Questioning of Spy Suspect Recalled

Ronald William Pelton, the former National Security Agency employee on trial for espionage, told an FBI agent that agreeing to spy for the Soviets was “the biggest mistake in his life,” the agent testified Wednesday.

David E. Faulkner--one of two agents who arrested Pelton last November--said that Pelton added just before his arrest: “But when you’re broke and you’re desperate and your family can barely survive, you do crazy things.”

Pelton, 44, faces six counts of espionage. Formerly a $24,500-a-year communications specialist at NSA, he is charged with selling secrets to the Soviet Union for $35,000.

Faulkner, a prosecution witness testifying for the second straight day, provided details on the five hours Nov. 24 during which he and special agent Dudley F. Hodgson questioned Pelton in an Annapolis, Md., hotel before arresting him there about midnight.

‘In Complete Control’

Pelton appeared “normal, calm and in complete control” during the questioning, Faulkner testified.

Faulkner, the only witness on the trial’s second day, coolly answered questions posed by Assistant U.S. Atty. John G. Douglass, the lead prosecutor, and identified numerous maps and wiretap tapes that the prosecution says show Pelton’s trail of spying.

Among the maps was one of the Soviet Embassy in Vienna, where Pelton allegedly told Faulkner he spent three days in January, 1980, being “debriefed” by Soviets on locations of U.S. surveillance and decoding equipment.

During the questioning in Annapolis, Pelton used a map of Europe and the Soviet Union to circle the spot he had shown the Soviets, Faulkner testified.

Gave ‘General Location’

Pelton said he had given the Soviets a “general location” of the sensitive equipment, Faulkner testified, adding that Pelton said the Soviets could “readily see the value of” the data.

Information that Pelton allegedly gave the Soviets would tell them which of their communications were being monitored, thus allowing them to change the methods and codes of transmissions.

The U.S. equipment that Pelton allegedly pinpointed monitored movement of Soviet troops, planes and military equipment.

Faulkner said Pelton asserted that revealing the equipment’s location was harmful “only insofar as the budget’s concerned,” adding that it was “enormously costly” to have the Soviets discover a monitoring station.

Asked if it was “life-threatening” to reveal the information, Pelton refused to answer, Faulkner testified.

FBI Guidelines

During cross-examination Faulkner conceded that he and Hodgson failed to follow some FBI guidelines during their questioning of Pelton.

At one point, Pelton’s court-appointed attorney, Fred Warren Bennett, cited a regulation saying that interrogation should take place at field offices, places of business or homes.

“You weren’t aware of that Nov. 24, 1985?” Bennett demanded.

“That’s correct,” the agent replied.

Bennett complained that the agents did not ask for written statements or tape record the questioning. “This jury has no way of telling what was said, word for word,” he said.

Wiretaps, Bugging Devices

Prosecutors monitored Pelton at three locations with court-approved wiretaps and bugging devices: his car, his sales job at Safford Marine in Annapolis and the Washington home of Ann Barry, a former girlfriend.

Wednesday, the prosecutors released transcripts of three conversations allegedly between Pelton and Barry.

Pelton, father of four children, separated from his wife in April, 1985, and at one point lived with Barry, who he says influenced him to heavily indulge in alcohol and other drugs.

On one tape, Pelton allegedly said: “They want me to work for them,” and Barry asks: “So, do you wanta work for them?”

Pelton has contended that he believed the FBI was trying to recruit him as a double agent.

Angry Conversation

On another tape, this one recorded from a device in Barry’s home, a loud conversation laced with profanity takes place. A voice prosecutors said is Barry’s expressed anger that the FBI had her number and accused Pelton of having given it to agents who telephoned him there.

At one point the woman on the tape worried about her own safety, jeopardized because of “your little secret.”

Later, the voice prosecutors said is Pelton’s refers to “a deal . . . that I might be able to make.” The man goes on to say, “Anything is possible. I know enough to be careful.

“This is not the Boy Scouts,” the man said.

At the end of the tape the woman said: “You’ll be OK, though. Be careful.”

Meanwhile, in an unusual joint statement in Washington, CIA Director William J. Casey and Gen. William Odom of the NSA conceded that classified information will be released publicly during the Pelton trial but cautioned reporters not to use information that is not revealed in testimony.

“Those reporting on the trial should be cautioned against speculation and reporting details beyond the information actually released at trial,” the statement said. “Such speculations and additional facts are not authorized disclosures and may cause substantial harm to the national security.”

Casey has asked the Justice Department to prosecute NBC News under a 1950 law against revealing intelligence projects and has warned several major news organizations against publishing classified information.