John Anthony Walker Jr
Walker began spying for the Soviets in 1968, when, distraught over his financial difficulties, he walked into the Soviet Embassy in Washington, D.C., sold a top secret document (a radio cipher card) for several thousand dollars, a low price to sell one’s country out for.
Shortly after Walker gave information to the Soviets, the North Koreans captured the USS Pueblo. It has been speculated the Soviets wanted more information about the intelligence activities of the USS Pueblo and directed the North Koreans to seize the ship allowing them to verify the intelligence supplied by Walker.
After Walker’s arrest in 1985, Defense Secretary Caspar Weinberger said the Soviet Union had made significant gains in naval warfare attributable to Walker’s spying. Weinberger stated that the information Walker gave Moscow allowed the Soviets access to weapons and sensor data, naval tactics, terrorist threats, and surface, submarine, and airborne training, readiness and tactics.
Walker was incarcerated for life at FCC Butner, in the low security portion. Walker died on August 28, 2014, while still in prison. We aren’t sorry.
