Walker Concealed Facts, Whitworth’s Attorney Alleges

A lawyer for accused spy Jerry Whitworth on Wednesday challenged the credibility of confessed Soviet spy John A. Walker Jr. and tried to show that Walker concealed important facts about the spy operation from Whitworth.

James Larson repeatedly asked Walker to elaborate on testimony that he never told Whitworth the ultimate destination of classified documents Whitworth allegedly stole from the Navy.

“You never mentioned Soviets or Russians?” Larson asked.

“No,” Walker said.

Walker, the prosecution’s key witness, has testified that Whitworth was his main supplier of classified documents between 1975 and Whitworth’s retirement from the Navy in 1983. Whitworth, 46, faces life imprisonment if he is convicted of various counts of espionage and tax evasion for failing to report $332,000 in income he allegedly received for selling the secrets.

Important Element

The defense in the federal court trial has argued that Whitworth’s lack of knowledge about the buyers of the documents is important because the indictment alleges that he knew the material would end up in Soviet hands--and harm U.S. interests.

Walker testified under cross-examination that he did not recall ever talking with Whitworth, his former “best friend,” about the potential harm that could come if the secrets ended up in enemy hands. Walker said he was intentionally vague about the customer, implying that the secrets went to the Israelis, the Jane’s Fighting Ships publication, or private intelligence organizations.

Prosecutors maintain that they need only prove that Whitworth passed classified documents to Walker to win a conviction.

The defense attack on Walker’s credibility came through questions suggesting that Walker lied about the role of other members of his family in the espionage ring.

Larson asked whether Walker was covering up for the spy ring’s true leader, his brother Arthur. Walker has maintained that he masterminded the spying for the Soviet Union as early as 1968 and recruited Arthur only in 1981.

Says Ex-Wife Lied

But John Walker said that his ex-wife, Barbara, lied when she told the FBI last year that Arthur Walker, 51, admitted to her that he dealt with the Soviets as early as 1968 and was the one to recruit John Walker.

“It was delusional,” Walker said, referring to his ex-wife’s statement, adding that the comment stemmed from her “drunkenness.”

John Walker insisted that he brought Arthur into the spy network years later to help him extricate himself from financial straits.

Walker said the material supplied by Arthur was “junk,” and that the Soviets demanded that he stop supplying it. Arthur Walker, a retired Navy lieutenant commander, is serving a life sentence after his conviction last August for stealing classified documents from a defense contractor he worked for in Chesapeake, Va.

Larson spent much of the day asking Walker about his various efforts, successful and otherwise, to recruit his brother, son, daughter and half-brother into the spy network.

Half-Brother Not Implicated

Walker denied that his half-brother, Gary, was a major supplier of classified documents, but acknowledged that he approached his half-brother with an offer to join the operation in 1982 or 1983. Gary showed no interest, he said.

Gary Walker, who remains in the Navy, is expected to testify in the case in coming weeks. Authorities cleared him of any involvement in the spy ring.

Walker also testified that he said in one letter that his daughter Laura, whom he had tried to recruit, was “like the German children in World War II who were trained to turn in their parents.” Laura, along with Walker’s ex-wife, alerted the FBI to Walker’s spying in late 1984, which led to his arrest in May, 1985.

Walker said he knew his wife was aware of his illicit activities, but that he thought he could stop her from turning him into authorities by keeping her well paid.

Other members of the Walker clan are expected to begin testifying next week. Walker, who faces a life sentence after pleading guilty to espionage charges in October, is expected to complete his testimony today.