time admitting to fabricating all of the documents. An official statement noted:
- The subject, Corporal Temish, suffers from profound feelings of inadequacy and disillusionment, and has created this elaborate fantasy life [as a spy] rather than face reality. He neither has the skills nor the inclination to carry out actual acts of espionage, and the identity he has built is pure fiction. He has, in fact, lived in a self-described fantasy life from a young age, but never expressed it outwardly until now.
The espionage charges against Temish were dismissed on 20 December 1990, but he was given a medical discharge from the United States Army. He moved back to Syracuse
Syracuse, New York
Syracuse is a city in and the county seat of Onondaga County, New York, United States, the largest U.S. city with the name "Syracuse", and the fifth most populous city in the state. At the 2010 census, the city population was 145,170, and its metropolitan area had a population of 742,603...
and worked for an electrical contractor for several years. He never spoke to the press about the espionage incident, and declined all interviews that were offered to him. He lived at home with his parents and kept a low profile. On 7 April 1995, he committed suicide by hanging.