Suspected Spies Berated : Marines Hit the Beach, Take Comrades to Task

A sandy Southern California beach on a hot, gorgeous day is not the place where one normally hears talk about espionage, honor and patriotism.

Yet seven young Marines readily shared their personal opinions on such matters, in light of the revelations that three fellow Marines now stand accused of spying for the Soviet Union while assigned to the security detail at the U.S. Embassy in Moscow and the U.S. Consulate in Leningrad. According to reports, the Marine guards apparently opened the facilities at night to Soviet agents.

The Marines on the beach in Oceanside, who ranged in age from 20 to 22, were troubled and angry over the alleged actions of their comrades. They spoke Thursday while relaxing after completing their daily duties at nearby Camp Pendleton.

Asked how the accused men could have gone wrong, the Marines’ opinions ranged from the guards being victims of Soviet seductions, to their lack of inner strength, to immaturity.

‘Should Be Hung’

“I think it sucks,” said Lance Cpl. Paul Morell. “Anybody that’s a traitor towards your country for (sex) . . . this really sucks. I think (they) . . . should be hung, myself.

“You think if they’ll do that for sex, what are they going to do when they start ripping toenails and fingernails and stuff out. They going to grin and bear it, or what? They always tell you, the only thing you give your enemy is your name, rank, your Social Security number, your date of birth. That’s all you give them.”

Lance Cpl. David Edeen, 21, said the Marines on Embassy duty were “probably guilty of being stuck in Moscow with no women, I guess. I definitely think it looks bad on the Marine Corps, especially seeing that we’re supposed to be like the elite force, you know,” Edeen said. He called the matter “just another Mata Hari story,” referring to the World War I spy.

Asked how he would survive without female companionship, Edeen’s friend, Lance Cpl. Terry Brownfield, 21, said: “It wouldn’t be worth it for me. No way. I’d just have to hold out. It wouldn’t be worth it.

“You might have thought it was a good idea at the time because they didn’t think they would get caught. They probably thought it was their girlfriend or something, they’d go ahead and show them around or whatever. They (the women) just took advantage of them.”

Cpl. Billy Peterson, 22, who has been in the Corps 3 1/2 years, felt that the guards accused of spying may not have been mature enough for the job. “I think the guys are too young,” Peterson said. “The tours are probably too . . . long. That’s enough to drive anybody . . . nuts.”

Normal tours for guard duty of the Moscow embassy are 18 months, according to a Marine Corps spokesman.

“If the Marines have done that, they should get treason,” said Pvt. Henry Quintana, a 21-year-old combat engineers.

‘It’s Not Right’

“(They served as guards) for the safety of our land,” Quintana said. “That’s why we have things like that set up--so that we can have people out here on the beach now and not have anything to fear about being attacked or having any breach of security at all. It’s not right, be it Marines or otherwise.”

Most of the Marines from Camp Pendleton were concerned about the loss of prestige to the Marine Corps, which prides itself as being the “best of the best.”

“You have a few guys that have screwed up everything, you know,” said Peterson of the 9th Communications Battalion.

One Marine said the accused guards were the same as communists in his eyes. Asking that he not be identified, the young lance corporal said he felt the guards should be executed.

“They’re Marines, and from boot camp on, they’re trained to be always faithful (the motto of the Marine Corps is semper fidelis). They wore their dress blues (the formal uniform worn by Marines on embassy duty), and they turned around and for money or sex or whatever reason they had for giving away that information. . . . I think it’s kind of bullshit when they’ve got families back home who could be hurt by it.

‘Should Be Shot’

“So they give the Russians something that they could use against us, that could possibly destroy us, just for money or special benefit. You don’t do it for your personal self when it’s affecting your country, you know. To me, they’re as much communists as a Russian. I think they should be shot.”

For Lance Cpl. Jeff Williamson, 20, talk of the Marine spy ring triggered a different train of thought.

“It makes me wonder if we really are America’s best,” Williamson said. “If these people are doing it, you just start to wonder if anybody else is doing it (spying). You wonder how many other people are giving away secrets at any of our other embassies . . . that haven’t been caught yet.”

Asked if he felt the Marine Corps was still the best fighting force in America, Williamson said, “Yeah, I still do, in a way.”