Accused Spy Says FBI Used ‘Psychological Warfare’

A former Navy radio man charged with selling military secrets testified for the first time today, telling a federal court judge that he felt he was subjected to “psychological warfare” by FBI agents who interviewed him at his home during May.

“I felt desperate. I felt like, uhhh . . . I was under a great deal of pressure,” Jerry Whitworth said. “I was being bombarded psychologically, I was up against something beyond my control.”

Whitworth’s lawyer, James Larson, has asked U.S. District Court Judge John Vukaskin to suppress statements that Whitworth made to two FBI agents who came to his Davis home May 20, the day after the arrest of confessed spy master John Walker.

Search Warrant at Issue

The defense also has asked the court to rule that the search warrant for Whitworth’s home was invalid.

Walker and his son pleaded guilty to espionage charges Oct. 28 in an agreement providing that Walker would cooperate fully in proceedings against Whitworth, who is accused of passing on sensitive data for transmission to Soviet Bloc countries.

At one point in today’s testimony, Whitworth’s wife, who was sitting in the front row of the courtroom after bringing him a striped tie to wear for the hearing, burst into tears.

Under questioning by Larson, Whitworth said he at first considered the FBI agents’ visit “routine” and was “stunned” when told of Walker’s arrest. The visit progressed from “friendly” to “accusatory,” he said.

Gave Copy of Letter

He said he provided the agents with a copy of a letter he was writing to Walker on a home computer at the time of their arrival but became anxious when one agent blocked his path as he tried to greet his wife, Brenda Leah Reis, as she returned home from school.

“I didn’t feel like I had control of my own home. I felt like I was under arrest effectively,” Whitworth said.

“I felt I had no freedom at all,” he said.