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For other persons named John Walker, see John Walker (disambiguation). Politicians John Walker (Virginia (1744&ndash1809 US Senator public official and soldier John Walker (Missouri politician (1770–1838

John Anthony Walker, Jr. (born July 28, 1937 in Washington D.C.)[1] is a former Warrant Officer and communications specialist for the U.S. Navy convicted for selling his services as a spy to the Soviet Union from 1968 to 1985, the height of the Cold War era. Events 1540 - Thomas Cromwell is executed at the order of Henry VIII of England on charges of Treason. Year 1937 ( MCMXXXVII) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Washington DC ( formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, the District, or simply D In the United States military, a Warrant Officer (grade W-1 to W-5 is ranked as an officer above the senior-most enlisted ranks as well as officer cadets and candidates but The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR was a constitutionally Socialist state that existed in Eurasia from 1922 to 1991 Cold War is the state of conflict tension and competition that existed between the United States and the Soviet Union (USSR and their respective allies from the [2] Walker pleaded guilty in late 1985 as part of a plea arrangement whereby he offered testimony on co-conspirator Jerry Whitworth, provided details of his espionage activities and negotiated more lenient treatment for his son, Michael Walker. [2] During his time as a spy, Walker helped the Soviets decipher over two hundred thousand classified encrypted naval messages, organizing a spy operation that The New York Times reported in 1987 "is sometimes described as the most damaging Soviet spy ring in history. "[3]

Contents

Early life

Walker joined the Navy in 1955 when, arrested for burglary, he was offered the option of jail or the military. [1][4] While stationed in Boston, Walker met and married Barbara Crowley, and they had four children together, three daughters and a son. While stationed on the nuclear-powered submarine USS Andrew Jackson in Charleston, South Carolina, Walker opened a bar which immediately plunged him into debt. USS Andrew Jackson may refer to one of the following US Navy vessels, a revenue cutter that served through the end of the American Civil War Charleston is a city in Charleston county in the US state of South Carolina. [1]

Spy ring

Walker began spying for the Soviets in December 1967, when, distraught over his financial difficulties, he walked into the Soviet Embassy in Washington, DC and sold a classified document (a radio cipher card) for several thousand dollars, negotiating an ongoing salary of $500 to $1,000 a week. Year 1967 ( MCMLXVII) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar of the 1967 Gregorian calendar. Washington DC ( formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, the District, or simply D [1] Walker has justified this betrayal on grounds the classified Navy communications data he had initially sold the Soviets was completely compromised during the USS Pueblo incident (in which a U. Initial operations The ship was launched at the Kewaunee Shipbuilding and Engineering Company in Kewaunee Wisconsin, on 16 April 1944 S. Navy communications surveillance ship was captured on the high seas by North Korea, and its crew held prisoner for nearly a year). North Korea is the commonly used short form name for the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (or DPRK) a State located in East Asia, However, a 2001 thesis presented at the U. S. Army Command and General Staff College using information from Soviet archives and from Oleg Kalugin, indicates that the Pueblo incident may have taken place because the Soviets wanted to study equipment that was described by documents supplied to them by Walker. Oleg Danilovich Kalugin (Олег Данилович Калугин (born September 6, 1934) is a former KGB General. [5]

Walker persisted in his activities, receiving an income of several thousand dollars per month for supplying classified information. [1] While Walker on occasion utilized the services of his wife Barbara, he began seeking further assistance in 1969 when, stationed to teach radio operators in San Diego, California, he befriended student Jerry Whitworth. California ( is a US state on the West Coast of the United States, along the Pacific Ocean. [1] Whitworth, who would go on to become a Navy senior chief radioman, agreed to assist Walker in accessing highly-classified communications data in 1973. [1] After his Navy retirement in 1976, Walker began looking more aggressively among his children and family members for assistance (Walker was now a private detective at this time). Retirement is the point where a person stops employment completely A private investigator or private detective (often shortened to PI or private eye) is a person who can be hired by individuals or groups to undertake By 1984, he had recruited his older brother Arthur and his son Michael. [1]

In 1990, New York Times journalist John J. O'Connor reported that, "It's been estimated by some intelligence experts that Mr. Walker provided enough code-data information to alter significantly the balance of power between Russia and the United States". [6] Asked later how he had managed to access so much classified information, Walker said, "KMart has better security than the Navy". [7] According to a report presented to the Office of the National Counterintelligence Executive in 2002, Walker is one of a handful of spies believed to have earned more than a million dollars in espionage compensation,[4] although The New York Times estimated his income at only $350,000. The Office of the National Counterintelligence Executive (ONCIX directs national Counter-intelligence (CI for the United States government and is responsible [6]

Arrest and imprisonment

In May 1985, the FBI were tipped off to Walker's activities by Walker's then ex-wife Barbara, whom he had refused to pay alimony. Year 1985 ( MCMLXXXV) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link displays 1985 Gregorian calendar) [1] Following an investigation, the FBI arrested Walker, Whitworth, Arthur Walker and Michael Walker. Ironically, Walker himself was arrested using a trick he used to catch people in adultery cases: telephoning their hotel room and telling them that their car was broken into. [1] Barbara Walker was not prosecuted because of her role in disclosing the ring. [1][4] Former KGB agent Victor Churkashin, however, details in his book "Spy Handler" that Walker was compromised by an FBI spy named Martynov, who overheard a conversation by chance in Moscow. Documents in his trial, Cherkashin argues, claimed that Martynov played a crucial role in the compromise of Walker's cover. [8]

Walker cooperated with authorities and in a plea bargain, he agreed to submit to an unchallenged conviction and life sentence, provide a full disclosure of the details of his spying and give testimony against Jerry Whitworth in exchange for a pledge from the prosecutors that his son would receive a sentence of no more than 25 years imprisonment. A plea bargain (also plea agreement, plea deal or copping a plea) is an agreement in a Criminal case whereby the Prosecutor offers [9][2] All of the members of the spy ring besides Michael Walker received life sentences for their role in the espionage. Jerry Whitworth was sentenced to 365 years in prison and was fined $410,000 dollars for his involvement.

Walker's son Michael, who had a relatively minor role in the ring and turned state's evidence in exchange for a reduced sentence, was released from prison on parole in February 2000. Parole may have different meanings depending on the field and judiciary system 2000 ( MM) was a Leap year that started on Saturday of the Common Era, in accordance with the Gregorian calendar. [1]

Walker is currently BOP Prisoner number 22449-037 and is housed at the U. S. Medical Center for Federal Prisoners (MCFP) in Springfield, Missouri. [10]

Further reading

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Earsley, Pete. The TSEC/KL-7, code named ADONIS, was a Rotor machine Encryption system introduced in the 1950s by the U The KW-37, code named JASON, was an encryption system developed In the 1950s by the U Hans-Thilo Schmidt ( 13 May 1888 – 1943 codenamed Asché or Source D, was a Spy who during the 1930s sold secrets about the The American media referred to 1985 as the Year of the Spy because law enforcement arrested many foreign spies operating on American soil Family of spies: the John Walker Jr. spy case CourtTV Crime Library. Accessed November 16, 2007. Events 534 - A second and final revision of the Codex Justinianus is published Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century.
  2. ^ a b c Recent US Spy Case CNN. Accessed November 16, 2007. Events 534 - A second and final revision of the Codex Justinianus is published Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century.
  3. ^ Shenon, Philip. (Jan 4, 1987) In short: nonfiction. NY Times. Accessed November 16, 2007. Events 534 - A second and final revision of the Codex Justinianus is published Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century.
  4. ^ a b c Herbig, Katherine L. and Martin F. Wiskoff. (July 2002) Espionage against the United States by American citizens, 1947-2001. ONCIX website. Accessed November 16, 2007. Events 534 - A second and final revision of the Codex Justinianus is published Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century.
  5. ^ Analysis of the Systemic Security Weaknesses of the U.S. Navy Fleet Broadcasting System, 1967-1974, as Exploited by CWO John Walker (PDF) Master's thesis by Laura J. Heath
  6. ^ a b O'Connor, John J. (Feb. 4 1990) TV View; American spies in pursuit of the American dream NY Times. Accessed November 16, 2007. Events 534 - A second and final revision of the Codex Justinianus is published Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century.
  7. ^ Johnson, Reuben F. (Jul 23 2007) The ultimate export control: why F-14s are being put into a shredder The Weekly Standard. Volume 012, Issue 42. Accessed November 16, 2007. Events 534 - A second and final revision of the Codex Justinianus is published Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century.
  8. ^ Cherkashin, Victor. Spy Handler. New York: Basic Books, 2005. (Page 183)
  9. ^ Time Magazine, Belated concern, Time, Inc. Time (trademarked in capitals as TIME) is a weekly American Newsmagazine, similar to Newsweek and (Nov. 11, 1985) Accessed November 16, 2007. Events 534 - A second and final revision of the Codex Justinianus is published Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century.
  10. ^ Federal Bureau of Prisons
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