James Hall III
Encyclopedia
James W. Hall, III is a former United States Army
warrant officer
and signals intelligence analyst in Germany who sold eavesdropping and code secrets to East Germany and the Soviet Union
from 1983 to 1988. Hall was convicted of espionage on July 20, 1989; he was fined $50,000 and given a dishonorable discharge and is currently serving a 40-year sentence for those activities at the United States Disciplinary Barracks
, Fort Leavenworth
, Kansas
.
, one of the premier listening posts of the cold war, between 1982–1985 and he spied for both East Germany and the Soviet Union. Between 1983 and 1988, Hall betrayed hundreds of military secrets, which includes the Project Trojan, a worldwide electronic network with the ability to pinpoint armored vehicles, missiles and aircraft by recording their signal emissions during wartime.
Hall sometimes spent up to two hours of his workday reproducing classified documents to provide to the Soviets and East Germans. Concerned that he was not putting in his regular duty time, he consistently worked late to complete his regular assignments.
Using his illegal income, Hall paid cash for a brand new Volvo and a new truck. He also made a large down payment on a home and took flying lessons. He is said to have given his military colleagues at least six conflicting stories to explain his lavish life style. In 1986, Hall was stationed at Fort Monmouth, New Jersey, and was returning to Germany. Passed over for promotion to Sergeant First Class that year, Hall was also applying for an appointment as a Warrant Officer. As a part of the routine background investigation associated with the warrant appointment, one of his supervisors, a Major (Hall was, at the time, a Staff Sergeant), commented to the investigator that he found it strange that Hall could drive a car, the Volvo, that the major couldn't afford. The major went on to explain that he had, himself, asked Hall about this apparent dichotomy. Hall responded that he had a wealthy aunt who died and left him a large trust from which he received $30,000 annually. The major found the story plausible but reiterated it to the investigators during their visit with him. The investigators thanked the major for the information and told him they already knew about the "trust." Hall's co-workers were fully taken in by his duplicity and his unusual activities never drew much attention. He was the epitome of a hard-working non-commissioned officer.
After returning from Germany to the U.S., he traveled to Vienna, Austria, to meet with his Soviet handler. His co-workers wondered why he would re-enlist, and become a warrant officer, after several times conveying to them his dissatisfaction with army life. Of course, the Warrant Officer rank allowed him greater access to classified material.
During his tour at Detachment Schneeberg in the late 1970s through 1981, an intelligence gathering outpost for the VII Corps' 326th ASA (Army Security Agency) Battalion on what was the West German-Czechoslovakian border during the Cold War
, Hall had a generally good working relationship with his associates, but would sometimes erupt and become upset over trivial day-to-day problems. However, for the most part he was considered a competent analyst and sociable companion, and also quickly picked up a working knowledge of the German language. James met his future wife at a local establishment in Bischofsgruen, a popular tourist town where the majority of the Detachment soldiers lived.
Hall was eventually arrested on December 21, 1988, in Savannah
, Georgia, after bragging to an undercover FBI agent that over a period of six years he had sold Top Secret intelligence data to East Germany and the Soviet Union. At the time, Hall believed that he was speaking to a Soviet contact. During this conversation he claimed that he had been motivated only by money. He told the FBI agent posing as a Soviet intelligence officer, "I wasn't terribly short of money. I just decided I didn't ever want to worry where my next dollar was coming from. I'm not anti-American. I wave the flag as much as anybody else."
The case against Hall apparently began based on a tip from a Central Intelligence Agency
source inside the East German government. Officials said this source defected to the West and is in hiding.
After his arrest, Hall said there were many indicators visible to those around him that he was involved in questionable activity. Hall's activities inflicted grave damage on U.S. signals intelligence and he is considered the "perpetrator of one of the most costly and damaging breaches of security of the long Cold War"
Hall confessed to giving his handlers information on the U.S. Military Liaison Mission (USMLM)'s tank photography on New Year's Eve in 1984. On March 24, 1985, while on a legal inspection tour of Soviet military facilities in Ludwigslust
, German Democratic Republic
, US Army Major Arthur D. Nicholson
, Jr., an unarmed member of the USMLM, was shot to death by a Soviet sentry.
Hall believes himself only to be "a treasonous bastard, not a Cold War spy."
The FBI also arrested Huseyin Yildirim, a Turk who served as a conduit between Hall and East German intelligence officers. Hall received over $100,000 in payments.
for either the KGB
or the SVR
include:
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...
warrant officer
Warrant Officer (United States)
In the United States military, the rank of warrant officer is rated as an officer above the senior-most enlisted ranks, as well as officer cadets and candidates, but below the officer grade of O-1...
and signals intelligence analyst in Germany who sold eavesdropping and code secrets to East Germany and the Soviet Union
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....
from 1983 to 1988. Hall was convicted of espionage on July 20, 1989; he was fined $50,000 and given a dishonorable discharge and is currently serving a 40-year sentence for those activities at the United States Disciplinary Barracks
United States Disciplinary Barracks
The United States Disciplinary Barracks is a military prison located on Fort Leavenworth, a United States Army post in Kansas....
, Fort Leavenworth
Fort Leavenworth
Fort Leavenworth is a United States Army facility located in Leavenworth County, Kansas, immediately north of the city of Leavenworth in the upper northeast portion of the state. It is the oldest active United States Army post west of Washington, D.C. and has been in operation for over 180 years...
, Kansas
Kansas
Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
.
Activities
Hall was assigned to the NSA Field Station Berlin TeufelsbergTeufelsberg
The Teufelsberg is a hill in Berlin, Germany, in former West Berlin. It rises about 80 meters above the surrounding Brandenburg plain, more precisely the north of Berlin's Grunewald forest....
, one of the premier listening posts of the cold war, between 1982–1985 and he spied for both East Germany and the Soviet Union. Between 1983 and 1988, Hall betrayed hundreds of military secrets, which includes the Project Trojan, a worldwide electronic network with the ability to pinpoint armored vehicles, missiles and aircraft by recording their signal emissions during wartime.
Hall sometimes spent up to two hours of his workday reproducing classified documents to provide to the Soviets and East Germans. Concerned that he was not putting in his regular duty time, he consistently worked late to complete his regular assignments.
Using his illegal income, Hall paid cash for a brand new Volvo and a new truck. He also made a large down payment on a home and took flying lessons. He is said to have given his military colleagues at least six conflicting stories to explain his lavish life style. In 1986, Hall was stationed at Fort Monmouth, New Jersey, and was returning to Germany. Passed over for promotion to Sergeant First Class that year, Hall was also applying for an appointment as a Warrant Officer. As a part of the routine background investigation associated with the warrant appointment, one of his supervisors, a Major (Hall was, at the time, a Staff Sergeant), commented to the investigator that he found it strange that Hall could drive a car, the Volvo, that the major couldn't afford. The major went on to explain that he had, himself, asked Hall about this apparent dichotomy. Hall responded that he had a wealthy aunt who died and left him a large trust from which he received $30,000 annually. The major found the story plausible but reiterated it to the investigators during their visit with him. The investigators thanked the major for the information and told him they already knew about the "trust." Hall's co-workers were fully taken in by his duplicity and his unusual activities never drew much attention. He was the epitome of a hard-working non-commissioned officer.
After returning from Germany to the U.S., he traveled to Vienna, Austria, to meet with his Soviet handler. His co-workers wondered why he would re-enlist, and become a warrant officer, after several times conveying to them his dissatisfaction with army life. Of course, the Warrant Officer rank allowed him greater access to classified material.
During his tour at Detachment Schneeberg in the late 1970s through 1981, an intelligence gathering outpost for the VII Corps' 326th ASA (Army Security Agency) Battalion on what was the West German-Czechoslovakian border during the Cold War
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
, Hall had a generally good working relationship with his associates, but would sometimes erupt and become upset over trivial day-to-day problems. However, for the most part he was considered a competent analyst and sociable companion, and also quickly picked up a working knowledge of the German language. James met his future wife at a local establishment in Bischofsgruen, a popular tourist town where the majority of the Detachment soldiers lived.
Hall was eventually arrested on December 21, 1988, in Savannah
Savannah
Savannah or savanna is a type of grassland.It can also mean:-People:* Savannah King, a Canadian freestyle swimmer* Savannah Outen, a singer who gained popularity on You Tube...
, Georgia, after bragging to an undercover FBI agent that over a period of six years he had sold Top Secret intelligence data to East Germany and the Soviet Union. At the time, Hall believed that he was speaking to a Soviet contact. During this conversation he claimed that he had been motivated only by money. He told the FBI agent posing as a Soviet intelligence officer, "I wasn't terribly short of money. I just decided I didn't ever want to worry where my next dollar was coming from. I'm not anti-American. I wave the flag as much as anybody else."
The case against Hall apparently began based on a tip from a Central Intelligence Agency
Central Intelligence Agency
The Central Intelligence Agency is a civilian intelligence agency of the United States government. It is an executive agency and reports directly to the Director of National Intelligence, responsible for providing national security intelligence assessment to senior United States policymakers...
source inside the East German government. Officials said this source defected to the West and is in hiding.
After his arrest, Hall said there were many indicators visible to those around him that he was involved in questionable activity. Hall's activities inflicted grave damage on U.S. signals intelligence and he is considered the "perpetrator of one of the most costly and damaging breaches of security of the long Cold War"
Hall confessed to giving his handlers information on the U.S. Military Liaison Mission (USMLM)'s tank photography on New Year's Eve in 1984. On March 24, 1985, while on a legal inspection tour of Soviet military facilities in Ludwigslust
Ludwigslust
Ludwigslust is a town in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany, 40 km south of Schwerin. It was the capital of the former district of Ludwigslust, and is part of the district Ludwigslust-Parchim since September 2011.-History:...
, German Democratic Republic
German Democratic Republic
The German Democratic Republic , informally called East Germany by West Germany and other countries, was a socialist state established in 1949 in the Soviet zone of occupied Germany, including East Berlin of the Allied-occupied capital city...
, US Army Major Arthur D. Nicholson
Arthur D. Nicholson
Arthur D. Nicholson was a United States Army military intelligence officer shot by a Soviet sentry while engaged in intelligence-gathering activities as part of an authorized Military Liaison Mission which operated under reciprocal U.S. - Soviet authority. Military Liaison Missions were ostensibly...
, Jr., an unarmed member of the USMLM, was shot to death by a Soviet sentry.
Hall believes himself only to be "a treasonous bastard, not a Cold War spy."
The FBI also arrested Huseyin Yildirim, a Turk who served as a conduit between Hall and East German intelligence officers. Hall received over $100,000 in payments.
See also
Other agents in place in the US government or military who worked as a moleMole (espionage)
A mole is a spy who works for an enemy nation, but whose loyalty ostensibly lies with his own nation's government. In some usage, a mole differs from a defector in that a mole is a spy before gaining access to classified information, while a defector becomes a spy only after gaining access...
for either the KGB
KGB
The KGB was the commonly used acronym for the . It was the national security agency of the Soviet Union from 1954 until 1991, and was the premier internal security, intelligence, and secret police organization during that time.The State Security Agency of the Republic of Belarus currently uses the...
or the SVR
Foreign Intelligence Service (Russia)
The Russian Foreign Intelligence Service is Russia's primary external intelligence agency. The SVR is the successor of the First Chief Directorate of the KGB since December 1991...
include:
- George TrofimoffGeorge TrofimoffGeorge Trofimoff was the highest ranking US military officer ever charged with, and convicted of, espionage by the United States. He was sentenced to life imprisonment on September 27, 2001.- Background :...
- a then retired Army Reserve colonel, charged in June 2000 with spying for the KGBKGBThe KGB was the commonly used acronym for the . It was the national security agency of the Soviet Union from 1954 until 1991, and was the premier internal security, intelligence, and secret police organization during that time.The State Security Agency of the Republic of Belarus currently uses the...
and the Russian Foreign Intelligence ServiceForeign Intelligence Service (Russia)The Russian Foreign Intelligence Service is Russia's primary external intelligence agency. The SVR is the successor of the First Chief Directorate of the KGB since December 1991...
(or SVRForeign Intelligence Service (Russia)The Russian Foreign Intelligence Service is Russia's primary external intelligence agency. The SVR is the successor of the First Chief Directorate of the KGB since December 1991...
) for over 25 years. - Aldrich AmesAldrich AmesAldrich Hazen Ames is a former Central Intelligence Agency counter-intelligence officer and analyst, who, in 1994, was convicted of spying for the Soviet Union and Russia...
- A CIA mole charged with providing highly classified information since 1985 to the Soviet Union and then Russia. - Robert HanssenRobert HanssenRobert Philip Hanssen is a former American FBI agent who spied for Soviet and Russian intelligence services against the United States for 22 years from 1979 to 2001...
- Arrested for spying for the Soviet Union and Russia for more than 15 years of his 27 years with the Federal Bureau of Investigation. - Earl Edwin PittsEarl Edwin PittsEarl Edwin Pitts is a former FBI special agent who, in 1996, was arrested at the FBI Academy in Quantico, Virginia. Pitts was charged with several offenses, including spying for the Soviet Union and Russia...
- An FBI agent charged with providing Top Secret documents to the Soviet Union and then Russia from 1987 until 1992. - Harold James NicholsonHarold James NicholsonFor the English diplomat, author, diarist and politician, see Harold Nicolson.Harold James Nicholson is a former Central Intelligence Agency officer and a twice-convicted spy for Russia's Foreign Intelligence Service...
- A senior-ranking Central Intelligence Agency officer arrested while attempting to take Top Secret documents out of the country. He began spying for Russia in 1994. - John Anthony WalkerJohn Anthony WalkerJohn Anthony Walker, Jr. is a former United States Navy Chief Warrant Officer and communications specialist convicted of spying for the Soviet Union from 1968 to 1985, at the height of the Cold War...