John Anthony Walker
Encyclopedia
John Anthony Walker, Jr. (b. 28 July 1937, Washington D.C.) is a former United States Navy
Chief Warrant Officer and communications specialist convicted of spy
ing for the Soviet Union
from 1968 to 1985, at the height of the Cold War
(1945–91). In late 1985, Walker pleaded guilty in a plea arrangement, whereby he testified against conspirator Jerry Whitworth, gave details of his espionage, and negotiated lenient punishment for his son, Michael Walker. During his time as a Soviet spy, CWO Walker helped the Soviets decipher more than one million 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.”
in Charleston, South Carolina
, Walker opened a bar which failed to turn a profit and immediately plunged him into debt.
ns had captured the U.S. Navy communications surveillance ship, the USS Pueblo
. Yet the Koreans captured the Pueblo in January 1968 — just one month after Walker had betrayed that information. Furthermore, 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.
Walker continued spying, receiving an income of several thousand dollars per month for supplying classified information. While Walker occasionally used 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. Whitworth, who would become a Navy Senior Chief Petty Officer
/Senior Chief Radioman, agreed to assist Walker in accessing highly-classified communications data in 1973. A transfer had stopped Walker's access to the data the Soviets wanted, but he was able to recruit Whitworth to keep the data flowing by telling him the data would be going to Israel, an ally of the United States, in order to soften the consideration of Whitworth engaging in espionage. Later, when Whitworth realized the data was going to the Soviets instead of Israel, he nonetheless continued feeding it to Walker until his retirement from the Navy in 1983. In 1976, Walker retired from the Navy in order to give up his security clearance, as he believed certain superior officers of his were too keen on investigating lapses in his records. Walker and Barbara also divorced. However, Walker did not end his espionage, and began looking more aggressively among his children and family members for assistance (Walker was a private detective at this time). By 1984, he had recruited his older brother Arthur, a retired Lieutenant Commander
who then went to work at a military contractor, and his son Michael, an active duty seaman. Walker had also attempted to recruit his youngest daughter, who had enlisted in the US Army, but she cut her military career short when she became pregnant. Walker then turned his attention to his son, who had drifted during much of his teenage years and dropped out
of high school. Walker gained custody of his son, put him to work as an apprentice at his detective agency in order to prepare him for espionage and encouraged him to re-enroll in high school to earn a diploma, then to enlist in the Navy.
When Walker began spying, he worked as a important supervisor in the communications center for the Atlantic submarine force. He would have had knowledge of top-secret technologies, such as the SOSUS
underwater surveillance system which tracks submarine traffic via a network of submerged hydrophones. It was through Walker that the Soviets became aware that the United States were able to track the location of Soviet submarines by the cavitation
produced by their propellers. After this, the propellers on the Soviet submarines were improved to reduce cavitation. The Toshiba-Kongsberg scandal was disclosed in this activity in 1987.
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". Asked later how he had managed to access so much classified information, Walker said, "KMart
has better security than the Navy". 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, although The New York Times estimated his income at only $350,000.
. Following an investigation, the FBI arrested Walker, Whitworth, Arthur Walker and Michael Walker. Ironically, Walker himself was arrested at a motel in Montgomery County, Maryland
, using a trick he used to catch people in adultery cases: telephoning his hotel room and telling him that his car had been hit in an accident. Barbara Walker was not prosecuted because of her role in disclosing the ring. Former KGB agent Victor Cherkashin
, 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.
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. 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 for his involvement. Whitworth is ineligible for parole until 2048, at which point he will be 111 years of age.
Walker's son Michael, who had a relatively minor role in the ring and agreed to testify in exchange for a reduced sentence, was released from prison on parole
in February 2000.
Walker is currently BOP Prisoner number 22449-037 and is incarcerated at Federal Correctional Institution (FCI) in Terre Haute. He is said to be suffering from diabetes and stage IV throat cancer. His earliest possible parole date is May 20, 2015, at which point he will have served 30 years in prison.
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
Chief Warrant Officer and communications specialist convicted of spy
SPY
SPY is a three-letter acronym that may refer to:* SPY , ticker symbol for Standard & Poor's Depositary Receipts* SPY , a satirical monthly, trademarked all-caps* SPY , airport code for San Pédro, Côte d'Ivoire...
ing for 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 1968 to 1985, at the height of 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...
(1945–91). In late 1985, Walker pleaded guilty in a plea arrangement, whereby he testified against conspirator Jerry Whitworth, gave details of his espionage, and negotiated lenient punishment for his son, Michael Walker. During his time as a Soviet spy, CWO Walker helped the Soviets decipher more than one million 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.”
Early life
Walker joined the Navy in 1955 when, arrested for burglary, he was offered the option of jail or the military. 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 JacksonUSS Andrew Jackson
USS Andrew Jackson may refer to one of the following U.S. Navy vessels:, a revenue cutter that served through the end of the American Civil War., a submarine commissioned on 3 July 1963....
in Charleston, South Carolina
Charleston, South Carolina
Charleston is the second largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. It was made the county seat of Charleston County in 1901 when Charleston County was founded. The city's original name was Charles Towne in 1670, and it moved to its present location from a location on the west bank of the...
, Walker opened a bar which failed to turn a profit and immediately plunged him into debt.
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, sold a top secret document (a radio cipher card) for several thousand dollars, and negotiated an ongoing salary of $500 to $1,000 a week. Walker has justified his treachery by claiming that the first classified Navy communications data he had sold to the Soviets had already been completely compromised when the North KoreaNorth Korea
The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea , , is a country in East Asia, occupying the northern half of the Korean Peninsula. Its capital and largest city is Pyongyang. The Korean Demilitarized Zone serves as the buffer zone between North Korea and South Korea...
ns had captured the U.S. Navy communications surveillance ship, the USS Pueblo
USS Pueblo (AGER-2)
USS Pueblo is an American ELINT and SIGINT Banner-class technical research ship which was boarded and captured by North Korean forces on January 23, 1968, in what is known as the Pueblo incident or alternatively as the Pueblo crisis or the Pueblo affair. Occurring less than a week after President...
. Yet the Koreans captured the Pueblo in January 1968 — just one month after Walker had betrayed that information. Furthermore, a 2001 thesis presented at the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College using information from Soviet archives and from Oleg Kalugin
Oleg Kalugin
Oleg Danilovich Kalugin , is a former KGB general. He was a longtime head of KGB operations in the United States and later a critic of the agency.-Early life and the KGB career:...
, 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.
Walker continued spying, receiving an income of several thousand dollars per month for supplying classified information. While Walker occasionally used the services of his wife Barbara, he began seeking further assistance in 1969 when, stationed to teach radio operators in San Diego, California
San Diego, California
San Diego is the eighth-largest city in the United States and second-largest city in California. The city is located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean in Southern California, immediately adjacent to the Mexican border. The birthplace of California, San Diego is known for its mild year-round...
, he befriended student Jerry Whitworth. Whitworth, who would become a Navy Senior Chief Petty Officer
Senior Chief Petty Officer
U.S. Coast GuardSenior ChiefPetty Officercollar deviceU.S. Coast GuardSenior ChiefPetty OfficerinsigniaGood conductvariationSenior ChiefPetty OfficerinsigniaSenior ChiefPetty Officercollar device...
/Senior Chief Radioman, agreed to assist Walker in accessing highly-classified communications data in 1973. A transfer had stopped Walker's access to the data the Soviets wanted, but he was able to recruit Whitworth to keep the data flowing by telling him the data would be going to Israel, an ally of the United States, in order to soften the consideration of Whitworth engaging in espionage. Later, when Whitworth realized the data was going to the Soviets instead of Israel, he nonetheless continued feeding it to Walker until his retirement from the Navy in 1983. In 1976, Walker retired from the Navy in order to give up his security clearance, as he believed certain superior officers of his were too keen on investigating lapses in his records. Walker and Barbara also divorced. However, Walker did not end his espionage, and began looking more aggressively among his children and family members for assistance (Walker was a private detective at this time). By 1984, he had recruited his older brother Arthur, a retired Lieutenant Commander
Lieutenant Commander
Lieutenant Commander is a commissioned officer rank in many navies. The rank is superior to a lieutenant and subordinate to a commander...
who then went to work at a military contractor, and his son Michael, an active duty seaman. Walker had also attempted to recruit his youngest daughter, who had enlisted in the US Army, but she cut her military career short when she became pregnant. Walker then turned his attention to his son, who had drifted during much of his teenage years and dropped out
Dropping out
Dropping out means leaving a group for either practical reasons, necessities or disillusionment with the system from which the individual in question leaves....
of high school. Walker gained custody of his son, put him to work as an apprentice at his detective agency in order to prepare him for espionage and encouraged him to re-enroll in high school to earn a diploma, then to enlist in the Navy.
When Walker began spying, he worked as a important supervisor in the communications center for the Atlantic submarine force. He would have had knowledge of top-secret technologies, such as the SOSUS
SOSUS
SOSUS, an acronym for Sound Surveillance System, is a chain of underwater listening posts across the northern Atlantic Ocean near Greenland, Iceland and the United Kingdom — the GIUK gap. It was originally operated by the United States Navy for tracking Soviet submarines, which had to pass...
underwater surveillance system which tracks submarine traffic via a network of submerged hydrophones. It was through Walker that the Soviets became aware that the United States were able to track the location of Soviet submarines by the cavitation
Cavitation
Cavitation is the formation and then immediate implosion of cavities in a liquidi.e. small liquid-free zones that are the consequence of forces acting upon the liquid...
produced by their propellers. After this, the propellers on the Soviet submarines were improved to reduce cavitation. The Toshiba-Kongsberg scandal was disclosed in this activity in 1987.
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". Asked later how he had managed to access so much classified information, Walker said, "KMart
Kmart
Kmart, sometimes styled as "K-Mart," is a chain of discount department stores. The chain acquired Sears in 2005, forming a new corporation under the name Sears Holdings Corporation. The company was founded in 1962 and is the third largest discount store chain in the world, behind Wal-Mart and...
has better security than the Navy". According to a report presented to the Office of the National Counterintelligence Executive
Office of the National Counterintelligence Executive
The Office of the National Counterintelligence Executive directs national counter-intelligence for the United States government and is responsible to the Director of National Intelligence. The Office was established on January 5, 2001 by a directive from President Bill Clinton which also...
in 2002, Walker is one of a handful of spies believed to have earned more than a million dollars in espionage compensation, although The New York Times estimated his income at only $350,000.
Arrest and imprisonment
In May 1985, the FBI was tipped off to Walker's activities by Walker's then ex-wife Barbara, to whom he had refused to pay alimonyAlimony
Alimony is a U.S. term denoting a legal obligation to provide financial support to one's spouse from the other spouse after marital separation or from the ex-spouse upon divorce...
. Following an investigation, the FBI arrested Walker, Whitworth, Arthur Walker and Michael Walker. Ironically, Walker himself was arrested at a motel in Montgomery County, Maryland
Montgomery County, Maryland
Montgomery County is a county in the U.S. state of Maryland, situated just to the north of Washington, D.C., and southwest of the city of Baltimore. It is one of the most affluent counties in the United States, and has the highest percentage of residents over 25 years of age who hold post-graduate...
, using a trick he used to catch people in adultery cases: telephoning his hotel room and telling him that his car had been hit in an accident. Barbara Walker was not prosecuted because of her role in disclosing the ring. Former KGB agent Victor Cherkashin
Victor Cherkashin
Victor Ivanovich Cherkashin , born in 1932 in the village of Krasnoe in the Kursk region was a counter-intelligence officer of the KGB. He joined the KGB in 1952 and retired in 1991. He was the case officer for both Aldrich Ames, a CIA counter-intelligence officer, and Robert Hanssen, an FBI agent,...
, 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.
Walker cooperated with authorities and in a plea bargain
Plea bargain
A plea bargain is an agreement in a criminal case whereby the prosecutor offers the defendant the opportunity to plead guilty, usually to a lesser charge or to the original criminal charge with a recommendation of a lighter than the maximum sentence.A plea bargain allows criminal defendants to...
, 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. 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 for his involvement. Whitworth is ineligible for parole until 2048, at which point he will be 111 years of age.
Walker's son Michael, who had a relatively minor role in the ring and agreed to testify in exchange for a reduced sentence, was released from prison on parole
Parole
Parole may have different meanings depending on the field and judiciary system. All of the meanings originated from the French parole . Following its use in late-resurrected Anglo-French chivalric practice, the term became associated with the release of prisoners based on prisoners giving their...
in February 2000.
Walker is currently BOP Prisoner number 22449-037 and is incarcerated at Federal Correctional Institution (FCI) in Terre Haute. He is said to be suffering from diabetes and stage IV throat cancer. His earliest possible parole date is May 20, 2015, at which point he will have served 30 years in prison.
See also
- KL-7KL-7The TSEC/KL-7, code named ADONIS and POLLUX, was an off-line non-reciprocal rotor encryption machine. The KL-7 had eight rotors to encrypt the text, seven of which moved in a complex pattern, controlled by notched rings. The non-moving rotor was in fourth from the left of the stack. The encrypted...
"Adonis" cipher machine (US Navy 1950s - 1970s) - KW-37KW-37The KW-37, code named JASON, was an encryption system developed In the 1950s by the U.S. National Security Agency to protect fleet broadcasts of the U.S. Navy. Naval doctrine calls for warships at sea to maintain radio silence to the maximum extent possible to prevent ships from being located by...
"Jason" cipher system (US Navy 1950s - 1990s) - USS Niagara Falls (AFS-3)USS Niagara Falls (AFS-3)USS Niagara Falls , a , was the only ship of the United States Navy to be named after the City of Niagara Falls, New York. Commissioned into the US Navy on 29 April 1967, she served until September 1994, when she was transferred to the US Military Sealift Command to serve as USNS Niagara Falls ...
Ship aboard which Walker served as (CMS) Custodian - Hans-Thilo SchmidtHans-Thilo SchmidtHans-Thilo Schmidt codenamed Asché or Source D, was a spy who, during the 1930s, sold secrets about the Germans' Enigma machine to the French...
- 1985: The Year of the Spy1985: The Year of the SpyThe American media referred to 1985 as the Year of the Spy because law enforcement arrested many foreign spies operating on American soil. Although 1985 had been referred to as the Year of the Spy, the preceding year 1984 actually had more arrests for espionage in the United States than did...
- Blind Man's Bluff: The Untold Story of American Submarine EspionageBlind Man's Bluff: The Untold Story of American Submarine EspionageBlind Man's Bluff: The Untold Story of American Submarine Espionage , published in 1998 by Sherry Sontag, Christopher Drew, and Annette Lawrence Drew, is a non-fiction book about U.S. Navy submarine operations during the Cold War...
— a book that includes a description of the Walker spy ring role in its dangerous compromise of technical secrets of some of the vital tactical capabilities of U.S. Navy nuclear submarines and critical covert intelligence gathering operations during the Cold War. - Family of Spies - TV movie based on John Walker's treason.
- Hitori KumagaiHitori Kumagai, born ', is a Japanese author. He was the party concerned who was involved in the Toshiba-Kongsberg scandal, and was also a whistleblower.-Early life and education:Kumagai was born in Onomichi, Hiroshima, Japan...
Further reading
- John Barron; Breaking the Ring: The Bizarre Case of the Walker Family Spy Ring; Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1987, ISBN 0-395-42110-1
- Howard Blum; I Pledge Allegiance: The True Story of the Walkers: an American Spy Family; Simon & Schuster Books, 1987, ISBN 0-671-62614-0
- Kneece, Jack; Family Treason: The Walker Spy Case; Paperjacks, 1988, ISBN 0-7701-0793-1
- Robert W. Hunter; Spy Hunter: Inside the FBI Investigation of the Walker Espionage Case; Naval Institute Press, 1999, ISBN 1-55750-349-4
- Pete Earley; Family of Spies: Inside the John Walker Spy Ring; Bantam Books, 1989, ISBN 0-553-28222-0
- "The Navy's Biggest Betrayal", Naval History Magazine
- Walker, John Anthony; My life as a spy; Amherst, New York: Prometheus Books, 2008, ISBN 978-1-59102-659-4